Brie Pie Tourte Au Brie Food

BAKED BRIE BITES

Steps:

• Lightly flour a work surface and roll out both puff pastry sheets into 12-inch squares. Lay half of 1 sheet over a 12-compartment ice cube tray (the other half of the sheet will hang off the tray) and gently use the back of your fingers (or the handle of a wooden spoon) to press the pastry down into each compartment of the tray. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet and a second ice cube tray.
• Fill each ice cube compartment with 1 piece of brie, 1 teaspoon pecans, 1 red grape half and a pinch of black pepper.
• Brush the top of the pastry that is hanging off the ice cube tray with egg and fold it over the compartments to cover the fillings. Trim the excess pastry around the edges of the tray, then press the dough together with your fingers to seal. Freeze the ice cube trays for 15 minutes.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
• Use your fingers to gently loosen the puff pastry from the ice cube trays then flip out onto a cutting board. Cut in between each brie bite to separate. Use a fork to crimp the edges of each bite.
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Put the bites on the baking sheet, brush the egg on the tops and sprinkle with pepper.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheet about halfway through, until the brie bites are puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before serving.

PERFECT-FOR-PARTIES BAKED BRIE IN PUFF PASTRY WITH APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Using a large chef's knife, cut the white rind off the top of the wheel of Brie and discard. Put the disk into the freezer and at the same time pull out the sheet of puff pastry. Allow the puff pastry to thaw until it is pliable but still cold, about 30 minutes.
• Roll the puff pastry to a 14-by-14-inch (35.5-by-35.5-cm) square. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut a 1/2-inch (1.3-cm) wide strip from one edge of the pastry. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon (20 g) of the preserves at the center of the pastry and then the frozen Brie wheel. Top with the apple and cinnamon, then dollop the remaining 2 tablespoons (40 g) of preserves on top. Gather the four corners of the dough, one at a time, across the Brie to enclose it completely. Tie a simple knot with the strip of dough to make a purse.
• Brush the entire top and sides of the purse with the egg wash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If at any point the pastry seems like it's melting or too soft, put it in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes before continuing. Make sure the pastry is well chilled before baking.
• Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through, until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 8 to 10 minutes before serving warm.

BRIE PIE (TOURTE AU BRIE)

Steps:

• The day before, combine flour, butter and a little water to make the dough for the pie crust. Refrigerate overnight (To save time, I sometimes omit this step and use a store-bought crust).
• Divide the dough into 2 parts, bearing in mind that the bottom crust requires more dough than the top. Roll out the dough (again, I omit this step when using a store-bought crust). Butter a pie plate or line with parchment paper, then place bottom crust in pie plate.
• Remove the crusts from the cheeses, then slice the cheeses. Cover the bottom of the pie crust with the cheese slices, then sprinkle with nutmeg.
• Beat 1 egg together with the liquid cream and pour over the brie slices.
• Cover with the top pie crust, carefully sealing the edges and cutting a few small slits in the top crust.
• Beat remaining egg together with a dash of salt and brush over top crust to make it golden brown during baking.
• Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 25 minutes. Serve warm with a green salad.

BAKED BRIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the brie on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper and drizzle with the honey. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it starts to ooze but not melt.
• Serve with crackers.

BAKED STUFFED BRIE WITH CRANBERRIES & WALNUTS

Steps:

• Score the side of a wheel of brie all the way around with a sharp paring knife. Cut directly on the "equator" through the rind. Using a long piece of string or dental floss, wrap the string around the brie on the newly made cut. Loop one end of the string over the other (a half knot). Then pulling the ends of the string in opposite directions, cut the brie in half.
• Press the dried cranberries on one cut side of the brie, and the walnuts on the other. Quickly put the 2 sides back together with the cranberries on top of the walnuts. Press together and stuff back in any cranberries or walnuts that fell out.
• Roll out a thawed sheet of puff pastry on a floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness. Place brie in center of pastry. Gently pull up edges to ensure you have enough dough to entirely wrap the brie. You can trim off the corners if there is too much dough. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Fold one edge of the dough over the brie and then the opposite side. Fold over the remaining edges and complexly encase the brie. You can trim off excess pieces of dough, if necessary. Flip the brie over so the seam is at the bottom; gently press in the sides to snug the dough against the brie. Brush the top and sides of the wrapped brie with egg wash.
• If you choose to decorate the brie with cut-out shapes of additional puff pastry, use very cold (almost still frozen) dough to ensure sharp lines. Lightly brush the decorative pieces with egg wash. Place the brie in the freezer for one hour (this is a crucial step; see note below).
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the brie on the prepared baking sheet. Bake on the center rack in preheated oven until it is browned and leaking cheese, about 20 minutes. (Only rarely does the brie not leak through, but 20 to 25 minutes is about how long it takes to melt the cheese and brown the pastry.)

SALMON AND BRIE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200c.
• Lay 1 sheet of pastry in pie dish, prick with a fork, cover with baking paper and then pour over a layer of dried beans, rice or lentils and bake in the oven for about 12 minutes. Remove, remove the foil and filling (and discard or save for your next pie.).
• Meanwhile, melt the butter, add the diced onion and cook until softened but not coloured. Add the flour and cook, stirring for about a minute. Add the milk and whisk until smooth and thickened.
• Remove from the heat and add in the lemon juice, salmon, brie, green onion, dill leaves and pepper (I tasted here and found it didn't need any salt).
• Brush a little milk around the edge of the pastry bottom, pop on the top and trim to fit your pie dish. Brush more milk across the top. Prick a few holes in the top pastry to allow steam to escape.
• Cook for 10 minutes at 200c then reduce the oven temp to 180c and cook a further 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• We ate ours served with a leafy grean salad dressed with lemon infused olive oil and white wine vinegar.