I am a very visual person, so when I look at a recipe online the first thing I want to see is a picture of what the finished meal is supposed to look like. That’s why I don’t like recipes that don’t have images. Not that having an image always helps, we all know what happens with stolen food images online- they get posted to random recipes and then poor people who try to make the recipe wonder why their food doesn’t look like the picture. This is an especially common problem with sites that “collect” recipes.
I think I can always tell if the person who posted the recipe and the picture actually made it. In any case, that didn’t help this time.
I was looking for instructions on how to bake brie cheese in pie crust and I found MILLIONS of recipes with BEAUTIFUL pictures…and not a single one with the instructions on how to actually fold the damn dough!

Yeah, you take the cheese and cover it with dough, it’s not a rocket science, I get it. But HOW do you fold the dough? Do you fold it so it is open on top or on the bottom? Are there special folding designs that can be used? Do you leave an opening so the cheese can breathe or do you close it completely? Soooo frustrating!
So, I decided to follow the saying ” see a need, fill a need” and to create my own step by step.

I love brie and I have done it in so many ways, however pie crust I have never tried therefore one of the appetizers for New Year’s Eve was going to be this, plus white wine ( + salads, salmon bites etc).

In any case, my “research” showed that the cheese indeed can be done many ways. Some people trim the dough around the edges leaving the cheese completely exposed on top ( the dough looks like a cup), others completely fold it underneath, then some “wrap” it like a present on top ( like a wonton for wonton soup). I chose to fold it on top and see how it turns out.

Here is a time to mention what I got for Christmas. Well, at least one of the things, the other one I’ll share in a separate post. 😉

I got MY PRECIOUS ( that’s how I call him). It’s a Wacom Intuos5 Touch Large Pen Tablet (PTH850) and it’s beautiful.  So, itching to try it, I decided to present to your attention the recipe in a little different format than usual. I hope you like it, and I hope my plans for more amazing products for my Etsy store created with it’s help come true sooner rather than later. 🙂 Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 brie cheese
1 pie crust
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp butter
1 cup mixed berries ( NOT frozen- they will get the dough soggy if they are frozen)

(Optional) cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, honey

It pairs perfectly with white wine. Don’t forget the crackers!

Once you have folded the brie in, grease the bottom of a small pan with butter ( it’s better to be glass, but other pans work as well), sprinkle the brown sugar and maple syrup on top and place in a COLD oven at 350F for about 30 min or until it becomes golden on top.

    

Then  place the berries on top and bake for 5-6 min more. Do not overbake them, let the “warm up” only, so they keep the fresh taste but produce warm juices at the same time.  The taste combination is incredible! At this point if you choose to use spices, add them.

Then the cheese is completely done, take it out of the oven, place in a plate and sprinkle some honey on top, cut a small piece so the brie can “spill” out and dig in while it’s still hot.

Choose crackers that are plain- no salt, no spices, no cheeses and other stuff. The flavor of the cheese and berries is enough.

 And this is how it’s done- easy and mindbogglingly delicious! It’s a keeper!

Annie