Making The Perfect Brie
A party favorite is the warm, creamy baked brie. To make this, buy a full round of brie and a tube of puff pastry. You will also need maple syrup, walnuts, pecans, cinnamon, dried cranberries, and butter.
Let’s get cooking!
To start, lay out a baking sheet or pan. Lightly butter the baking sheet or pan so that the baked brie does not stick to it when you finish baking it. You can also use a cast iron skillet when making this recipe.
Take the puff pastry out of the tube and lay it flat along the pan. You may need to play with the dough to stretch it so that it will fit the baked brie. Once you have it ready, place the brie in the center.
On the side, mix the maple syrup, a dash of cinnamon, crushed walnuts and pecans, and dried cranberries together in a bowl. You can make as much of this mixture as you desire. Do not use too much, though, as it may overpower the cheese. The idea is to add a little extra sweet flavor and crunch to the mixture without overpowering the taste buds.
Once you have your mixture created, pour it over top of the brie. It will spill over onto the puff pastry. Try to spread it out evenly among the cheese.
Fold the pastry neatly overtop of the brie, making sure that the entire round of brie is covered. Sometimes, the puff pastry may stretch too far and rip, so just patch it up with your hands. Fold it nicely, draping one corner over another, because this is part of the presentation of the finished product.
After the brie is coated with the syrup and the pastry is folded over, spread some melted butter over top of the wrapped brie. This will allow for a nice golden-brown color once it is baked.
Place the pan in the oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is (many ovens vary). Once the outside is lightly browned, it should be finished, as long as it has been in the over for at least 10 minutes. You only need to cook the puff pastry and lightly melt the cheese, so it does not take long to cook. Do not be surprised if the cheese oozes out the side of the puff pastry. This is normal. You should still be able to move it only another platter with a spatula without it falling apart, but you may want to cook it in something that you can serve it on to minimize the potential for it to break apart.
If you are serving this dish at a gathering, do not bake it until you are ready to serve it. If you are bringing it to someone else’s party, make it ahead of time, but do not bake it until you arrive at the party and are ready to give it to fellow guests. The point of the dish is to eat warm, oozing cheese. If you make it too far in advance, it will cool and harden.
Serve the baked brie with varying crackers of your choice. Watch out, because it usually gets eaten really fast!
Read More: How to Host a Wine and Cheese Party?
