This baked Brie en croûte is an easy, elegant appetizer made by wrapping puff pastry around Brie, baking until golden, and topping with sweet preserves. Looks fancy, tastes sophisticated, seems so simple to toss together.
Baked Brie en Croûte
Ingredients
Directions
Roll the puff pastry into a 12-inch square on a lightly floured counter. Using a pie plate or other round guide, trim the pastry to a 9-inch circle with a paring knife. Brush the edges lightly with the beaten egg.
Place the Brie in the center of the pastry circle and lift the pastry up and over the cheese, pleating it at even intervals and leaving an opening in the center where the Brie will be exposed. (Don’t worry if your pleats aren’t perfect.) Press the pleated edge of pastry up into a rim, which will later be filled with preserves or jelly.
Brush the exterior of the pastry with beaten egg and transfer it to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
Bake the cheese until the exterior is a deep golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack. Spoon the jelly into the exposed center of the Brie. Let cool for about 30 minutes. Serve with crackers or bread. Originally published April 15, 2005.
Recipe Testers' Reviews
If you want to dazzle folks and have next to no time, this is the recipe you need! I had brunch guests over this morning. While washing up the dishes, I pulled out my thawed puff pastry, prepared it as directed, and tossed it in the freezer. After my guests left, I grabbed my chilled cheese and pastry, brought it over to family's house, and tossed it in the oven. Just 25 minutes later, we were gathered round a platter of gooey warm cheese. Everyone was thrilled! Even my husband, who claims to not like Brie, was delighted by this.
If serving with other accoutrements, I would say it could feed 8 folks. We were just having it with warm baguette. Five of us killed it in no time. We will definitely make this many more times.
I used Dufour puff pastry. I used apricot preserves and also served with fig jam. It was so gooey and gorgeous.
This was delicious. I used Dufour puff pastry and peach pepper jelly. It wasn't spicy at all and I would use a straight pepper jelly in the future.
I would make it again but I would be more careful with the pastry, mine might have gotten too warm when wrapping the Brie because it got sticky. I also would need to practice the pleating because apparently I'm not good at that.
I took it out of the oven and put the jelly in and it immediately sank into the cheese. Honestly, it was great for the taste but I think I could have doubled the amount of jelly and it would have been even better.
The taste was amazing but it was still super runny even after sitting for longer than 30 minutes so it might need to sit for an hour or so before cutting into it, so it's gooey but not liquidy.
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David and staff, this recipe is amazing! I add sauteed shallots to the apricot preserves before topping. The combo is AWESOME to say the least. Great ‘anytime’ recipe, but especially delicious when serving dinner guests and dinner is two hours away! LoL! Yummy.
GrammaSue, I am so delighted!