Sweet Wedding Bliss

Welcome back, we've missed you! Though we have been quite busy enjoying the wedding bliss. To keep the festivities going we decided to give you a sneak peak into Cecelia's wedding last week and a recipe for our favorite food item from the night. Pictured above is the beautiful venue in upstate New York that we relaxed at last weekend in perfect weather. When discussing the days events afterwards we, not surprisingly, both enjoyed the raspberry brie crostini appetizer the best though there were plenty of food options (vegetarian friendly and otherwise). The wedding was catered by Davino Catering who did a fabulous job so a huge thank you to them for the inspiration for this recipe.

Since this recipe features raspberry spread lets start by discussing the difference between jelly, jam, and preserves; I mean are they really different? Well jelly is a fruit spread made from cooked down fruit juice. It is clear with a smooth texture. Jam is also a fruit spread but it is made from crushed fresh fruit, sugar, and added pectin- a naturally occurring soluble fiber in plants that can be used as a thickening agent. Jams usually do contain seeds, especially berry jams. Preserves is yet another fruit spread made from whole fresh fruit with added sugar. Preserves are created by cooking down fresh fruit until it becomes very soft and the mixture begins to thicken without the need for added pectin, however some companies do still add pectin to their preserves. Preserves usually contain large chunks of fruit and are not smooth in texture. Based on these differences, preserves typically contain the most whole fruit and least additives. Though whichever fruit spread you choose look for short ingredients lists and products that don't contain high fructose corn syrup but you already knew that! A brand of jams/jellies that we like is Bonne Maman because of the simple ingredients and variety. Trader Joe's raspberry preserves is also delicious! So grab your favorite spread and lets get to the appetizer that stole the show (well besides the bride of course!)...

Raspberry Brie Toast
PREP TIME: 10 mins
TOTAL TIME: 15 mins
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients
1 baguette*
4 oz triple cream Brie
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup raspberry preserves
1 pint fresh raspberries
Rosemary sprigs if desired

Turn oven on to broil setting and begin to warm up. Cut baguette on the bias. Place slices on a cookie sheet and lightly brush 1 teaspoon olive oil on both sides of the bread. Place prepared bread in the oven and lightly toast until golden and crispy ~2-3 minutes, flip slices over and do the same to the other side. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Thinly slice brie into at least 12 slices. Spread 1 teaspoon raspberry preserves onto one side of each slice of bread. Place 1 slice of brie on top of preserves and add 1 fresh raspberry and optional fresh sprig of rosemary to the top. Pop open a bottle of champagne and toast to the newlywed couple!

*Look for whole wheat and simple baguette ingredients, ours contained just flour, water, salt and yeast

This appetizer will surely be a crowd favorite at all the parties you're hosting this spring/summer. The sweet jelly, combined with the savory brie and piney tang of rosemary will make you the host/hostess of the season, we swear! Well we hope you enjoyed this sneak peak into the special day we celebrated last weekend and remember this sweet couple every time you enjoy this recipe. 

Stay sweet,
Jess and Cecelia