Delicious Party Apps

As you may have noticed by the lack of recent entries, I've been crazy busy trying to get back into school. And one of the great things about being back at school, is that all of my friends have been having apartment warming parties. But with so many parties, places to be, people to see, and oh yeah, classes, it's not always easy to make a great dish for a party. One of the dishes I made a few times, always with rave reviews, is a fig and honey baked brie. You might be thinking, baked brie? How wintery? But these figs and honey keep it light and great for any season. Plus, it's so easy to make!

Ingredients:
1/8 round of Brie cheese (I bought Trader Joes' and it was only $3 and tasted just as great!)
About 6 medium figs
1-2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup - 1/2 cup honey

Take the brie out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (This will probably take around 20 minutes). Preheat the oven 350. Slice the figs in halves or quarters. How big you want the pieces of fig is completely up to you! I chose to cut some pieces into thirds, others into quarters, and some even slightly smaller. You don't want to cut the pieces too small though or they won't give as much flavor the cheese. Place the brie on an aluminum foil covered baking dish. Pour about half the honey over the Brie evenly, making sure it pours off the top to the sides. Spread the figs evenly around the brie so the piece of cheese is completely covered, including the sides. Pour the rest of the honey over the figs and cheese. Splash some Balsamic on the whole thing to really help pull out all of the other flavors by cutting some of the honey's sweetness and brie's rich, saltiness. Be careful not to use too much! Bake for about 7 minutes, checking after 5. I ended up baking it for more like 11-12 minutes but just make sure you're monitoring. Take the cheese out when it smells heavenly and the cheese is melting onto the figs and honey.

Enjoy the cheese with any crackers you like, I used Trader Joes' Rosemary Raisin Crisps. This dish is full of sweet, oozy goodness and makes a great treat for a housewarming party or a casual weekday snack! (I cut the leftovers up and tossed them with spinach the next day for a delicious salad!) Happy cooking!