You guysssss. I’ve been gone so long, I don’t even know where to start. I don’t even remember how to blog. Like… what do I write about?
I guess food is a pretty safe subject.
But do I want to be SAFE? Or do I want to live write on the edge?
I choose the edge. I’m feeling bold and adventurous these days. Did I mention I moved to Chicago 18 days ago? And that I took a job that is so far from what I’ve been doing for the past few years? There have definitely been some “Oh Lord what did I get myself into I’m so exhausted I have no idea what I’m doing it’s really freakin’ cold and did I get on the wrong bus” moments, but so far, all these huge life changes feel good and feel right. I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be at this exact moment.
And speaking of change, here is my new photography set up:
Chicago = smaller spaces and less natural sunlight
Isn’t it awful? Moving indoors means focusing on things like ISO and aperture and shutter speed. (I KNOW! These words are practically foreign to me too!) There will probably be a lot of failed shots in the next few months. Please bear with me — I am determined to improve!
Now about these photos.
Last weekend my roommates and I threw a housewarming party and I was in charge of food (as per usual). FYI, my roomies are both new to Chicago and I found them both on Craigslist (risky, I know) and we invited a bunch of friends of friends to our housewarming, mostly people we had never met, but so many people came and it was awesome. I <3 the Midwest. Y’all are so NICE.
I wanted something beautiful and classy for our sophisticated get-together. Enter Roasted Grape Crostini with Brie & Thyme. (And for when things got unsophisticated at some point in the night, I had Bacon Cheeseburger Bombs, which were not quite as classy, but Hiiiiiii, we are definitely going to talk about those later.)
These crispy seasoned toasts with the warm, sweet grapes, the slightly melty brie — they are, without a doubt, beautiful and classy little hors d’oeuvres, perfect for a housewarming party or any other sophisticated get-together. I loved mine paired with a flute of champagne or a simple glass of gin & tonic.
I also loved them cold for breakfast the next morning.
Roasted Grape Crostini with Brie & Thyme
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small loaf of crusty bread sliced into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 pound seedless red grapes
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 4 ounces brie thinly sliced
- 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with racks in the top third and lower third of the oven. Line a large rimmed baking sheet and a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
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Brush olive oil lightly over both sides of each slice of bread and arrange in a single layer on the large baking sheet. Remove all stems from the grapes and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Transfer to the smaller baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Place the grapes on the upper oven rack of the oven and the bread on the lower. Toast the bread about 10 minutes or until lightly golden and remove from the oven. Continue to roast the grapes for 10 more minutes or until slightly wrinkled.
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To assemble, top each toast with enough brie, followed by grapes. Finish the crostini with a sprinkle of pepper and fresh thyme leaves.
