This dish is an adaptation of one that appeared in the July 14, 2014, issue of First magazine. You would assume it was cooked rice if it weren’t for the grated cauliflower. Excellent and advantageous to you both!
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 20 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 40 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
Ingredients
- 1 small wheel of Brie (about 6 to 8 inches), chilled
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed, plus extra for design
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Use a sharp paring knife to score the side of Brie all the way around, cutting directly on the equator through the rind. Wrap string or dental floss around brie on the scored cut. Loop one end of the string over the other to make a half knot. Pull the ends of the string in opposite directions to cut Brie in half.
- Lay Brie halves, cut-side up, on a flat work surface. Spread cranberries over one half and walnuts on the other, pressing down gently into cheese. Quickly put the 2 sides back together with cranberries on top of walnuts. Press together and stuff back in any cranberries or walnuts that fell out.
- Roll out puff pastry on a floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness. Place Brie in the center of pastry. Gently pull up edges to ensure there is enough dough to entirely wrap Brie. Trim off the corners if there is too much dough.
- Mix together egg and water in a small bowl. Brush egg wash over dough. Fold one edge of dough over Brie and then the opposite side. Fold over the remaining edges to completely encase Brie. Trim off excess dough as needed. Flip Brie over so the seam is at the bottom; gently press in the sides to snug dough against Brie. Brush the top and sides of wrapped Brie with egg wash.
- Cut out decorative pieces from remaining puff pastry and place on Brie. Lightly brush decorative pieces with egg wash. Place Brie in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place Brie on the prepared baking sheet and bake on the center rack in the preheated oven until it is browned and leaking cheese, 20 to 25 minutes. (Only rarely does Brie not leak through.)
- Be sure to complete the freezing step. The crust needs to bake to a golden brown before the Brie starts pouring out, so it must be partially frozen when it goes into the oven.
- If you assemble the Brie ahead of time, bake the frozen Brie in a preheated 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) oven until the cheese is runny, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Use very cold (almost still frozen) puff pastry dough for the decorations to ensure sharp lines.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 304 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 17 g |
| Cholesterol | 49 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Sodium | 261 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I have been making this for years. Never fails to be completely eaten by the end of a party. I have used a variety of dried fruits, including dried cranberries, blueberries, and dried mixed berries. The big thing I do is use phyllo dough instead of puff pastry, it is lighter, flakier and yes more difficult to work with, but makes for a good variation on a great reipe.
This turned out fantastic. Followed the recipe exactly and then added brown sugar over the walnuts. Even my wife loved it, and she’s the one who always says she doesn’t like brie. I’ll be making this again to take along as an appetizer for gatherings of friends and family.
I made it with a small round of brie (4 inches in diameter) as I am by myself. Attached is a picture. Used crescent rolls and it was absoltely delicious. Didn’t have a problem slicing in half…used my trusty serrated knife…no string and no problem. Will make gain definitely. GG in Sebring
The slicing of the wheel with dental floss is amazing! No sticky knives and really easy to do. Genius. The recipe is so easy to follow… I love how I learn from each one. Freezer is critical. The flavors were a perfect combination. Absolutely NO phyllo dough or puff pastry in the city, I settled for crescent rolls, it still baked up beautiful. I never realized the egg wash is what gives that golden “I’M YUMMY” look! Definitely making more of this for Super Bowl!
I would add addition to the center next time, like red pepper jelly or blueberry jam – just a smidge.
xxxxx
Delicious!
This is a keeper recipe! Everyone drooled over it! I made it exactly as described and it turned out perfect! Will definitely keep this one for special occasions! Thanx chef John!!
Followed the recipe to a T and it turned wonderful.
This was a great appetizer. I used a cranberry, walnut mix from Kroger. It was good. I would use as much filling as possible. I also used a pie crust and would make that as thin as possible and cut the excess away.
The cranberries really set this off! Loved it.
I watched the video and followed the instructions , including freezing for one hour. The Brie in puffed pastry came out perfectly and was a big hit. It is perfect for a small gathering. I used walnuts and dried cranberries. Will try apricot jam and almonds next. It was fun to use the left over pastry and a cookie cutter to “food style”.
Loved this recipe, easy peasy!
Turned out great ! Everyone loved it. I used roasted walnuts.
I love this recipe, but I also really love brie. Last year for Christmas, I followed it with the cranberries and walnuts. This year I tried it with prosciutto and caramelized onions. Both ways are soo good.
Delicious! Loved by all who partook.I did use the string method and it worked perfectly.
This is a favorite with family and friends. One thing I do differently is I add a few tablespoons of my favorite preserves. I have also used premade crescent dough. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to do this but I also cut off the rind. There’s never a morsel left.
DO. NOT. Change a SINGLE INGREDIENT! 🙂 Trust the process. 🙂 It’s SO much easier than you can imagine. Follow it EXACTLY, including freezing it for one hour! This went so fast at our recent gathering that I wish I had made two of them. 🙂 Chef John NEVER disappoints. I have gotten to the point that if I find a recipe of his, it’s an automatic yes with no substitutions. 🙂 I will say that if you don’t have time to create the fun grapes on top, an easy fix is to use a cookie cutter of your choice. We used a fall leaf and layered two on the top. You will be the hit of the party with this stunner of a recipe. I promise!
I made this while on vacation as an app while on vacation as an app for a dinner party of 10. I’m glad I got to taste it because it was gone in minutes. I followed the recipe exactly and everyone loved it.
My first time to attempt baked brie so I watched the video -very helpful. Thanks Chef John for making the process easy & fun! This appetizer is now my go to yummo for any occasion.
Used sliced almonds instead of cranberries and walnuts. Honey on the side for dipping.