Foodwhirl

After I got married, I wanted to come up with a dish I could bring to holidays with either my family or his, something that would be my signature thing. But I had no ideas.

My brother’s wife is a vegetarian, so their wedding reception (just six weeks after mine!) was meat-free. Where our cocktail hour had choices for carnivores and herbivores alike, theirs featured a delightful selection of fruits, veggies, and cheeses…

…Including the giant baked brie.

I was in love, and that holiday season took it on myself to make baked brie my signature dish. I googled all over the internet, taking my favorite bits and pieces from several different recipes, and have since pieced together the following, which both families are always pleased to see on the table.

(PS This picture isn’t precisely what it’ll look like; the image is used under Creative Commons license and was originally taken by”joannapoe” at Tumblr. I’ll add a picture of my own next time I make it!)

Special Instructions: Serves 8-ish. Can be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen for a few days until closer to serving time — just cook it a little longer to make up for the chill.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix apple, cranberries, brown sugar, cinnamon. Stir in butter until mix is moistened.

Cut brie in half horizontally. Unroll dough*. Place one half brie, rind side down, on dough.

Spoon on half of apple filling. Top with other half of brie, rind side up. Add remaining filling.

Fold dough to cover. The dough may not fit perfectly; it’s OK to cut off a bit where it overlaps and use it to patch up holes. Use a bit of egg white if the patches don’t stick easily.

Paint the top with egg white**, then sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon mix.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is soft and the dough is fully baked.

*I do this on a piece of aluminum foil that’s been coated with cooking spray.
**You probably won’t use the whole egg white.

Originally published Mar 2011