Brie en Croute

Ahhhh… brie. I wasn’t always a fan, but now, I sing a different tune and can make a meal out of it (and have). This past Thanksgiving, I hosted dinner at my house, and wanted to have some appetizers for my guests to snack on before the big “event” (aka dinner), and decided to make a brie wrapped in a puff pastry as one of the hors d’oeuvres. It’s quite simple to make and there are so many different variations you can try. For this recipe, I just used cherry Craisins and honey because I was low on time. However, the original recipe I found, called for cherries, rosemary, pecans and honey. I think cranberries would be also be great, as would orange marmalade, but feel free to experiment. Also, if you want to cut down on calories and fat, Président makes a light Brie which is 50% less fat and about 30% less calories than regular Brie.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. water
• 1/3 cup Craisins
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 of a 17.3-ounce packagePepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
• 1 (12-ounce) Brie cheese round

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F.  Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk.  Stir the craisins and honey in a small bowl.
2. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square.  Cut off the corners to make a circle.
3. Spoon the mixture in the center of the circle.  Top with the brie.
4. Brush the edge of the circle with the egg mixture.  Fold the pastry up over the cheese to cover.  Trim the excess pastry and press to seal.  Brush the seam with the egg mixture.
5. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet.
6. Decorate the top with the pastry scraps, if desired.
7. Brush with the egg mixture.
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
9. Let stand for 45 minutes – 1 hour.  (Very important to let it stand, otherwise all of the cheese will ooze out)

Serve with the crackers.

Top ↑