mmmm.... roasted garlic

For the summer, we generally host a Garlic & Brie afternoon at our place, rain or shine or scorching heat.  We whip up an assortment of appy's, depending on what is in the fridge and the cupboard (it's a great way to try new things or finish off things too!).  Along with our ad hoc assortment, we always roast two bulbs of garlic and bake a small round of brie, and have some bread on hand to smear it all onto.  It's a great time and a good way to connect with friends throughout the summer who are not always available for the One Summer Party, but can come by for an hour or so every once in a while.  Plus, it gets Scott outside and using his backyard, which is a priority for him every year since we have so few weeks of weather nice enough to sit outside in the late afternoons and evenings.  We usually get the chiminea going too, although Scott is gunning for gas heaters.  Keep dreaming, sweetie.

Here are the recipes for the garlic, the brie, and the toasted baguette rounds.  As you can see, preheat your oven 350°F, toss in the garlic, get your baguette going too, and in the last 15 minutes of the garlic roasting, toss in your brie.  I'd suggest cutting up your baguette while the oven heats up, but basically, most of this can be done while you sip some Sangria or get together other appetizers (or setting up the table).

Roasted Garlic

• Cut the top ¼ inch off the garlic bulb, ensuring you open all cloves.
• Pour 1 Tbsp of olive oil into the opened bulb.
• Sprinkle cracked salt and pepper on the top. To add an interesting taste, crack different types of pepper on the garlic bulb (like Fire Dragon Pepper, White Pepper, Chile Pepper Flakes etc.).
• Place in a small oven-safe dish and put on the top rack of the oven for 45 minutes at 350°F. It's done when you can squish the cloves out of the bulb easily.

Baked Brie with Apricots & Pecans

• Unwrap the brie round and place in the brie baker. Leave the rind on (it is some people's favourite part!)
• Spoon 2 Tbsp of apricot jam on top of the round.
• Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of chopped pecans on top as well.
• Cover and put in the oven on the top rack for 15 minutes at 350°F.
• Be careful when opening the brie baker, and when first slicing into the brie, as it will be hot & bubbling.

Grilled (or Toasted) Baguette

• Slice the baguette diagonally into 1/4-inch slices. You should have 20 to 25 slices. Place the slices in 1 layer on a baking sheet. Brush each slice with olive oil and sprinkle with cracked salt and pepper.
• Bake the toasts at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are crisp and browned. Alternately, you could grill the slices in a pan ini grill, in a large frying pan, or on the BBQ.
• Serve at room temperature.