Yesterday I made reference to Baked Brie. I had a reader ask me how to do that. So here is a simple but elegant way to serve Baked Brie
First buy good Brie. It is the main attraction so don’t skimp. Next but some frozen pastry sheets. Let them thaw out overnight in the fridge. The dough has to be completely thawed when you start. 20 minutes before you are ready put the Brie in the freezer so it gets hard enough to work with. When you are ready, lay the puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured board. If there are any tears or holes just fix by pushing the dough together.
Take the Brie out of the freezer and unwrap it. Place in the center of the pastry sheet. Take a sharp serrated knife and trim the top of the rind off the Brie. The rind is bitter and this allows the topping to set on the cheese. Now for the topping. Use one of these or make your own.
- Cranberry and Rosemary Syrup.
- Chopped nuts with Honey
- Any good fig jam or preserve
- Orange Marmalade.
These are only suggestions.
Once that is done, fold the corners of the pastry over the top and pull the lose ends up. You can make a “Beggars Purse” by slight twisting the ends and corner that you pulled up and then using a straight piece of dough to make a bow tie. Use a spatula to lift the package on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once that is done, brush the entire top with an egg wash. Bake in a 375-degree oven until the top is golden brown. Serve with good crackers or baguette rounds.
