Baked Brie with Pepper Jelly

Ingredient Notes

The ingredient list here is short and sweet!

• Brie – One small wheel, about 8 ounces. Often called “mini brie”. Brie is soft and creamy, easy to spread or dip in when melted, and has just a bit of a kick. It pairs perfectly with the salty/sweet combo we have going on here. You generally find brie in the deli or specialty cheese section of the grocery store.
• Pepper Jelly –  This is exactly what it sounds like- jelly made from peppers! It’s sweet and spicy (but not overly so). You will often find it in your grocery store near the fancy crackers by the deli, or on the aisle with other jams, jellies, and preserves. Tabasco is a great, widely available, reliable choice.
• Puff Pastry – Find this in your store’s frozen foods section, near the desserts (not to be confused with phyllo dough, often in a similar box!) It usually comes with 2 sheets per box. You’ll just use one here so you can keep the other in the freezer for later.   

How to Make Baked Brie with Pepper Jelly

3. Carefully cut the wheel of brie in half lengthwise (it helps if it’s cold).

 

4. Place one half, rind side-down, on the pastry sheet. Spread a layer of pepper jelly over the cheese. Then place the other half, rind side-up on the jelly, almost like a brie sandwich. 

5. You’ll want 2-3 inches of pastry surrounding the cheese, but any more than that will get bulky, so you may need to trim about 1″ of pastry on one or more sides (reserve the scraps for decorations). Carefully wrap the pastry around the cheese, sealing the edges shut so the melted cheese and jelly won’t leak out when it’s baked.

 

6. Invert the pastry-wrapped cheese onto a lightly greased baking dish so the seam side is down. If you want, you can cut some decorative shapes out of the dough scrap sand use them to decorate the wrapped cheese.

 

7. Brush the pastry with an egg wash and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.  Serve with crackers, slices of bread, and fresh fruit like pears, strawberries, and apples.