Roasted Berry Brie Salad

B has been hanging out with the Uy Clan in SoCal during his away rotation and doting over my cousins’ adorable little daughters. One is barely learning to walk; the other a feisty 3 year old who wears a crown. Both are beautiful half Asian, half white babies. B is in love.

B: I can’t wait to call our future daughters “Princesses.” You know why? Because that makes me a King by default!!
N: So that’s the real reason why you call me your Queen…

B is of course, part French, and French people are fiercely proud of their heritage … almost rivaling the pride of Texans. Granted, the French do know how to eat. Particularly their cheese and fruit.

Brie is actually known as the “The Queen” and “The King” of cheeses. Brie is a soft cow’s milk cheese from the the French region of, you guessed it, Brie. That outside rind is actually mold (Penicillium candidum, Penicillium camemberti or Brevibacterium linens for the nerdy taxonomists out there) so it falls under the class of “bloomy cheeses,” ie soft ripened. This live rind breaks down the fats and proteins of a cheese, which causes an increasingly creamy/runny texture over time as it ages in a cellar for several weeks, or even longer for flavor development. You can read more about Brie here, here, and here.

Apparently in parts of France, people like dunking brie in café-au-lait and eating it for breakfast. But, I think I’ll pass on that and just eat my brie with fruit (and dunk doughnuts in coffee instead).

I’ve only eaten brie with crackers/bread, but I decided to test it out in a salad (adapted by Eats Well With Others). It was too pretty not to try! B is usually not a salad sort of guy, but if it’s French, he’ll eat it!

Roasted Berry Brie Salad

Ingredients
SALAD
1 cup strawberries, halved
1/2 cup blueberries
black pepper, to taste
1 cup quinoa
4 oz brie, cut into small pieces
5 oz baby kale/mixed greens
DRESSING 
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions
Heat oven (toaster oven) to 400F. Spread fruit on a foil lined baking sheet, sprinkle with black pepper, and roast for 10 minutes, or until slightly softened.

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Toss quinoa and kale/greens.

For the dressing, combine the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, and mustard by stirring with a whisk. Add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, plate the salad/quinoa mix then top with brie and roasted berries (if you mix everything together prior, the berries tend to burst). Drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!