Today we have an entrant for the first course of the Diced! competition. This round includes ingredients that are vegan friendly. Contestants were encouraged to add any additional ingredients they wished (even non-vegan ones). Contestants were instructed to create or find a recipe for an appetizer, soup or salad containing the following ingredients: Roasted Red Peppers, Puff Pastry, Sliced Almonds and Pears (their choice of variety). They were instructed to make their dish and create a blog post about it, including pictures. You can help determine who advances to the next round. After the last post, I will post a poll where you can vote for contestants to move on. Vote for the post you like the best. You can vote because of the inventiveness, the yummyness, the use of ingredients, the quality of the writing and pictures or for any other reason. The poll will be active for one week only. Check back and vote. In the event of a tie, the Ranting Chef will choose who advances. More information about Diced! can be found here.
Due to the generosity of the following companies, we have some really awesome products as a prize to the winner of this Diced! competition. The winner will receive:
- Zak – The winner receives their choice of a four piece setting or set of three serving bowls from their new Moso line. This is made from biodegradable bamboo and comes in a choice of four stylish colors. Look for a review of this product in the near future. Check them out here.
- Chobani – The leading brand in Greek Yogurt, the winner will receive a case of their choice of flavor of Greek yogurt. I’ve been using quite a bit of Chobani in my cooking lately and love it. Look for those recipes soon. Check out the selection at: http://chobani.com/products
- Microplane – Microplane will provide the winner with four items: Microplane Elite Series Fine Grater, Home Series Coarse Grater, Bartender’s Garnishing Tool, Cut-Resistant Glove. I recently reviewed these products here. Check out their products at their facebook page: www.facebook.com/microplane
- Youcopia – Maker of organization products, they would like to offer the winner a choice of a product from their web site. I recently reviewed the Bake Stack.
Today’s contestant, Jen is someone I first met over twenty years ago. When I met her she was dating my girlfriend’s cousin. Now, she is married to my wife’s cousin (same players involved). In addition to cooking she runs a business designing and selling beautiful jewelry. Check out the jewelry and her entry below….
Hello, my name is Jen Hay. I am a mother of 2 with many interests. Cooking is just one of them.
I am not a writer or a chef by any stretch of the imagination. However the thought of competing in this edition of “Diced!” was intriguing. Thank you Pat for taking a chance!!
Any who…. Here is what I have come up for the appetizer round.
Brie En Croute stuffed with black olives and roasted red peppers
Served with an arugula and grape salad with pear balsamic vinaigrette.
The Brie En Croute recipe was adapted from Food.com. I quartered this recipe as I was the only one brave enough to try it!! Also, I wanted to create an appetizer portion.
Ingredients (¼ or .25 of each ingredient below)
- 4 ounces brie round, chilled
- 1/2 small roasted red pepper, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons black olives, ripe and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 lb frozen puff pastry, thawed ( 1/2 sheet)
- 1 egg yolk, large mixed with
- 1 tablespoon water
- Sliced almonds
Directions
- Slice brie in half, horizontally.
- Scatter the pepper and olives over the bottom half of brie and cover with top half.
- set aside.
- Roll pastry into a 12″ circle.
- Trim the edges.
- Place brie in the center of pastry and lift the pastry edges to cover completely.
- Gather the pastry in the center and tie with kitchen string.
- Arrange the pastry edges attractively on top of brie.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
- About 45 minutes before serving, remove plastic from brie, place on a lightly greased baking sheet and allow pastry to come to room temperature.
- Brush with beaten egg.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Bake 20- 25 minutes. (changed to accommodate smaller serving. Also, 15 minutes in I added the sliced almonds to the top)
- Remove and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before you serve.
Once cooled to just warm place on top of a bed of arugula and grape salad. Drizzle the vinaigrette on top both to taste.
Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1 ripe pear – peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil
Directions
Blend the pear, white wine, garlic, Dijon mustard, white balsamic vinegar, black pepper, and sea salt in a blender until well combined; drizzle the olive oil into the mixture in a thin, steady stream while continuing to blend. Blend a few seconds longer until the salad dressing is thick and creamy
OMG!!! This was so yummy. Like I said I am no chef. Sure my family loves what I cook but I assume that it was because they were supposed to like what I cook. I mean… they gotta eat right??
Please enjoy.
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
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