Brie and Honey Butter Sandwiches with Homemade No-Knead Bread

There’s no other way to say it: you got to make this sandwich, and you better do it with homemade bread. The sandwich is so simple that every ingredient counts, and this is no place to skimp on quality or calories! 

The sandwich is just bread, brie, honey, and butter, but it’s a heavenly combination that you can use on repeat. At tea parties, picnics, or just as a Sunday afternoon snack, there’s no place this sandwich doesn’t fit it (unless you are maybe going to a picnic with a friend who is both dairy AND gluten-free, which in this case, why are you eating a meal with this person?!?!). 

Z and I had this sandwich at Shed, and it was so delicious that we wanted to recreate it at home. I’m glad we did! It forced me to try the speedy no-knead bread recipe from The Times. I like the speedy recipe compared to the original because it allows for more flexibility; no waiting a full 24 hours here. It’s one of the simplest recipes around, and one of the greatest dinner party tricks. “Hi friends, you made a salad, that’s cool, well I made BREAD”. No need for your friends to know that the salad was probably harder to make than this loaf of bread. 

Is it the most perfect bread loaf around? No. But it’s pretty delicious and goes great with cheese, so make sure to stock your fridge with Brie!

Brie and Honey Butter Sandwiches with Speedy No-Knead Bread

From The New York Times

For Bread:

3 cups bread flour

1 packet instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

Oil as needed

For Sandwiches:

Serves 2, adjust as necessary

2 tablespoons softened butter

1 1/2 teaspoons honey, plus more for drizzling

6 thin slices of brie (3 for each sandwich)

2 slices of bread (use 4 if you want it to be a closed sandwich, but I prefer open-face here)

Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water, stir until blended. The dough will be shaggy. Cover dough with plastic wrap, and let it sit for 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. 

Lightly oil a work surface, and place dough on it. Fold the dough onto itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes. 

Immediately start heating up the oven, setting it to 450 degrees. Put a heavy 6-8 quart heavy pot in the oven. When the dough is done resting, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Put the dough into the oven, seam side up. Shake the pan once or twice. 

Cover the pan with a lid, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid, and back for another 15-30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool pot on a rack, then take out bread and slice.

Combine honey and softened butter together in a small bowl. Spread the butter equally over the two slices of bread. Top with 3 slices of brie on each piece of bread, and drizzle more honey over if desired. Enjoy! 

Guacamole

Since moving to DC, I have realized that California is not only the mecca of sunshine and great weather, but also the best Mexican food you will ever have in your life. Whether you are scarfing down fish tacos and a beer at South Beach Bar and Grille in San Diego or ducking into La Taqueria in San Francisco for a chicken burrito, there is nothing in DC that even compares to the food out West.

One day, I got a craving for really good guacamole. Yes, I could have gone to Oyamel for their delicious table-side guacamole, but why pay the $12 for something I can make table-side at home? This guacamole almost made me feel as if I was back in Southern California--if only the weather out here in DC would get a little warmer!

This recipe is by no means "authentic," but it is delicious. I add in raw red onions to my guacamole, and I realize most people might find the onion too harsh.  However, if you rinse off the onions with cold water before you add them to the guacamole, the onions will not be nearly as strong, yet still retain a lot of flavor.

Feel free to change the proportions on the ingredients listed below--guacamole is more art than science!

Guacamole

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 avocados

Juice from one lime

3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup salsa

A few dashes of Tabasco

Rinse the red onion under cold water for about 30 seconds. 

Open the avocados, and scoop them into a bowl.

Add the red onions, lime juice, salsa, cilantro, and hot sauce to the avocados.

Mash the ingredients together using either a fork or a potato masher. Taste, and adjust to your liking, then serve!

Greek Yogurt Sauce

I recently purchased an UP band for myself, and I have actually been very thorough with logging my food, activity, and sleep habits through the UP iPhone app. Even after just a few days, I noticed myself making healthier food choices, simply because I am now keeping track of almost everything I eat. 

Last weekend, I wanted to make a dip to go with some crudités and sandwiches, but I wanted the dip to be somewhat healthy given my new found health kick. Perusing the internet led me to focus on Greek-inspired veggie dips. I love love love Mediterranean food, and this dip is definitely going to be in constant rotation in my kitchen! It only takes about three minutes to pull everything together, and the dip really livens up sandwiches, salads, and vegetables.

Hope this inspires you to bring some health, Mediterranean cooking into your life this week!

Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce

From Ellie Kreiger

1/2 cup non-fat greek yogurt

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

1/8 teaspoon salt

Fresh black pepper to taste


In a small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients.  It's really that easy!

Tea Time and Chocolate Chip Scones

At the age of six, I fell in love with tea parties.  For my sixth birthday party, my family surprised me with a "tea" party.  There were crust-less sandwiches, flouncy dresses, and tea cups filled with...lemonade.  Two years later, I was celebrating my birthday again, but this time with real tea, and my father dressed up as a butler.  And fittingly enough, I spent my 10th birthday in London at a tea dance. A big brass band, the Waldorf Hotel, and a high tea?  Clearly, my birthdays peaked at age 10.

Nowadays, I still love the tradition of tea time.  Tea time is always four o'clock in the afternoon.  And you should always serve tea with something delicious, like these scones. 

These chocolate chip scones epitomize the exact type of recipes I want to showcase on this blog.  These scones are ready to eat in under 20 minutes, require no backing skills, and can be personalized however you choose.  Thrown in some currants instead of chocolate chips, or candied ginger, or chopped up toasted almonds!  The options really are endless.

Now go make these scones, and watch an episode of Downton Abbey.

Cream Scones

from the Wall Street Journal

makes about 20 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar, plus 2-3 tablespoons for sprinkling

1 1/3 cup chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream, cold

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Over a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/3 cup sugar.  
3. Add heavy cream to bowl and use an electric mixer to blend on low until ingredients are just combined.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Dump dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead very briefly.  Roll dough out to a 1-inch thickness.  You can use a 1 or 1 1/2 inch cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out scones.  I rolled the dough into a 1 inch thickness, and then cut out triangles.  
6. Place scones about 1 inch apart on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.  Reroll dough scraps and repeat process until all dough has been used.  
7. Use a pastry brush to paint tops of scones with melted butter, then sprinkle with sugar.  Place baking sheet in center of oven and bake until scones are golden, 12-15 minutes. 
8. Let scones cool on a baking rack.  Serve room or at room temperature.  
9. Scones can be stored in an airtight container up to 24 hours, or in the freezer up to 12 weeks.