Bogs and Beaches

Cranberries are great for holiday recipes and this is a delicious appetizer that I demonstrated at my latest cooking club class. It's called "Creamy Whipped Brie with Cranberry Salsa." Here is the recipe:

8 to 10 servings

Salsa:

2 cups fresh cranberries

3 medium green onions, finely chopped

1 small red jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

1 ½ tablespoons peeled and finely minced fresh gingerroot

Whipped brie:

¾ pound brie cheese, room temperature

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Crackers

1. To prepare the salsa: Pulse the cranberries in a food processor until very finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Stir in the green onions, jalapeno, sugar, salt, cilantro, lemon juice and ginger. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Stir occasionally.
3. To prepare the whipped brie: Remove the rind from the brie and put the cheese into a food processor with the cream cheese, pepper and lemon zest. Process until very smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate. (This can be made 24 hours in advance.) Bring to room temperature 1 hour before serving. Serve with crackers and the salsa on the side.

And while you're enjoying the thought of this recipe you can look at this picture of Hannah running on the beach...