The Perfect Winter Treat: Baked Brie en Croûte with Sliced Apples and Raspberry Jam.
Winter is finally here in New York.
I went outside this morning about 6 am and it was 11 degrees. When it’s 11 degrees it feels like 3 degrees, so I ran back into the house for the warmth of my coffee cup and laptop and to think about hot food and delicious treats.
Right now is prime baking season, so I’m joining the cool kids and turning up the freak switch to high.
Ok, I’m not that outrageous and there is no freak switch…just my oven that ..um..I’m turning up to high.
Enough with my failed attempts of culinary comedy and trying to fit in with the Millennials.
On with the show.
In the Winter, I’m really into comfort food and drinks. Even more now than any other time of the year.
Root vegetables, slow cooked soups, all day long sauces and mulled ciders.
The aromas of breads baking fill the house, making it feel like a country home.
Memories with every sniff and the warm comfort, like cozy as a blanket, of walking into the kitchen and feeling the heat as muffins turn golden brown right before you.
Yup, ’tis the season for baking. And wine too, of course.
2 of my favorite things are bread and cheese. What can be better?
I’ve always loved brie cheese since I was a kid.
Creamy, sweet and salty. It’s a circle of perfection.
Now, wrap it in dough with fruit and bake it? It really cannot get any better than this and it’s simple as well.
My recipe is so simple that I’d bet a wheel of brie that you will nail it the first time.
Just like cooking with wine. The key is good quality ingredients.
This Baked Brie en Croute has sliced local apples and a delicious raspberry jam from a local preserves maker called,
Peconic River Preserves.
I’ve used their product on other recipes, my favorite being a Grilled Salmon with Spicy Summer Strawberry Glaze.
( btw, Peconic guys..I’ve run out of your stuff and wouldn’t mind a surprise sampler in the mail for New Years..wink..wink..nod..nod.)
In all seriousness, the quality ingredients in these preserves really shows in their final product and in my recipes.
( and I really wouldn’t mind a surprise at my door for New Years Eve.) 🙂
Fresh out of the oven, the crisp golden puff pastry is calling you.
Carefully plate it…fill your dish with crackers or crostini and wait 5 minutes so that you don’t melt your tongue.
Check out the recipe below and get some brie, dough, apples and jam this weekend.
Have fun!
Oh yeah… please let me know what you think and don’t forget to Spread the Love!
Like me at…..
www.facebook.com/TheFoodULove
Twitter: FoodULuv and NYFoodCritic
and on Instagram #thefooduluv
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 1 large Honey Crisp apple, cored, peeled and diced into about 1/2" pieces.
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup Peconic River Preserves Raspberry Jam ( divided into 2 containers)
- 1- 6-8 ounce Brie cheese round
- 1- 10-inch puff pastry dough, stretched out to about 1/4-inch in thickness
- Egg wash. 1 large egg, beaten with 1 Tbs. water
- Properly preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with some parchment paper.
- In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- Sauté the apples until they are soft, about 5 minutes, stirring as they cook.
- Add the cinnamon, sugar and half of the Peconic River Preserves Raspberry Jam and stir constantly until they dissolve and until most of the liquid has reduced.
- This will take about 10-15 minutes, depending upon your heat.
- Remove from the heat and let the apple compote cool to room temperature.
- Preheat an oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Now on to the big cheese...
- ( I still laugh as I type this....)
- Cut the cheese in half horizontally. Put one half of the cheese facing up and spread 1/2 cup of the compote over it and set the other half, sliced side down, over the compote side and spread remaining 1/2 cup compote over the top.
- Now for the dough.
- Place the dough on a clean surface that has been lightly dusted with white flour and carefully place the cheese directly in the middle of the dough.
- Carefully fold the dough up over the sides of the cheese. To make the dough perfectly wrap around the cheese, fold the top edges to fit around it tightly.
- To keep it all from falling apart, pinch the dough together in the center of the cheese to seal it then release your inner Monet and brush the dough with the egg wash and then put on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake your package of love for about 40 minutes, until the pastry part is crisp and honey brown.
- Top with remaining Apple Raspberry compote.
- Set aside for 5 minutes, put on a platter and surround with water crackers and enjoy.
- Serve warm and eat while sitting down as something this delicious may make you dizzy.
Be the first to comment.