How to Make Baked Brie Without a Recipe

By lorik

Ingredients

• 1 wheel of Brie Cheese
• 1 sheet of puff pastry dough
• Jam or Savory Filling (see below)

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from food52.com

Preparation

Step 1

Pick your ingredients wisely. Your most important choice is the filling. For a savory dish, use spreads like pesto or chutney; if you’re feeling more ambitious, sauté mushrooms and onions with garlic and herbs or make another vegetable filling. If you’re in the mood for sweets, on the other hand, almost any jam will work. Or, fill the Brie with fresh berries or sautéed apples or pears -- they'll slacken and melt into the warm, oozy cheese.

If you’re using a spread or jam, you’ll only need about 1/4 cup. For sautéed fruits or vegetables, a generous 1/2 cup is perfect.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out your sheet of puff pastry until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Trim the edges until you have a 10-inch circle. If you’re not great at estimating, you can place a 10-inch pie plate on top of the dough and simply trace it with your knife. Ta da -- perfect circle!

Slice the round of Brie in half horizontally. Place the bottom half, cut side-up, in the center of the dough round. Spoon your filling on top of the cheese, then place the other half, cut side-down, on top.

Wrap the dough up and around the side of the cheese. If you’re feeling fancy, you can pleat the top, but a more messy (ahem, rustic) look is just fine. The goal is just to keep your cheese tightly bundled.

Make it shine. A simple egg wash will give your baked Brie a beautiful luster. Just mix an egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl and brush the mixture on top of the Brie to lightly coat it.

Place the cheese on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in a 375° F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Your cheese might have oozed a little, but that's okay -- it'll make your guests less hesitant to dig in.

Let the cheese rest for 5 minutes. For extra flourish, add a drizzle of olive oil, a swirl of honey, or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Then slice open the wheel, get out some