brielicious (brie en croute recipe)

Serving a wedge of brie at a party is a sure crowd-pleaser, but wrap it in puff pastry and bake it, and it’s downright showstopping.

Every time I serve the French specialty brie en croûte, it’s gone by mid-party. No one has any shame about eating the last bit. I’ve seen people spy the last of the brie, pick up the plate right off of the serving table, and walk away with it. I take it as a compliment.

This dish also makes a perfectly satisfying meal accompanied by a green salad — think of it as inverted fondue.

Brie en Croûte

• A round of brie
• Puff pastry (thawed)
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pecans
• Cinnamon to taste
• Egg white, slightly beaten
• Apples and or pear slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out pastry with rolling pin until it can envelop the brie. Place brie on pastry and sprinkle with brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon. Close pastry around brie. Seal edges by brushing with egg white, then pinching together. Brush rest of pastry with remaining egg white. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until brown. Serve with apples or pears.

Comments

I was going to write a witty post about how much I love Brie.....but I need to go and clean the drool off my keyboard instead. I'm not much of a cook or a baker but I think I'm definitely going to have to try to make this...and soon...yum!!!

Yum, we had brie en croûte with apples at our wedding reception before dinner, and it was gone so fast we regretted not ordering more. Great... now I'm starving!

this sounds yummy and i'd like to try to make it. but i have a somewhat lame question...do you take the rind off first before wrapping the brie in the puff pastry?

Good question. I made something similar to this without wrapping the brie in a puff pastry, but topping it with cranberry sauce (get the whole berry sauce from a can) and baking it. With that recipe, I took the top layer of the rind off, then topped it and baked it. I would say yes, you need to take only the top rind off.

thanks, gerri. the cranberry sauce sounds great too!

I left the rind on, but taking it off would probably allow the brown sugar to seep into the cheese more, which sounds good to me!

Any suggestions for type of apple (sweet vs tart)?

I'm a tart apple kind of girl myself. I will always, always go for the Granny Smiths. With this recipe, I think it provides a nice contrast to the brown-sugared walnuts. But if sweet apples are more your thing, that should work too.

i have always used egg yolk for sticking pastry and making a nice brown crust..does the egg white do the same thing? why not just use the whole egg??

Thanks for the prompt reply re: apples. I am really looking forward to making this. I generally get cheeses at Costco, however they tend to sell larger sizes than the grocery store. Can you give me an idea of what size round you used with this recipe (maybe how many ounces). Thanks so much.

Chris: I used a 13.2 ounce round of brie.

Lisanne: I hit up my food scientist friend for help on your question. Here's what she said verbatim: "Both the white and the yolk can be used for brushing dishes, but egg whites usually work best to create a clear, 'shiny' effect. Yolks may be used to provide a yellowish-golden color, but the result is not as 'shiny' since the fat in the yolk gives opacity."

love this Brie en Croute recipe

you may check out this website for more recipes
www.belgradeandbeyond.com

Another question from someone not familiar with this delicious sounding appetizer.
Do you put a knife out to cut it or do people just dig fruit slices into it somehow?
Thanks.

Annabelle: Set out a knife--it's definitely easier to dig into that way!

I would love to make this for my next book club meeting. What did you serve the brie with..crackers or bread?

Debbie: I prefer baguette slices over crackers for this, and apple or pear slices keep it from feeling like a total starchfest.

I can't wait to try this brie version- it sounds so autumn-like. I usually use a veggie peeler to remove most of the rind and then slice the brie lengthwise in half and spread a layer of whole cranberry sauce and pecans or thick raspberry preserves and pecans.... then follow the rest of your steps. I serve with Carr's water crackers and red and green grapes!!!! YUMMY!

this is yummy!