By Lidey Heuck
- Total Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Rating
- 4(861)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Likely to be a hit at any party, this recipe updates the classic brie en croute with a sweet and savory cranberry jam that’s simple to put together. The trick here is to trim the dough as you wrap the brie: Too many layers of overlapping dough and the pastry won’t cook through. This is an excellent make-ahead appetizer since the puff pastry-wrapped brie can be assembled up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Brush the exterior with egg wash just before baking, for best results, and serve warm.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½cup thinly sliced shallots (about 2 shallots)
- 1cup whole fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries
- 1teaspoon freshly grated orange zest and ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 1 orange)
- 3tablespoons granulated sugar
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1sheet puff pastry (about 8 ounces), defrosted and chilled
- 1(8-ounce) wheel of brie
- 1large egg
- Honey, for serving (optional)
- Finely chopped pistachios, for serving (optional)
- Baguette slices or crackers, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
363 calories; 23 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 324 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
1
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly caramelized, 4 to 6 minutes.
Step
2
Add the cranberries, orange juice, sugar and salt, then stir and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is very thick and the liquid in the pan has completely evaporated. Stir in the orange zest and transfer to a small bowl to cool completely. (The jam may be made up to 1 day in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.)
Step
3
When you are ready to bake the brie, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Working quickly, unfold the sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured piece of parchment. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll it out to an 11-by-11-inch square (the pastry should be about ⅛-inch thick). Place the brie in the center of the pastry. Use a paring knife, and leaving a 3 to 3½-inch border, trim the pastry to form a circle around the brie. Discard the scraps or save them for another use.
Step
4
Spoon the reserved cranberry jam on top of the brie, spreading it into an even layer about ¼-inch thick. (You might not use all the jam.)
Step
5
In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the pastry border lightly with egg wash, then lift the puff pastry to wrap the brie snugly, one side at a time, trimming the pastry so you don’t have too many overlapping layers. Press all sides of the brie firmly, making sure to tightly seal any seams in the pastry with your hands. Transfer the puff-pastry wrapped brie and the parchment to a sheet pan. At this point, if the pastry has warmed up considerably, place the brie in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill slightly before baking. (You can assemble the brie up to this point and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before brushing on the egg wash and baking.)
Step
6
Brush the whole exterior of the pastry generously with egg wash, then bake until the pastry has puffed and is golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
Step
7
Drizzle the brie with honey and sprinkle with pistachios, if using. Allow to cool for about 15 to 20 minutes before cutting into it, so the cheese has time to firm up slightly. Serve warm with baguette slices or crackers.
Ratings
4
out of 5
861
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Cooking Notes
Loriann
Does the rind remain on the round, or are we to cut it off?
Susan B. A.
I have puff pastry and brie (love both) & will try this. But there's a better option for the cranberries. Take a 12 oz bag of cranberries, pulse twice in processor just to crack them. Put in clean quart jar with grated rind of orange, and its juice. Pour over raw honey to cover. Add cinnamon stick if desired. Cover. Sit on counter 1 week to ferment; stir once daily. Store in fridge up to a year - if it lasts that long. Delish - and GOOD FOR YOU. Great in this recipe.
Margaret Crosby
I always halved the Brie ( lengthwise) spread half of the jam on sliced Brie- then the other half on top ( similar to frosting a layer cake) then wrap it up, bake and serve- I like the ratio of cheese jam and pastry better this way
sf mom
The photo shows it with an opening, like a galette. The description is unclear.
Laurie
I make baked brie all the time and this cranberry-orange jam is a great variation for the holidays. I don't make it as a galette -- after rolling out the dough (you can also use pie dough) determine the center, spoon the jam into the center, place the brie on top, then fold the dough to completely cover the cheese. Turn over onto an oven-safe dish to bake so the jam is on the top. It makes more jam than needed for the brie, so I put the extra on the side to spoon on as wanted. Delicious!
DF
To those who asked: You do not cut the rind off the brie before wrapping in the pastry.
FT
Actually the instructions are clear: you are directed to trim the pastry so as to have a 3 to 3/12 inch border around the cheese. When you fold the pastry up and over the Brie, it should leave an open space in the center, just like a galette (as the photo shows). FYI a galette is a kind of free-form tart made in exactly this way: no tart pan, just the flat baking sheet on which you build the tart. The folded-in pastry walls and partial roof keep a galette from falling apart while it bakes.
elizabeth
Why does the photo look like there is not puff pastry in the middle of the Brie round? It looks like just cranberry? How does that happen?
BLC
This was delicious. I sliced off the top layer of the rind only, leaving the bottom and sides intact to contain the runny cheese. Also added some minced chili to the shallots, to give the jam a little heat.
Jo
Honestly this recipe like many others is just a vehicle for cheese. Next time I would like to use apple & fig. Cranberry and brie is ok but I think flavor wise brie needs a more figgy complement.
Hope
I agree that the instructions for this recipe are somewhat confusing. How exactly you're supposed to wrap the brie in step 5 is especially confusing. It would be helpful if there was a video to go along with the description.
Padanelle
i usually cover it all
lisadelaeasyu
No need for the pistachios or honey. Best when warm. Fairly easy to make and great for the holiday party when I'm not tempted to eat it all.
christine
Can you make the jam, assemble the Brie/jam/raw pastry and then freeze it to bake at a later date?
Brooke
I might try this with a touch more sugar on the cranberries next time.
christine
Can you assemble the Brie/jam/pastry and freeze it to bake later?
Jack
Jam was ok, next time do not add the scallions
Patricia Mainardi
I made it as written, but I didn’t like the after-taste of the shallots. I sliced the Brie horizontally, spread the jam on the lower half, replaced the top half, wrapped it all in puff pastry and baked it fold-side down after brushing with egg wash. It was very pretty, but I will omit the shallots next time.
Nichole
Added grated ginger and juice of a meyer lemon for more zing!
Ines
I doubled the cheese amount, used half a large onion and replaced the fresh fruit with existing strawberry jam and a dash of lemon juice, which I added to the pan to caramelize with the onion. I only put one layer of pastry and this may have been a mistake, as the brie liquefied and partially leaked out in the oven. No matter - we scraped the leaked part and had it on bread with the caramelized onion mixture that was left over. The whole thing was a success and became a main dish in itself.
Chrissy
Works well in a ceramic crock with about 10 minutes extra baking time to be sure the pastry is cooked through.Fresh minced rosemary rolled into the dough adds a nice element to savory preparations. I used it with a molasses and cranberry sauce, plus chopped craisins, and it was delicious!
cheri P
This is lovely, a real improvement over the sweeter versions. I made the jam for the cranberry cake and used some of that for this. My little granddaughter who helped me make the jam (SHe loves to stir!) made a P&J sandwich also. "Pean-butter and my made jam" she called it and reported it delicious. High praise from a super fussy eater.
Laura Kleczkowski
This was OUTSTANDING! Really watch when you're cooking the cranberries and shallots as it can get too hot quickly and can start to burn a bit. I made this once and I would say the shallots burned a little bit. I was worried it would ruin this recipe but it didn't. This was so incredibly good! Had it with thin slices of a sourdough baguette and it stole the show!
JJ Moon
I wrapped the Brie and cranberry jam as instructed. It overlapped before baking but it spread out to reveal that cranberry center in the oven and looked more or less like that galette-ish photo. Honey and pistachios a must. Cranberry jam is simple and phenomenal. Shallots are key. Loved this.
Christie Schwalbe
Serve with bitter greens as a platform like radicchio rather than crackers, as in the other recent baked Camembert recipe?Also curious to see about our friend’s cranberry chutney in here:1 lemon zested and pared1 12 oz bag of frozen cranberries1/2 C crystalized ginger, diced1 jalapeño, seeded and minced1 clove garlic, minced1 cinnamon stick2 C sugar1/2 dry mustard1/2 t saltCombine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. 10-15’
Andie
Simple, impressive, and delicious. My market had only a 12-ounce cheese, so used that. Cooking the jam as long as recipe directed yielded a stiff, dry paste. Will use more discretion next time. I also wanted more of it (perhaps because I had double the cheese in there). Would appreciate photos or a video showing how to "trim the pastry so you don't have too many overlapping layers" while still yielding an attractive result.
Marie
Delicious, and a few short cuts:- I amended home made cranberry sauce instead of creating a whole new jam. First, sauteed shallots in buttter, when crispy I added the cranberry sauce and let it thicken. - Popped it in the freezer to cool (spread out on a flat plate)- Slathered on top of a brie that I'd forgotten to chill- wrapped in the puff pastry and skipped the pistachios (would have been too rich).Was wonderful!
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