Baked Brie with Fruit Compote
Prep: 30 Minutes | Cook: 15 Minutes | Total: 45 mins
Makes 8 Servings
Ingredients
1 Sheet Puff Pastry
1 6oz Wheel of Brie Cheese
1 Egg
1 T Cold Water
Fruit Compote
1 C Frozen Berries
1/3 C Sugar
2 T Lemon Juice
Recipe Summary
30 minutes before ready to cook, defrost puff pastry and get egg to room temperature.
Cut puff pastry to make it easier to fold. Fold the puff pastry around the brie wheel with minimal overlaps.
Make egg wash and put on the puff pastry.
Put puff pastry in the oven.
Make the compote.
Serve brie hot with the compote on the side.
Recipe
30 minutes before you’re ready to cook your brie, take a sheet of puff pastry out of the freezer to defrost at room temperature. Preheat an oven to the temperature based on the directions your puff pastry indicates.
At the same time you take the puff pastry out to defrost, remove an egg from the fridge to get to room temperature.
Once soft enough to cut, cut your puff pastry so it is a square about 2-2.5” larger than the diameter of your brie wheel. On each diagonal and halfway through each side (8 total cuts), make a 1.5” cut. This makes the puff pastry easy to fold around the brie.
Using a design of your choice, fold the puff pastry around the brie wheel so all sides meet at the center. It’s okay if there is a little bit of overlap, but the more overlap there is, the less surface area your puff pastry has to crisp and may not cook all the way through.
Make an egg wash by whisking 1 large egg with 1 tbsp of cold water. Whisk thoroughly until the mixture is uniform.
Using a brush, gently brush a thin layer of egg wash on top of the puff pastry. Make sure not to have excess egg wash drip down the sides of the puff pastry or else it may prevent the pastry from rising.
Put the puff pastry brie wheel in the oven until the surface is golden brown (~15-20 minutes). Remove from the oven when it’s done cooking.
While the puff pastry is baking, place fruit in a pot with sugar at medium heat until it reaches a simmer, then lower to medium-low heat. Using frozen fruit here works well here because frozen fruit tend to have a more consistent flavor if your desired fruit is out of season at the time. As the liquids from the fruit are released, gently press down on the fruit with your spatula to ensure you squeeze out additional fruit juice. Continuously stir the compote to ensure all the sugar dissolves and doesn't get stuck on the bottom of your pot.
Once the fruit has broken down and the compote sticks to the back of your spatula take it off the heat.
Slice brie hot and serve with compote on the side.
Why the Recipe Works
This baked Brie recipe is an instant crowd pleaser. Using store bought puff pastry you can create a delicious side without much active work. As the puff pastry bakes, the wrapped Brie melts and creates a wonderful creamy inside to a puff pastry shell. The first cut will reveal all the oozing puff pastry hiding within the golden brown puff pastry exterior.
An egg wash is crucial here as it allows the puff pastry to retain moisture and develop a golden brown crust. As the proteins in the eggs bake, the Maillard reaction takes place and caramelizes the exterior of the baked Brie.
A fruit compote is a perfect compliment to the baked Brie. A fruit compote made from berries will add slight tartness and sweetness that goes perfectly with the slight nuttiness of the creamy Brie. Alternatively a savory spread such as a pesto also works well here and turns the baked Brie into a savory appetizer vs a sweet one. Either way you can’t go wrong and anybody eating it will think you spent hours in the kitchen to create such a good appetizer