Apple and Brie Quesadillas

Sara and I both love food, we both love being in the kitchen, and we both love to read. This is our little corner of the world in which we can combine all of those loves. Each week, we'll switch turns picking an ingredient and we'll both build a recipe around it, without telling the other what we'll be making. I can't wait to see what sorts of adventures we'll find ourselves in!

Due to our geographical locations, Florida (oranges) and New York (apples), we thought it only appropriate to feature these fruits in our debut recipe sets. I'm first up with apples!

Life in the Big Apple really has nothing to do with apples, to be fair. And that's fine. I've loved apples since I was a little kid. I adore any form of the stuff. Apple juice, apple pie, apples in their natural form. I love the crunch and the sweetness and their natural ability to play with others. I really do believe that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I'm rarely sick!

When I was first challenged with apples, I thought I'd want to make something sweet. Then I thought maybe I'd like something savory. Then I decided that I make the rules, and I wanted both. Enter the Apple Brie Quesadilla.

The idea comes from one of my favorite dishes at Stanton Social. Tart, crisp apples meet salty, savory brie. I made this on a cold afternoon a few hours before dinner and it proved to be the perfect snack.

I'm fairly certain that Granny Smith apples are used in Stanton's version. I bought a Golden Delicious by mistake, but it turned out to be a very happy accident. 

I purchased high quality brie at the gourmet market next to my apartment building. It was a bit pricey but worth every penny.

I usually like to use whole wheat tortillas but decided on white at the last minute. I think sometimes you really just have to give in.

I melted a pat of butter in the pan. Usually I just spray the heck out of it with Pam, but butter seemed like a better, purer option.

I cut the apple in half and sliced one half into the thinnest slices I could manage without a mandolin. They were uneven and sloppy, but I'm not Chris Santos so I think that's just fine. (I threw the other half back in the fridge.)

I smeared two tortillas with brie. I bought a triple cream variation, which I'd highly recommend. I think when you're using it as a spread -  the creamier, the better.

 I put one in the pan to heat up a bit before tossing a heap of apple slices on top, and finishing it off with the other tortilla.

I'm not sure how I would do this differently next time, but the apples proved to be too bulky for the quesadilla to have any cohesiveness. It wasn't the easiest thing to eat, but it sure was delicious.

I'd probably just fold one quesadilla in half if I were enjoying this by myself. But I was in a sweet mood and decided to share.

Make this. It's so easy and feels anything but. I can't wait to enjoy it for breakfast when Passover ends.