Mom and I had a wonderful morning yesterday. We turned on FaceTime and spent over two hours cooking together. It took a little planning, but it was excellent! We made Tabouli and Brie and Caramel Sauce. In between we sat down and ate our Tabouli and gabbed! With over 3,000 miles in between us it is so important that we find the time to get together and enjoy each others company.

We chose those two dishes because they are very representive of our relationship with each other and our friends and family. Tabouli is home. It is a beautiful salad that warms our hearts and minds. We could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Brie and Caramel Sauce is warm, rich, and inviting. It makes me picture Christmas Eve with our huge family or book club with our girlfriends and a bottle of wine. The best part of both dishes is that you can prepare them ahead of time to serve at a later time. This makes both dish perfect for the smallest or biggest occasion!

Brie with Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup toasted Pecans (simple instructions below)
8 oz round Brie
1 loaf French Bread
1/2 cup water
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1 pint Heavy Cream

Put water and sugar in a tall, thin sauce pan over medium heat, do not stir. Let this boil until it turns to a Caramel brown color. It will take around 10 minutes after it begins boiling. You may experience the desire to stir, ignore that desire.

Once the color has changed, pour the heavy cream into the pan. Be very mindful of what is going on, the cream will cause the mixture to boil harder and you want to make sure that it does not boil over. Let this boil for about ten to fifteen minutes until it becomes very thick. At this point it will be Caramel sauce. Taste your work, it will be delicious!

Set the Brie on a plate and put the pecans in a single layer on top of the Brie. When you are ready to serve pour a thin layer of Caramel Sauce over the Brie and Pecans and serve with sliced French Bread and enjoy!

How to Toast Pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the Pecans on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Keep watch over the pecans to ensure that they do not burn.

Tips

• Pick out the best loaf of French Bread at your local grocery store, then bring that loaf to the bakery department and ask them to slice it. They have a slicer that will cut the loaf into the perfect sized slices.
• If you do not want to serve your Brie and Caramel Sauce right away, place your Caramel Sauce in the fridge and then microwave on 15 second intervals until warm or heat on the stovetop by putting in a saucepan with a little bit of butter when you are ready to serve.
• The sauce will stay fresh in the fridge for about a month.