Baked Brie
An easy yet elegant appetizer, Baked Brie is delicious on its own, or an be topped with a variety of condiments for added texture, flavor and visual drama.
People get Brie and Camembert confused and for good reason. While this recipe is for Brie cheese, Camembert works equally well because the two are very similar kinds of cheese. They both are soft, cow's milk cheeses from France that look similar and are served in much the same way. While there are no official records, it is thought Brie has been around much longer. Brie comes from the province around Paris, while Camembert is made in Normandy. The flavor profiles of both cheeses are similar, described as earthy, nutty, grassy and mushroomy, but Brie is the milder of the two with a creamier, buttery taste because of a higher milk fat content. Camembert has a deeper, more earthy and intense flavor.
Brie & Camembert Bakers
There many kinds of Brie/Camembert Bakers on the market, but this one came with a little seasoning and dried fruit packet that sat in a storeroom for well over a decade. It seems My Number One Fan gave it to me for Christmas one year. I put it up in the kitchen and then totally forgot about it. We didn't find it until we moved two states over to another house. Needless to say, the dried fruit and seasoning packet had long since succumbed to the ravages of time. But the burnt-orange ceramic Brie Baker lives on and now graces our hors d'oeurves repertoire with any variety of fresher toppings.
Other Brie Bakers, like those made by Le Creuset are of enameled coated cast iron. Still others, like those made by Lodge, are just bare cast iron. For years, I had a 5" cast iron skillet that I used to make and serve Baked Brie, but a ceramic set like I have now can go into the dishwasher, a convenient advantage over cast iron.
The big debate amongst Brie consumers is whether or not to remove the rind. True Brie aficionados and other pretentious individuals will scoff at the idea of taking off the rind, claiming that it is edible and a delicacy. While it is edible, I believe that it is also something of an acquired taste and most Americans don’t care for it. We remove the rind in my kitchen.
Baked Brie
Ingredients
- 1 8-oz wheel of premium Brie cheese, (like, Président)
- 1 ceramic, enamel-coated cast iron or cast iron brie baker, or a 5" oven-safe baking dish
- topping of your choice (see Notes below)
Instructions
- Remove the brie wheel from its wrapping. Using a serrated knife, carefully slice away the top rind (about 1/8”) of the wheel.
- Allow the brie to come to room temperature for an hour. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.
- Place brie in the Brie Baker, cover with the lid and bake on a rack in the top 1/3 of the oven for 20 minutes.
- Add desired toppings and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can bake the brie plain for 25 minutes, and add an assortment of toppings upon serving.
- Serve with petits toasts or assorted crackers.
Notes
Baked Brie is delicious on its own, but also accommodates an almost endless variety of toppings, both savory and sweet. Here are a few from Kitchen Tapestry:
- 1/4 cup buckwheat honey and 1/4 cup slivered or shaved almonds, zap for 30 seconds in the microwave; top after Brie comes out of the oven.
- 1/4 cup sweet red pepper jelly; top Brie in the last 5 minutes of baking.
- 1/4 cup orange marmalade and chiffonade of fresh sage; top Brie in the last 5 minutes of baking.
- 1/4 cup black cherry jam and freshly cracked black pepper, or 1 tbsp Lawry's Seasoned Pepper; zap for 30 seconds in the microwave; top after Brie comes out of the oven.
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp chopped pecans; mix together and top Brie in the last 5 minutes of baking.
- 1/4 cup apricot preserves, 1 tbsp dried cranberries, 1 tbsp chopped filbert nuts; mix together and top Brie in the last 5 minutes of baking.
