Pear and Brie Crackers — Life & Kitchen

So, Lily started her first dance class last week and it was my first foray into the lives of dance moms. We were so excited leading up to the class and it's advertised as a casual "Dance Explorations" class for 3-4-year-olds. Seems innocent enough, right? Lily put on her tank top and stretch pants, and we went out to the waiting area. She was the ONLY little girl not decked out in full leotard/tights/ballet shoes regalia. Clearly, I had been underinformed about the clothing necessary for 3-year-old kids to run around in chaos while a poor 18-year-old teacher tries to wrangle them. But, since I now know that it's required, and I feel this need to help Lily fit in, I went out this week to purchase the appropriate clothes for tonight's class. I spent over $50 for an outfit that Lily is going to wear to a class we paid $35 for. I'm officially a sheep.

But back to the class, OhMyGod the parents. Even though the instructions were to not distract the class, there were a dozen moms huddled around the little glass window trying to get the perfect picture of their child. And not one cute picture and done. I'm talking 30 minutes of iPhones and DSLRs clicking away. Not distracting to the kids AT ALL. Is this what I should be expecting for the next 15 years? I need to prepare myself.

In between running too and from class, we also have to eat. And I'll admit, I actually made these little snacks and served them as a dinner one night. But there weren't any complaints from the peanut gallery, so I consider it a success. And hey, we had fruit, cheese, and grains. How much more square of a meal do you need?

I first had something similar to this at a Christmas party and loved the simplicity. This recipe takes less than 5 minutes of prep time and was still one of the first dishes to go. I like having the sugar on top both raw and torched. When you torch it, it gets a little bit of a crunchy crust like creme brulee and the taste of the sugar caramelizes a bit. Raw it is sweet and simple. At a party or at home, this is definitely worth a try.

Pear and Brie Crackers

1 ripe pear 1 wheel of brie cheese, room temperature 12 crackers raw (turbinado) sugar for sprinkling

Slice the cheese and the pear into about 1/8-1/4 inch thick slices. Lay out the 12 crackers and stack with brie and then pear, followed by the sugar. If you would like, use a kitchen torch to liquefy the sugar. Serve soon, as the sugar will eventually start breaking down the pear. If you want to serve later, add the sugar at the last minute.