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Appetizers

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Cheese boards are having a big moment right now and I’m here for it. I love a good cheese board, charcuterie platter, or grazing table. This grilled peaches and brie summer cheese board is not only a showstopping party dish, but also so easy to put together that it works for a nice weeknight meal!

This post is not sponsored by any of the companies or products mentioned below. There are affiliate links within this post. Purchases made from affiliate links help support this blog without any additional cost to the buyer. Thank you for supporting this blog as it allows me the opportunity to create new content!

I am a part of a Facebook group in which group members are always sharing photos of everything from super simple cheese boards to extravagant platters. I think that this type of dining works so well these days because people are all on different diets and because they can be put together without a ton of cooking skills.

This cheese board was inspired by an email or pamphlet I received from Fred Meyer’s with a recipe for Cedar Plank Grilled Peaches and Brie. I have linked the recipe here and you are welcome to follow it as it is very close to what mine ended up being, but I did make a couple of small changes that I feel like made a nice difference.

I wanted to make a the grilled brie and peaches to go with a few small items to create a nice charcuterie board or cheese board. However, as I was serving it as dinner, I also served a vegetable platter which is why you are seeing the artichokes on the grill in pictures. (I’ll share the vegetable platter in another post.)

Cedar Plank Grilled Brie and Peaches

This is the most labor intensive part of this whole platter and it takes around 20 minutes aside from prepping your cedar plank. Cedar planks are going to be important for two reasons: 1) to impart a nice smokey flavor to your dish and 2) to prevent the peaches or brie from just melting right into the grill. You’ll want to make sure your cedar plank gets a good soak in water so that it doesn’t just burn on the grill.

Grilling brie and peaches on a cedar plank prevents leaking.

Cedar Plank Grilled Brie and Peaches Supplies/Ingredients:

  • 1 Cedar Plank *(Affiliate link) soaked in water for approximately 2 hours
  • 1 wheel of brie
  • 2-3 ripe peaches (not too ripe as they will just get mushy)
  • 1/4 cup honey + extra for drizzling after
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Fresh thyme- approximately 1/4 teaspoon
  • Salt & Pepper to taste (I used sea salt flakes and fresh ground pepper)
  • Grill (an alternative is using your oven and broiler but again, it is essential that your cedar plank has been properly soaked)

Cedar Plank Grilled Brie and Peaches Supplies/Ingredients:

  1. Soak your cedar plank in water. I put mine on a baking dish and cover in water for two hours.
  2. Heat grill (or oven) to approximately 350 degrees F or medium heat.
  3. Slice peaches, discarding pit.
  4. Mix together olive oil, thyme, and honey in a bowl.
  5. Toss your peaches in the olive oil and honey mixture. Remove from bowl and set aside.
  6. Brush your brie with the remaining olive oil and honey mixture.
  7. Place the brie and peaches on the cedar plank and place on grill. If there isn’t room for all of the peaches and brie on the plank then grill your peaches first, and then move to your brie.
  8. Cover the lid of the grill and let cook for approximately 10 to 12 minutes. The cheese will be warm and melted (it will still hold its shape with the rind, but you should be able to see that it might be starting to seep through a bit. The peaches should be warmed through and softened a bit. If using the oven, you can put the broiler on for a moment at the end to help caramelize the peaches a bit.
  9. Place on platter, salt & pepper to taste, drizzle with some honey, and serve!

How to serve grilled peaches and brie

You can do so many different things in serving this dish starting with just adding some grilled bread or tasty crackers and calling it a day. I wanted to add a bit more bulk to the dish so I added prosciutto, blackberries, apricot jam* (affiliate link), and sliced baguette.

What other summer fruit or vegetables would pair well with grilled brie? Share your thoughts in the comments below or @ me @JenniBost!

Every Spring I get overly excited about eating artichokes. These slightly intimidating vegetables are just so good and really not too difficult to make! I’m always doing things like steaming, grilling, or roasting my artichokes. But, when hosting a party where people aren’t easily able to eat and dispose of the artichoke leaves, a great way to introduce this tasty vegetable to the table is by creating this cheesy, slightly spicy, and very delicious artichoke dip!

This post is in partnership with Imperfect Produce. All opinions are my own. Imperfect Produce is a delivery company that sources “ugly” produce straight from the farm and delivers it to your door at 30-50% less than grocery store prices. 

artichoke dip

Artichoke Dip

I have been making this recipe for years, but this was the first time to try it with fresh artichokes. This recipe can be made with several fresh artichokes by steaming the artichokes, removing leaves until you just have the artichoke heart, and adding some lemon juice and salt to them. It takes about 15 fresh artichokes to make this dish. I often opt to create it with two cans of artichoke hearts which is what the recipe calls for. If you prefer to do it with fresh artichokes then don’t waste the outer leaves, dip them in your favorite sauce and have a snack! Toss your artichoke hearts in the juice of one large lemon and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.

Ingredients: 

  • 2 cans of artichoke hearts packed in water, drained, and chopped
  • 2 boxes of cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • red pepper flakes to taste (I use about 1 tsp)
  • salt to taste ( I use about 1 tsp)
  • 1 cup parmesan (half for in the mixture, half to top)

Directions: 

  1. Mix the chopped artichoke hearts, cream cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 cup of parmesan with a hand mixer until well incorporated.
  2. Transfer to an oven safe dish and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty minutes or until heated through.
  3. Top with parmesan cheese and put back in oven for about five minutes or until cheese has browned slightly.
  4. Serve with chips, crackers, or vegetables!

Do you like leeks? Have you tried leeks? What feels like a thousand years ago, but was sometime in the last decade, I tried leek for the first time because it arrived in my CSA box. I had never had a leek in anything and had no idea what to do with the long white/green vegetable. Which part was edible? What do you do with it! Thankfully the internet came in with a win that day and I created a delicious leek and potato soup utilizing mostly the white part of the leek and just a little bit of the greens.

That experience began my love affair with leeks. I typically crave these mild onion-like veggies in the spring. When I saw that I could order them in my Imperfect Produce box I quickly put them in along with some wonderful shitake mushrooms. I knew I just had to put these two flavors together for a fun bite-sized appetizer.

This post is in partnership with Imperfect Produce. All opinions are my own. Imperfect Produce is a delivery company that sources “ugly” produce straight from the farm and delivers it to your door at 30-50% less than grocery store prices.

Mushroom and Leeks Tartlets

Mushroom and Leeks Tartlets

This recipe makes 15 mini-tartlets.

Ingredients:

  • Athens Mini Fillo Shells (find in many grocery stores’ freezer sections near pie crusts)
  • 1 cup sliced leeks (mostly the white part of the leek, a little of the green is fine.)
  • 1 cup diced shitake mushrooms
  • olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • Goats Cheese (to taste…I used about 3 tablespoons)
  • Salt & Pepper

Directions: 

  1. Saute the mushrooms, leeks, and onions in olive oil until reduced and slightly browned. About 5 minutes.
  2. Put a small amount of goats cheese in each Fillo Shell. Top with mushroom and leek mixture. Then top with a little more goats cheese.
  3. Pop in an oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or until goats cheese is slightly melted.
  4. Serve warm or at room temp.