West Chester Dish

At a recent fundraiser, I had the pleasure of tasting what is perhaps the best baked brie I have ever had. If you are unfamiliar with baked brie, it consists of a wheel of brie, sliced in half and filled with a sweet and savory combination (Many times a fruit and a nut combo). It is then wrapped in pastry and baked until the crust is golden brown and the cheese inside melts perfectly with its fillings.

At this particular event, the brie was served with slices of small baguette. My date, Jamie (a WC Dish writer), took the brie and spread the pastry and cheese combination on the bread. I, however, just cut a piece of brie and enjoyed it with the bread that it was baked inside. I figured, “why do you need extra bread when the bread is already there?”

This started a bit of a brie debate. After we each had a glass of wine, we went on to survey other party-goers to see what their thoughts were about baked brie etiquette. We received baffled looks and mixed reviews. Ultimately, we never came up with the “correct” answer, but we did have a good time letting Jamie think she was right (even though I know she was waaay wrong).

Although the debate continues, I thought I’d at least provide the recipe so you could get a taste of this fantastic appetizer.

Baked Brie

From J. Scott Catering Sous Chef Steve Mitnacach

• 1 wheel of brie
• 1 sheet of puff pastry
• 1 jar of red pepper jelly
• ½ medium white onion
• Pad of butter to caramelize the onion
• 1 egg

Slice onions and caramelize them in a pan. Let them cool.

Slice the brie wheel through the middle (think hamburger bun) and spread red pepper jelly one inch from the edge. Spread the onions on top of that, add salt and pepper and close up the brie.

Roll out the pastry sheet. Wrap it around the wheel of brie. Whip the egg and brush inside the whole shell. Fold the pastry over the brie, brushing egg on each open area, including the bottom and top of pastry.

Flip over the brie so the folded side is down.

Get playful: Cut up shapes to put onto the top. Because it’s the holiday season, you can do pumpkins, holly leaves or another seasonal design. Use food coloring to make them pop. Make sure to brush egg on any added designs. You can also barely scratch the surface and do mild etching, so when it bakes it elevates into a nice design.

Baking tip: If you have time, put the brie in the freezer after you have it prepared. If you freeze it first, when you pop it into a 420-degree oven for 15-20 minutes it seals it up before the cheese melts and browns wonderfully on the outside. Once it bakes for this initial period, place it in a 250-degree oven so it warms through slowly. Then you’re ready to serve.

Variations: Apricot and almond. Cranberry for holidays, mint chutney, sun dried tomato, fig and cashews. The combinations are endless.

The Final Dish

I did a poll with the listeners on WCOJ, and the verdict seems to be: If the wheel of brie is “event size” (12-24 inches) then the middle may be too much brie to have without additional crackers or bread to spread it on. However, if the brie wheel is small enough, the pastry shell will suffice for the bread component. Sounds good to me!