Antioxidant Appetizer- Pomegranate and Brie Crostini

For all those readers just interested in the food and not the food facts/story, skip down to the first picture and it will take you to the recipe! For those ready for the full crazy adventure....let's do this. 

I decided to post this week's blog a little early in case anyone wanted to make a fancy appetizer addition to their Valentine's Day dinner. Thanks pomegranate seeds for adding the required touch of red! This little appetizer looks great on the plate with all its colors and is not hard to make! It is also fun to have with friends over as an afternoon snack, hold your HUNGRY husband over while you are TRYING to make dinner without him eating everything, or.....well....just eating it all by yourself! (all these have been tried and tested....wait what?!)

I saw a picture of this colorful plate of food and followed the link to pamaliqueur.com to take a look at the recipe. They definitely get credit for coming up with this awesome arrangement of flavors! I put a slight spin on their recipe, adding some spinach and replacing their sugar and liqueur with POM pomegranante juice instead. I think it turned out quite tasty!

Here are the specialty ingredients boosting your health today:

-Pomegranate. I told you this would come up again! Pomegranates are a HUGE source of antioxidants. They contain three times the amount found in green tea or red wine that we hear so much about. So naturally we are putting extra pomegranate into our appetizer/snack by adding both the seeds as well as the juice. Besides being high in antioxidants, pomegranates are also rich in vitamin C, are heart-healthy/improve heart function, aid in preventing cancer, help to destroy harmful bacteria, help to decrease high blood pressure, and may even help in preventing bone loss!

-Spinach. This isn't just a garnish! Spinach contains fiber, vitamin K, calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin B, and vitamin A. Spinach also aids in eye health, cognitive function, immune system function, and in preventing cancer. Whoa!

-Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Olive oil contains heart-healthy fats, is a strong anti-inflammatory food, helps to fight heart disease and cancer, and contains antioxidants. It has quite a slew of health benefits for an oil especially since most oils do not contain antioxidant properties. Olive oil can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and risk of coronary disease. It is important to use "Extra-Virgin Olive Oil" or "Virgin Olive Oil" in order to get the least processed oil with the most antioxidants.

( Facts for the above paragraphs obtained from the book called "101 Foods That Could Save Your Life" by David Grotto, M.D.)

-Balsamic Vinegar. We talked about this one in our first dinner dish. Just so you don't have to go clicking around, here is a recap! Vinegar helps to naturally dilate our arteries to ease blood flow throughout our system, protects arteries against fats in your meal, contains antioxidants, and helps to control blood sugar levels. (information collected using NutritionFacts.org)

Alright. I think we are ready! Let's throw these awesome ingredients together!

Ingredients:
This is a very "to taste" kind of a thing. So have some fun!
-Brie Cheese Wedge (mine is 7oz but this depends on how many you are making)
-1 Baguette or French Bread (actually really any bread will work!)
-1 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
-2 Tbsp of POM Pomegranate Juice
-Pomegranate Seeds- sprinkled on to taste (they didn't have whole pomegranates in my grocery store so I used a container of just the seeds.You can definitely use either one!)
-Spinach Leaves- a big handful or two...use the rest as a sauteed side for dinner!
-Extra-virgin Olive Oil- drizzled on bread
Small Sauce Pan
Cookie Sheet
Serving Tray/Plate
Cook Time: This does not take long at all! You only need to cook this until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is nice and melty and gooey! Around 10-15 minutes total, including your balsamic reduction.

First place your oven on Low Broil to preheat.

Start your balsamic reduction. Place the balsamic vinegar and POM juice into your small saucepan on a high medium heat and bring to a slight boil. Ensure you stir this mixture every once and awhile so that it heats evenly and doesn't burn on the bottom. Let this mixture reduce down until it becomes a thickened and sweet tasting syrup (feel free to add a splash more of the POM juice if you want to give it a sweeter taste). This will take around 10-15 minutes depending on your heat. *Once you start noticing it thickening, pay a little more attention to it with more observed stirring. It goes quickly once it hits this stage and you want to get it right in the sweet spot where it is a balsamic reduction you can drizzle on top and not a hard burnt "candy".

Next slice your bread on a slight angle, place onto your cookie sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. I love having my olive oil in a squeeze bottle to help regulate where and how much olive oil I use in my cooking. We love cooking with it and it adds some nice health benefits!

Place your tray into the oven to toast your bread until you get a nice light golden brown. This only takes a few minutes so be sure to keep an eye on it! Once it is nice and toasty, take out your bread and flip over the slices so that the toasted side is now on the bottom, touching your tray. This makes sure your bread wont become overly toasted when you put them back in after the next few steps. Browning each side gives it a nice crunch too!

CHEEEESE time!!! What a great addition for a little bit of protein with an awesome creamy texture. Unwrap your brie and slice off the rind. (You can leave it on if you prefer, but I think it tastes better without the bitter rind and melts better with it removed.) I think the easiest way to remove the rind is to use a peeler but a knife works just as well! Once the rind is removed, slice into nice pieces to put on your bread. *Reminder to stir your balsamic reduction!

Next prepare your spinach. I like to roll up a handful and then roughly chop them into slivers/pieces. 

Now add the slices of cheese to the top of your bread (remember NOT the brown side) along with some of your spinach. 

Once all of your bread is covered with brie and spinach, pop them back into the oven. This will only take a minute or two so be sure to keep watch! Leave them in the oven just long enough to become gooey with cheese bubbling and running down the sides...mmmmm

This is a good time to focus more attention on your balsamic reduction. It should be almost done and getting to that nice thickened consistency. Once it is the thickness and taste you desire, turn off the stove and remove from heat. 

Place the crostini onto your serving plate and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Make sure to get all of that melted cheese off the cookie sheet and on to your bread! Yum! I actually went back and put a few more pomegranate seeds on after I tasted it. IT IS SOOO GOOD! The seeds give it this sweet tart pop of flavor while also adding texture. 

Now it is time for the balsamic POM reduction. Take a small spoonful at a time and drizzle it over the top of your crostini making a zig-zag or striped pattern. I think it makes it look really pretty!

This may sound silly and like a no-brainer- but this thing is HOT!!! I thought I blew on it enough but apparently someone was a little too excited....and may or may not have burnt their tongue to the point of an actual blister. And then my husband may have burned his mouth too...So eat with CAUTION haha! That drizzle can hold on to some heat! 

This crostini is scrumdiddlyumptious I have to say! You have the crunch of the toasted bread, creaminess of the brie, sweet pop of the pomegranate seeds, and tang of the vinegar. Oh yeah! They are going fast!

I hope you enjoy this antioxidant filled appetizer! Have a great week! Until next time!

Let's get to Cookin'!

~Abigail