Brie En Croute (baked in puff pastry)

This delicious treat is a sophisticated version of my favorite childhood sandwich -- cheese and jelly. Now, I have taken a lot of grief for my cheese and jelly sandwich allegiance, but I was on to something even at that young age.  It turns out I was really looking for a brie en croute, but I didn't know of such things, so American cheese on white bread with jelly was as close as I could get.  And I loved it. Brie en croute is as simple as anything you can make, and it is a fabulous compliment to a bottle of wine with friends. We enjoyed ours with friends at a cabin in the mountains. We prepped it ahead of the trip, and then cooked it in the oven after we arrived for a delicious treat in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Brie En Croute

Research:

This is something that Julie has made in the past, but I became aware of it after watching a recent episode of Martha Stewart's Cooking School series. After watching the episode I was immediately interested because of my history of cheese and jelly sandwiches.

Plan:

Gather the simple ingredients and prep the dish in advance of our trip. Put it on ice for the car ride up to the cabin and then bake once we reach the cabin.

Ingredients:

A package of good Brie (French if you can get it)
Puff Pastry (usually in frozen foods section)
Your favorite jam, preserves or compote (we made two -- one with a sour cherry spread and another with homemade peach bourbon jam)
Caramelized Pecans


Execution:

Unfold one of the pastry sheets and roll it out with a little 

flour to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin.

We asked the cheesemonger to slice the wheel in half horizontally 

before we brought it home, and then we cut it into a half moon once we 

were home because we were making two different versions.

See the "half moon" shape.

Add a layer of jam and cover with pecans.

Then add the top half of the cheese wheel.

And repeat with jam...

... and pecans.

Then you are going to wrap the brie as delicately and evenly as you can with the 

sheet of puff pastry.  Be cautious not too overlap the pastry too much so that 

you don't end up with uneven thickness of dough around the cheese.   

A little overlap will be perfectly fine, so don't worry too much about it.

After wrapping the brie in the pastry, then you can bake immediately or wrap 

in parchment or wax paper and then refrigerate until you are ready to bake.

Upon arriving in the mountains we pulled the brie out of the cooler and baked at 

350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. You are baking it just long enough to brown 

the pastry and soften the cheese. 

We didn't think to bring ingredients for an egg wash, but that would add a 

nice sheen to the finished product.

Spread a slice of the warm cheese and jam onto toast points, crackers or french bread, 

and behold this very elegant French appetizer.

What a great weekend. We hope you can make one soon and enjoy a weekend away.

Verdict:

It is delicious. The only thing I would have changed would have been some egg wash to make the pastry brown a little on top. It tasted amazing, especially with the pecans and peach bourbon jam.

Please help support our site, buy something you like on Amazon. Simply click through the links below and though you can pick anything, I suggest the thermometer and knives below:


So apparently Thermoworks doesn't sell through Amazon anymore. You must buy direct. Still the thermometer to have. Go here and order direct. 

Aaron Franklin's Favorite trimming knife:

Dexter-Russell (S131F-6PCP) - 6" Boning Knife - Sani-Safe Series

Aaron Franklin's Favorite Brisket cutting/serving knife:

Sani-Safe S140-12SC-PCP 12" Scalloped Roast Slicer