Baked Brie in Puff Pastry with Walnuts and Apricot
Over the years, serving a baked wheel of brie cheese is one of my most popular appetizers. Whether it is for Super Bowl, New Years Eve, or some other party, warm gooey brie is always a hit. My favourite way to serve brie is to wrap it in some puff pastry and bake it until golden brown. The flakey and buttery puff pastry goes so well with the gooey cheese.
Topping the brie with a little jam and nuts will turn this appetizer into something spectacular. For this dish, I used some apricot jam and chopped walnuts. I love the sweet fruitiness the jam adds to this dish.
Not only does baked brie in puff pastry taste great, but it also looks awesome as well. People often freak out whenever they see it and are surprised to find out that it is homemade.
Place the thawed puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Throwing a little flour down prevents the puff pastry from sticking. Spoon the apricot jam in the middle of the pastry sheet and spread it in a circle the size of the brie cheese wheel.
While this recipe uses apricot jam, there are many other possibilities. Raspberry jam, pepper jelly or cranberry sauce will all work just as well.
Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top of the jam.
Place the wheel of brie on top. There are a number of different sizes of brie wheels, both in diameter and also in thickness. Any size will work, just make sure that the puff pastry sheet is large enough to wrap around the brie.
Fold the puff pastry over the brie wheel. To keep the seams of the puff pastry sealed, I use an egg wash. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Then, with a pastry brush, apply some of the egg wash on the spots of the pastry that you want sealed. Gently press the pastry together so that it sticks together.
Flip the wrapped brie over so the seam side is down. Place it on a baking sheet or stone. I like to line the baking sheet with parchment paper so that it does not stick and can be lifted off easily.
If you have any puff pastry left over, you can cut them into different shapes to create a decorative top to the brie. As seen in the picture above, I cut out a number of leaves and rolled some pastry to resemble berries. I placed them on top, and brushed a little egg wash underneath them, so they would stick.
Brush all the puff pastry with the egg wash. This gives the puff pastry a nice golden colour.
It is now ready to go in the oven.
Bake the brie in a 400F oven for about 30 minutes. The puff pastry will rise a little and ‘puff’ up during baking. Once done, the pastry should be nicely browned all around.
Let the brie rest for about 5 minutes before slicing into and serving. The cheese will be super gooey and run all over, so make sure it is on a plate with a bit of a lip so that the cheese does not run off. While this tastes great just like this, you can also spoon some of the cheese on a cracker as well.
Baked Brie in Puff Pastry with Walnuts and Apricots
Ingredients
- 1 wheel brie cheese , around 7oz in size
- 1 sheet puff pastry , thawed
- 1/3 cup apricot jam
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Place the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.
- Spoon the apricot jam on the middle of the puff pastry sheet. Spread it in a circle the size of the brie wheel. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on the jam. Place the brie wheel on top.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water to make an egg wash.
- Fold over the puff pastry and use a pastry brush to put some of the egg wash on the seams of the puff pastry to make sure it is all well sealed.
- Turn the wrapped brie over, so the seam side of the puff pastry is facing down, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If desired, use some extra puff pastry to cut into shapes (leaves, mini berries, etc.) and place on the top of the wrapped brie wheel.
- Brush all of the puff pastry with the egg wash.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is browned. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into and serving.
