F is for: Fried Brie with Jalapeño Cherry Dipping Sauce

You guys.

So this new schedule is kind of kicking my ass.

For those of you who are unaware, ESPN started a new morning Sports Center exactly 5 weeks ago. By far, it’s been one of the most rewarding things I’ve accomplished in my career. Helping to get a brand new show off the ground on a national sports network is no small feat. We have an outstanding crew, and we have a blast. But we are also on the air from 7-10am Monday-Friday, which means my alarm goes off at 3.

Yes, 3am. It is an ungodly hour to be awake.

The good news is… I’m done at 10am everyday. Sounds amazing, right? Sounds like I would have loads of time for hitting the gym or working on my neglected food blog. But inevitably, when I get home around 11am, all I want to do is sleep.

So last week, I forced myself to try to get back into the blog game. Had to cancel lunch plans to do it (thanks for understanding, Jen!) As I was trying to think of something to do to coincide with the letter “F,” the word “fried” kept popping into my head. I had some leftover brie in the fridge from a girls ski weekend and I thought to myself, “can you fry brie?” Suddenly I was determined to find out.

I’m happy to report that yes, yes you can.

I made this entire recipe with things I had on hand. The coating is a mixture of panko bread crumbs and nuts, and the sauce is made from preserves I received for Christmas from my Aunt Candy.

My brie wheel was the extra large variety from Costco, but I only had half left, so I estimate this to be about 7-8 ounces of cheese, give or take. Pop the brie into the freezer for about 30-40 minutes, this will help immensely with the rest of this process. Start by cutting into sticks or wedges, whichever your little heart desires. (I sort of did a combo of both).

Dip each piece in an egg wash, then the mixture of nuts/bread crumbs and onto a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 40 minutes or up to several hours to allow everything to set and firm up again. (Very important to make sure cheese doesn’t melt before the coating has fried and sealed it all in).

Meanwhile, to make the dipping sauce, combine cherry preserves (preferably something like this, which doesn’t add extra sugar) with a little red wine vinegar, lime zest, lime juice and sautéed jalapeños (if you like it spicy).

When you’re ready to fry up your cheese sticks, heat a neutral, high smoke point oil (such as sunflower) to about 350-375 degrees. (aka it needs to be really hot). I don’t have a deep fryer, but I got this done with about 1/2 inch to an inch worth of oil in a deep frying pan. Fry cheese in batches, about 30 seconds on each side. Carefully remove and drain on paper towels.

Serve immediately with jalapeño cherry dipping sauce. (Or you could try keeping in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve, but I can’t personally vouch for this).

This would be great for watching NCAA Tourney games this weekend and/or St. Patty’s celebrations or a combination of both. Or just because on a Wednesday. Because you miss your food blog. Here’s to more food blogging and more sleep in the coming weeks!