Warm creamy baked brie topped with fresh and bright balsamic strawberries, cherries, and blueberries on a crisp garlic crostini is the easiest appetizer for your next summer gathering!  I love a good charcuterie board when entertaining, but there is just something about a warm appetizer that hits different and when you add these marinated summer fruits to the mix, you have appetizer perfection.  This simple gluten free dish is awesome to serve with fresh cut veggies, gluten free crackers, or my personal favorite is fresh apple slices.

Why Eat Seasonally?

When you are choosing to buy and eat certain foods during their peak season, you are getting the most nutritious, freshest and best tasting version of that food!  Summer is peak season for a lot of our favorite fruits from stone fruits and cherries to all our antioxidant rich berries.  Your local stores are filled with several varieties of these items and are great choices for snacking, salads, and so much more! 

Seasonal foods are typically picked at the peak of freshness, especially when you shop at your local farmers markets, versus being ripened in a truck on its way to your local store. By allowing the fruit more time on the stem, the nutritional density of the food increases as it was given more time to mature and the taste is unbeatable! Strawberries are firm and sweet, blackberries are delicate and bursting with flavor, and the stone fruits are fragrant and juicy! 

When you can’t eat in season, consider buying certain items from the frozen section of your market.  These items were picked at their peak and quickly frozen to retain the nutrient density of the food.  During the winter I stock up on frozen berries for my homemade jams and smoothies!

Why Organic is Important with foods like Berries

Although not everything I buy is organic, a good majority of it is, why?  Well, it has to do with GMO’s and pesticides.  Many of the berries and produce in the market during the summer may be derived from genetically modified (GM) foods (tomatoes, corn, strawberries), and many of these are grown conventionally and are treated with toxic chemicals like glyphosate (RoundUp.)

Year after year, strawberries and cherries make it on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list as a food that is considered toxic due it the exposure to pesticides and more.  So if it is available to you, try and source certain organic foods to reduce you and your family’s exposure to these toxins.

Environmental Impact

Across the globe, over 80% of all the GMO and conventional crops that are cultivated have been modified against herbicides such as RoundUp.  This means that the crops have had their DNA altered so that they are resistant against chemicals like RoundUp allowing for these toxic chemicals to be sprayed on the crops, killing other plants and pests without harming the crop itself.  The problem with chemicals like glyphosate is that they are now part of the food you eat, and have given rise to “superbugs” and “superweeds” that have become resistant to it and can now only be killed with chemicals that are even more toxic like 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D, an ingredient in Agent Orange) shown to correlate with thyroid disorders, hormonal disorders, decreased fertility, birth defects, and cancer [1].

Human Impact

In recent studies, there have been indications of the negative impact GMO foods are having when consumed.  These foods are showing that they may have toxicity on organs, organ systems, and immune health [2]. Consuming foods that have been genetically modified to be pesticide resistant exposes you to a slurry of toxic chemicals, like glyphosate, that has been shown to be carcinogenic [3]. 

So grab your ingredients and let’s get cooking!

Balsamic Summer Fruit with Baked Brie Ingredients

Serves 6-8

8oz Whole Wheel of Triple Crème Brie

1 cup Fresh Strawberries

1 cup Fresh Cherries

1 cup Fresh Blueberries

2 Tbsp Aged Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbsp Pure Raw Honey

1 Tbsp Fresh Mint (opt), chiffonade

Pinch of Sea Salt or Pink Salt

Garlic Crostini or crackers for serving

How to Make Balsamic Summer Fruit with Baked Brie

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2.  Unwrap the brie and set it into an oven safe dish or cast iron skillet (I love to use this since it keeps the brie warmer)

3.  Score the brie in a checkerboard pattern making 1-1.5″ squares.

4.  To a medium bowl add the balsamic vinegar, honey and sea salt and whisk together to combine.

5.  Rinse and dry the berries and cherries.  Dice the strawberries into 1/4″ pieces, pit and quarter the cherries, and roughly chop the blueberries transferring them to the bowl with the balsamic and honey mixture.

6.  Chiffonade the mint and add it to the bowl with the berries.

7.  Gently fold to coat the berries and cherries, set aside while the brie bakes.

8.  Bake the brie until lightly browned and it’s nice and gooey and soft.

9.  Remove from oven and immediately top with the balsamic summer fruit and serve with garlic crostinis.

Enjoy!

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FAQs

Q: Can I make the balsamic berries and cherries ahead of time?

A: Yes, you can make the balsamic marinated fruit ahead of time and keep refrigerated until ready to enjoy!

Q: How long will the balsamic summer fruit last?

A: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2-3 days.

Q: Do I need to score the wheel of brie before baking it?

A: No, this is a preference. I like to score it because it makes it a little easier to dip into when serving.

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. – Amy

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