Wine, Cheese, and Delicious Brie Bites {Dating my Husband at Home Series}

Back in January, I shared a list of at home date nights; the 14 Days of Love. It is so easy to go out to one of the many fabulous restaurants in Chicago, but, since leaving teaching, we are on a stricter budget. Therefore, we need to get a bit more creative. One of the date ideas I shared with all of you was doing an at home Wine and Cheese Date Night with homemade brie bites.

We have actually done this a couple times since January, and it has been so much fun. It’s nice and quiet, which means we can actually hear each other compared to the loud bustling of a Chicago restaurant.

We don’t own any table clothes (which might seem weird) but I had a piece of scrap plaid fabric that I laid over the table. Then, I lit candles in different heights so the light would bounce off the glass nicely and so it would be bright enough to see the appetizers and cheese. All other lights off. We are going for a touch of romance, here. You definitely want to also play some music. Soft or instrumental music will help set the mood and help create peaceful quiet. I love having moments of content silence with my husband, but I find it happens more comfortable with a little background music.

Wine: we like to try a couple different options: definitely a white and red and sometimes a little sparkling. One thing that helps us do that without having to drink all the wine or wasting the wine is the Vacu Vin Wine Saver Vacuum Pump. It is a life saver!! Seriously – if you love wine, you should check this out.

Cheese: We always buy a few different cheeses. There is always a brie, which you will also see in the recipes below. We also love having a goat cheese and a different cheddar. Plus, be willing to pick up something random and try a new cheese. It’s most fun when you try new things and flavors. For example, we tried a Mango-Fire Cheddar. It ended up being too hot for the both of us, but it was still fun to experience together.

Other Food: Don’t just have cheese. Try having a warm, fresh load of bread and a couple different crackers. Our favorite crackers are the Carr’s Table Water Crackers. They are perfect for tasting cheese! I also recommend grapes, apples, pears, or berries – yummy, healthy and a perfect pallet cleanser. Olives and nuts are also a delicious choice! AND these yummy brie bites!

Raspberry Brie Bites

INGREDIENTS:
Puff Pastry Sheet
Raspberry Jam or Preserves
Brie
Fresh Raspberries

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Once your puff pastry sheet is defrosted, cut your pastry into 16 pieces (4×4).

2. Lightly spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray. I take a paper towel and lightly wipe the inside of the mini cups because I want to make sure no cooking spray is puddled.

3. Place one square into each mini cup.

4. Add a small amount of raspberry jam into the middle of each pastry cup.

5. Then, remove the outside edge from your brie and cut 16 little squares. Place each of these squares into one of the mini pastry cups.

6. Take each 4 corners of the puff pastry square and pinch together into the middle.

7. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. You want your brie bites to be a nice golden brown.

8. Let them cool for a few minutes and then top them off with a fresh raspberry. Partially because it is pretty!

And THEN I made these Pear, Honey Pecan Brie Bites! My husband doesn’t normally like pear, so I wasn’t sure how he was going to react to this bites. He definitely loves the raspberry more, but he said he was pleasantly surprised by the pear. What I like most about them is they have a little more “bite” or crunch to them because of the pear and pecan.

Pear, Honey Pecan Brie Bites

 INGREDIENTS:

Puff Pastry Sheet
Small Amount of Pear (sliced and cubed)
Honey
Whole Pecan
Brie

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Once your puff pastry sheet is defrosted, cut your pastry into 16 pieces (4×4).

2. Lightly spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray. I take a paper towel and lightly wipe the inside of the mini cups because I want to make sure no cooking spray is puddled.

3. Place one square into each mini cup.

4. Add a small amount of honey into the middle of each pastry cup and add a pecan on top.

5. Cut your pear into 16 little bites and place into the cups with the honey and pecan.

6. Lastly, remove the outside edge from your brie and cut 16 little squares. Place each of these squares into one of the mini pastry cups.

7. Take each 4 corners of the puff pastry square and pinch together into the middle.

8. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. You want your brie bites to be a nice golden brown.

If you desire, you could also top off this brie bite with a little bit of fresh fruit. I thought it might be a bit tougher to eat compared to a soft recipe, so I left them blank.

I love both of these brie bites so much! I love serving them with some fresh fruit on the platter – it is pretty and let’s your guests know what flavor they are eating. I hope you give these a try as well as a Wine and Cheese Date Night at home. Don’t be intimidated by picking out wine and cheese – just have fun with it and be open to random selections.

Do you have a favorite wine or cheese we should try?