Baked Brie with Grape Balsamic Compote

Today I bring you guys the last of my purple food posts. It took a couple weeks, but we made it! This is another recipe that I’m pretty proud of. I rarely make up my own recipes and this is one of those rare exceptions. For whatever reason, the idea of using grapes to make purple food didn’t cross my mind until the day before the party.

I had put baked brie on the menu and had planned to make a blueberry compote to put on top. But then it hit me – use grapes (duh!) So I used this blueberry sauce as an inspiration for the compote. I wanted it to be thicker, so I bumped up the amount of cornstarch.

I was a bit concerned that it would be too sweet, and I know balsamic pairs well with strawberries, so I decided to make the cornstarch slurry using balsamic vinegar instead of water. It worked like a charm. This grape balsamic compote was nice and thick and had a subtle savory tone from the balsamic. I added some toasted almond slivers to give it some texture and voila – I had created an AMAZING appetizer that was also purple.

The Baked Brie with Grape Balsamic Compote was a huge hit. And I’ve made it twice since the party. I used a goat milk brie wheel so that I could enjoy this appetizer. The goat milk wheels are 6 oz. I believe cow’s milk brie wheels come in 8 oz containers, but you should have enough compote using the recipe below.

I also wanted to share this trick about baking brie with you guys. I can’t remember where I learned this but Hubby was shocked when he saw me pop the “lid” off the brie after it had baked. Prior to baking your brie, use a sharp knife to cut around the top of the rind. You don’t want to cut it completely off, just cut about a 1/4 inch into the brie right under the top all the way around. While the brie is in the oven, the cheese will get all melty and gooey. Then when you take it out of the oven, you can just remove the top of the rind like so:

gGEKjp on Make A Gif, Animated Gifs

Hope you guys have enjoyed all the purple food. As a reminder, here are the other foods I serves at my 1000th Post Party:

Two Years Ago: Homemade Oreos (again)
Three Years Ago: Coconut Lime Cupcakes
Four Years Ago: Dairy Free Mac and Cheese with Broccoli and Cauliflower

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Baked Brie with Grape Balsamic Compote

Fruit and cheese are such a classic combination. I used a 6 oz wheel of brie because I use goat milk brie. If you use an 8 oz wheel, bump up the ingredients of the compote a bit as well.

Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients:

For the Compote
1 cup black seedless grapes
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

For the Brie
6 oz wheel of brie
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
crackers and/or toasted baguette for serving

Directions:

For the Compote
Poke 2-3 holes in each of the grapes and place in a medium pan. Add the sugar and cook over medium heat. Use a potato masher to encourage the grapes to release their juices.

Combine the cornstarch and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.

Once the grapes have released most of their juices, stir in the slurry and boil for one minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

For the Brie
Preheat oven to 350.

Place brie round in a small oven-safe dish. Using a sharp knife, cut into the rind about 1/4" all the way around, just under the top of the brie. You don't want to cut the top completely off.

Bake 10 minutes.

Place dish onto a larger platter. Lift the top of the brie with a knife and remove. Spoon grape compote on top of brie. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Serve with baguette slices and crackers.

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20 Responses to “Pina Colada Cupcakes”

  1. #
    1
    Molly — March 31, 2011 at 4:37 pm

    These are so adorable! A friend once made me margarita cupcakes for a birthday, but I love the sound of all the coconut.

  2. #
    2
    Flavia — March 31, 2011 at 4:40 pm

    I love this cupcakes week!!!!! And even Pina-colada cupcakes…..ciao, Flavia

  3. #
    3
    Daisy — March 31, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    these look incredible! I am LOVING cupcake week!

  4. #
    4
    Allisonpence — March 31, 2011 at 4:42 pm

    These make me crave a warm summer day.

  5. #
    5
    Megan — March 31, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    This sounds like a fun, summery cupcake recipe! Love it!

  6. #
    6
    Rachel Marcisin — March 31, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    Mmm these look awesome! But where’s the rum?

  7. #
    7
    beantownbaker — March 31, 2011 at 5:43 pm

    Tell me about it! I’m not excited about the rain/snow we’re supposed to get tonight and tomorrow.

  8. #
    8
    beantownbaker — March 31, 2011 at 5:44 pm

    Good point! They have the flavors of a pina colada without the alcohol. If you wanted to add some rum, I’d throw it into the filling.

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    9
    FunandFearlessinBeantown — March 31, 2011 at 6:23 pm

    I’d like one of these cupcakes along with a pina colada on the beach!

  10. #
    10
    Hezzi-D — March 31, 2011 at 8:03 pm

    I’ve really been into “booze” cupcake lately and yours looks fantastic! Perfect for a luau or a summer pool party!

  11. #
    11
    Ann — March 31, 2011 at 8:56 pm

    Those are truly beautiful cupcakes! I love Pina Coladas and I love cupcakes so…

  12. #
    12
    Nutmeg Nanny — March 31, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    These are so beautiful! Eating one of these would bring me back to Hawaii 🙂

  13. #
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    beantownbaker — March 31, 2011 at 9:18 pm

    Ooohhh Hawaii sounds awesome right about now. I’ve never been.

  14. #
    14
    Shannon — March 31, 2011 at 9:18 pm

    oh my gosh, those look adorable, and i love the flavor combo, too!!

  15. #
    15
    Mary — April 1, 2011 at 7:53 am

    Very nice! May I ask how you set the background for your cupcake pics? The solid colors really bring attention to the cupcakes themselves.

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    beantownbaker — April 1, 2011 at 3:47 pm

    For the majority of my cupcakes, I use a piece 12×12 scrap-booking paper for my backgrounds. I have a big stack of a variety of colors and patterns.

  17. #
    17
    Mary — April 1, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    Thank you 🙂 .

  18. #
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    Audrey — April 2, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    I love the garnishes on the top, they looke exactly like little poolside drinks. I have been wanting to try a cocktail-like cake since I went to “cupcake happy hour” at Kickass Cupcakes in Davis Square. Have you ever been there? Because if you haven’t you must go and try their mojito!

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    19
    beantownbaker — April 2, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    I have been to Kickass before during the Cupcake Crawl I hosted a couple years ago. In fact, we even tasted the mojito cupcake while we were there.

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    Paula Kelly-Bourque — April 3, 2011 at 2:50 pm

    Such creative finishing touches to a perfectly delightful cupcake.

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