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36 www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

37Winter 2012–2013 / Best of Burlington

As the holidAys ApproAch, cooks reach for recipes that evoke christmases past, and Bronwyn dunne is no exception. A blogger, teacher, and enthusiastic cook, dunne’s south Burlington kitchen is filled with spices and memories from a childhood spent cook-ing beside her father, food writer evan Jones. 4

by jennifer rose smithphotos by brent harreWyn

Bronwyn

In the Kitchen with

Bronwyn shares recipes for Shrimp with Asian Salsa, Baked Brie in Phyllo, and Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread.

tips for holiday entertaining


It’s important to make this classic appetizer with a good-quality French Brie. The cheese should be ready to eat, so ask when you buy it. A too young or too old cheese will provide disappointing results.

serves 10–12

1⁄4 lb unsalted butter, melted1 round of Brie (3 lb)10–12 sheets of phyllo (or filo) leaves, defrosted

1. preheat oven temperature to 375°. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. When it is melted, brush the butter over the first phyllo leaf, cov-ering it completely front and back. place the phyllo leaf on a chopping board or plate.2. place the cheese on top of the butter-covered phyllo leaf. Fold the corners of the leaf around the cheese, using extra butter to “paste” them to the cheese.3. repeat this as many times as you have phyllo leaves, reversing the cheese each time you add a layer of phyllo. ten or twelve leaves will be enough to cover the cheese thoroughly. since the leaves are so thin, the layering helps to give the cheese the right flaky pastry casing.4. Make a phyllo “rose” by crunching together a half sheet of phyllo and pasting it onto the center of the top of the pastry-covered Brie.5. Brush the leftover melted butter onto the surface of a shallow baking pan wide enough to hold the Brie comfortably. place Brie in the pan and then onto the center shelf of the preheated oven. After 15 minutes, check the cheese to see if it is nicely browned on top. the cooking time should be no longer than 20 minutes.

to serve with drinks before dinner: place the Brie on a decorative plate large enough to hold sliced and toasted French or good whole-grain bread around the cheese. or you can serve the bread separately in a basket or on a plate.

to serve as a first course: slice the cheese into small pie-sized slices and place each one on an individual plate. Add the Asian salsa and a few cooked shrimp.

Baked Brie in Phyllo

Baked Brie in Phyllo is served with slices of toasted whole-grain bread.


she fondly remembers eating with him and stepmother Judith Jones, who is best known as Julia child’s legendary editor. Both were terrific cooks. As soon as dunne stepped into their New york apartment each Friday, her father would trade his typewriter for a whisk and sweep her into the kitchen to start mak-ing dinner.

Creative CuisineWhat they cooked was shaped less by tradi-tion than by taste and creativity. As her father and stepmother wrote, read, and edited cookbooks, the family ate their way through an eclectic blend of world cuisines. one holiday table may have featured spicy indian curries, while at other times, italian or French cooking held sway. “over the years,” dunne recalls, “we probably tried everything.”

dunne has carried on the family tradition by cooking and serving holiday meals with creative style. even while sticking to the ba-sics, she likes to add personal touches—and a lot of flavor. if you’re going to make a classic squash soup, dunne notes, why not ask, “What if i put a little bit of jalapeno pepper in that?”

during the holidays, dunne plans for dinner parties and unexpected guests by keeping her house well stocked with favorite ingredients. When entertaining formally, she relies on trusted recipes that guests love and that she can prepare early in the day. With the cooking done, she’s free to set the table, pour drinks, or just sip a glass of wine while chat-ting with the first arrivals.

Boeuf bourguignon is one of her favorites. A classic French stew, its long, slow cook-ing time builds simple ingredients into an intensely flavored dish, rich with red wine and fresh herbs. More than any other recipe, dunne says, this meal reminds her of the years when the family cooked constantly from a pre-publication copy of Julia child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. decades later, it’s still the recipe she uses.

she also makes a fresh, modern version of Brie en croûte, wrapping a wheel of Brie in layers of buttered phyllo dough. the oven’s heat gives the pastry a burnished golden


Asian Salsa

Adapted from Nina simond’s cookbook, Simple Asian Meals.

This recipe is a delightful variation on Mexican salsa and brings color and flavor to a holiday meal.

Makes 3 cups

11⁄2 lb red and yellow cherry tomatoes (the firmer the better)21⁄2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil1–2 cloves minced garlic1 tsp salt1⁄4 tsp freshly ground black pepper1 small jalapeno pepper1 cup minced scallion greens1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice

1. prepare the cherry tomatoes: preheat the oven to 375°. Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes and prick each one with the tip of a knife (this will prevent them from exploding in the hot oven). place the tomatoes in a bowl and add the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper, and toss to lightly coat each one.2. Arrange the cherry tomatoes in a single layer in a shallow baking pan and roast for 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, check to see what the tomatoes look like. they should be soft but not mushy, retaining their shape. if they look done, remove from the oven.

3. place the tomatoes and the juice from the roasting pan into a large bowl and chop them into two or three pieces. core the jalapeno pep-per and make sure all the seeds are removed. cut the pepper into julienne strips and then dice the strips. Add to the bowl with the scallions, cilantro leaves, and lemon or lime juice. Mix the ingre-dients and add more salt if necessary. refrigerate the salsa and chill for at least 30 minutes. transfer to a serving dish. the salsa can be used as an ac-companiment to fish or meat or served with chips as a dip.

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sheen and transforms the soft cheese into a silky smooth filling that’s perfect for scooping onto crackers or bread. to add zest to the rich and creamy dish, dunne serves the baked Brie with an Asian-inspired tomato salsa and a scattering of shrimp.

to prepare for impromptu visits, dunne says, she fills her fridge with ingredients that she can transform into quick snacks. she searches local stores and farmers’ markets for creative spreads and chutneys to serve with finger food, as well as artisanal crackers, and the cheeses that she often serves in place of desserts.

Winter 2012–2013 / Best of Burlington

Local Flavorsof course, a well-stocked liquor cabinet helps too. While dunne leans toward French wines, she notes that Vermont’s distilleries have a lot to offer. she likes the Bar hill gin from caledonia spirits in hardwick, as well as their sweet, vivid elderberry cordial. For a nonalcoholic option, she concocts a drink that she learned while living in Armenia; with three parts of pellegrino water to one part pomegranate juice, it’s a festive color for the holidays.

But it’s not just the local gin that she likes. since moving to Vermont in 2004, dunne has fallen for the food of the Green Mountain state and is enthusiastic about meeting creative young producers. “the energy here is amazing,” she says. “it reminds me of New york in the 1960s, but at that time everyone wanted to be an artist; now, everyone wants to be a farmer or chef!”

And Vermont has proved a fertile home for her own passion for cooking as well. this fall, dunne launched a new website, in the Kitchen with Bronwyn, as a place to share her writing and cooking ideas. she now offers classes in a variety of cuisines and posts video demonstra-tions of favorite recipes.

in both her writing and cooking, she blends new with old, weaving fluidly between eras of her life. in one post, she recalls her father’s meatloaf, and in the next she whirls peas into an impromptu puréed soup, fresh as summer. 4


every recipe and story holds a piece of her childhood, in a house filled with words and food. in her south Burlington kitchen, with a Brie in the oven and a shelf filled with cook-books, Bronwyn dunne celebrates the holidays like all food lovers—with creative flair and a fond memory for meals past.

I always have a selection of spreads, jams, and conserves on hand for the holidays to whip out of my refrigerator to serve to friends and family for an impromptu appetizer on crackers or chips to accompany drinks.

Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut SpreadAdapted from The Vegan Table cookbook with thanks to louise Murphy.

2 to 3 whole roasted red peppers, either fresh or from a jar*2⁄3 cup breadcrumbs (homemade is best)1 cup walnuts, raw or peeled4 large whole garlic cloves, peeled1⁄2 tsp salt1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice2 tsp agave nectar1 tsp ground cumin1⁄4 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)

combine the peppers, breadcrumbs, walnuts, garlic cloves, salt, lemon juice, agave nectar, cumin, and red pepper flakes in a blender or food processor. puree to a smooth consistency, scraping down the sides of the blender or food processor from time to time to be sure all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. season to taste.

this is a spread that can be served with crackers or thin slices of toasted whole-grain bread. Keeps up to a week in the refrigerator and can be frozen.

*Note: For fresh peppers, set the oven temperature to 375°. Core the peppers, making sure you’ve taken out all the seeds. Place the peppers on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Check after 15 min-utes to see that the peppers are wrinkled and beginning to discolor. They should be soft to the touch but still hold their shape when they are done.

Holiday Vegetable and Fruit Spreads


To learn more about Bronwyn Dunne’s cook-ing, writing, and classes, visit her website at www.inthekitchenwithbronwyn.com, or e-mail her at [email protected].

Alex’s PestoAfter a childhood spent eating her mother’s pesto pasta, my daughter has become the champion pesto maker in our family. This is her recipe.

Makes 1 cup of pesto2 cups fresh basil leaves, stems removed Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste1⁄2 to 3⁄4 cups pine nuts 1⁄2 cup olive oil

1. place the stemmed basil leaves and pine nuts into a food processor, plus salt and pepper to taste. Using the sharp blade attachment of the food processor, chop the basil leaves and pine nuts while slowly adding the olive oil. turn the food processor on and off several times in the course of chopping in order to push the mixture down from the sides of the bowl of the processor with a rubber spatula. taste while you are processing to be sure the mixture has enough salt and pepper.2. place in a decorative bowl to be served as a dip or use as a topping on crackers spread with a good local cream cheese. (A variety of Vermont cream cheese being made by local cheesemakers is available in most supermarkets.) Keeps up to a week in the refrigerator and can be frozen.

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