Baked Cranberry Brie Puff Pastry Food

BRIE IN PUFF PASTRY WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• In 1-quart saucepan, mix cranberries, brown sugar and orange juice. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and cranberries are tender. Stir in orange peel; remove from heat.
• In 8-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook almonds in butter, stirring frequently, until golden brown; remove from heat.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. On lightly floured surface, roll pastry into 16x9-inch rectangle. Cut out one 8 1/2-inch circle and one 7-inch circle from pastry.
• Place cheese round on center of large circle. Spoon cranberry sauce and almonds over cheese. Bring pastry up and press around side of cheese. Brush top edge of pastry with egg. Place 7-inch circle on top, pressing around edge to seal. Brush top and side of pastry with egg. Cut decorations from remaining pastry and arrange on top; brush with egg. Place on cookie sheet.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet on wire rack 1 hour before serving. Serve with crackers.

BAKED CRANBERRY BRIE PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, place the cranberries, cherries and water. Make sure the water covers the dried fruit. Add more water if needed. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to low. Add the orange zest and vanilla extract. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with a non-stick baking mat, parchment paper or foil.
• Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit
• Dust your work space or counter with a little flour. Do the same to your rolling pin. Unroll one sheet of puff pastry gently and place it on the counter. Roll your pastry gently until it reaches about 11 x 11 inches. There is no need to measure it! We are just trying to make the pastry a bit thinner and get rid of the folding creases (slightly). If it breaks, wet your fingers with water and pinch the pastry dough back together. (Think of it as play dough and enjoy the process!!)
• Follow one of the methods below.
• After rolling the pastry, place the round of brie in the middle. Top with the cranberries. Fold the corners over the cheese forming a neat package. Almost like wrapping a present. If you feel you have too much puff pastry in some areas, trim it with a sharp knife. Keep the trimmings to use for decorating.
• Lay the pastry on a dinner plate. Add the cranberries in the middle of the puff pastry. Place the cheese on top. Fold the corners over the cheese. This will be the bottom so you don't have to be so neat.
• Place the prepared sheet pan on top of the wrapped brie. Gently hold the dinner plate (don't press too hard) and flip! Lift the dinner plate. Voila! The seams are down.
• In a small bowl, combine the egg with about a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Cut decorative shapes from the remaining puff pastry. You can use cookie cutters if you wish. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the decorative cut outs with the egg wash and adhere to the wrapped brie. Brush the wrapped brie evenly with egg wash. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
• Bake the brie for about 15-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. This will give the cheese time to firm up a bit. Otherwise, it will all gush out. Not that there is anything wrong with that!
• Serve with accompaniments.

CRANBERRY-BRIE PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Combine cranberries, cranberry juice, and 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook until liquid is reduced almost by half, approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cranberry reduction from heat and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Once cranberry reduction has cooled, pour it into a food processor along with the strawberry jam and pulse until the mixture is roughly pureed.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Unroll puff pastry and place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Slice Brie cheese into lengthwise pieces and layer on the puff pastry approximately 1/2 inch from the edges. Spoon cranberry reduction over cheese, followed by white chocolate and walnuts. Sprinkle remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until puff pastry is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

BRIE IN PUFF PASTRY WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Make cranberry sauce by using first 4 ingredients. Mix cranberries, brown sugar, and orange juice in 1 quart sauce pan. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently; reduce heat.
• Simmer uncovered 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and cranberries are tender. Stir in orange peel and remove from heat.
• Melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook almonds in butter, stirring frequently until golden brown.
• Preheat oven to 400°F Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Roll pastry into rectangle 16 x 9 inches on lightly floured surface. Cut out 1 8-1/2 inch circle and 1 7-inch circle.
• Place cheese on center or larger circle. Spoon cranberry sauce and almonds over cheese. Bring pastry up and press around side of cheese. Brush top edges of pastry with egg. Place the 7 inch circle on top, pressing around edges to seal. Brush top and side of pastry with egg.
• Cut decorations out of remaining pastry--things like hearts, stars--whatever you like, and arrange on top. Brush with egg; place on cookie sheet.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden; cool on cookie sheet on wire rack for 30 minutes before serving. Serve with crackers and fresh fruit.

CHICKEN BREAST WITH CRANBERRY AND BRIE IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat, and add the minced garlic.
• Season the pounded chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Brown the chicken in oil on both sides for about 5 minutes, and set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut chicken breasts in half, if they are large, so they are about 2-3 oz each, or about 3x2 inch pieces.
• Roll out each 1/2 of the puff pastry to a rectangle about 8" x 18", and cut into thirds, so each one is about 8" x 6".
• You will have 6 rectangles in total.
• Place a piece of chicken at one end of the pastry, and top with 2 slices of Brie and 2 tablespoons of cranberry sauce.
• brush the edges of the pastry with egg, and roll it so that you end up with a double layer of pastry on the bottom, and the chicken is also at the bottom.
• Pinch to seal the edges of the pastry and brush the top and sides of the bundle with more of the beaten egg.
• Make sure there are no holes in the pastry.
• Bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Cranberry Cream Sauce:.
• Mix together the corn starch and water to a paste, and set aside.
• Put the cranberry juice, wine, Dijon mustard, and cream in a medium saucepan and heat to just simmering.
• Add the corn starch mixture, and stir, or whisk, until thickened, for about 1 or 2 minutes.
• To Serve:.
• Make a puddle with about 1/4 cup of sauce on the plate. Place the chicken bundle on top, so that some of the sauce peeks out from underneath.
• If desired, garnish the plate with a few fresh cranberries.
• *To make this a little more health friendly, try using 1 sheet of Phyllo pastry per chicken breast instead of the puff pastry.