Puff Pastry Baked Brie with Cranberries
An easy holiday appetizer with a wow factor. Use leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce or the jam / preserves of your choice.
Servings: 12
Equipment
- baking sheet
- parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- small leaf cookie cutters if desired
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz, Brie cheese round
- 1 sheet (1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package) frozen Puff Pastry, thawed (may need both sheets for larger brie round)
- ½ cup leftover cranberry sauce or preserves of choice (strawberry, fig, apricot, etc.)
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.
- Sprinkle the flour on the work surface. Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square.
- Spread the preserves / cranberry sauce on the pastry in a circle about 1/2-inch larger than the cheese. Place the cheese on top of preserves / sauce in the center of the pastry.
- Fold the pastry up over the cheese to cover. Trim the excess pastry and press to seal. Brush the seam with the egg mixture. Place seam-side down onto a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat baking mat.
- Cut leaves of pastry scraps if desired. Brush with the egg mixture to adhere pastry scraps and give the pastry a glossy golden color.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let Brie stand for 30 minutes so no mouths are burned and the cheesy goodness firms up. Serve with apples slices and / or crackers.
Notes
- Wheels of Brie come in varying sizes. I used an 8 oz. size, but use a larger wheel to serve a crowd. The rind on the Brie is completely edible, but I prefer it without the rind, so I scrape most of it off before baking.
- You can prepare wrapped Brie several hours in advance and place in refrigerator until ready to bake. Pull out and brush with egg wash right before baking in preheated oven. Just remember you want to keep it cold until it goes in the oven so when the buttery layers will "puff" when baked.
- Vary your toppings on your Brie; use a combination of brown sugar and chopped pecans, jam and almonds, or make a savory version with sun-dried tomatoes, olive tapenade and toasted pine nuts.