Christmas Breakfast Brie Pastry Food

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.)

EASY BAKED BRIE IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to to 350°F.

CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST BRIE PASTRY

Steps:

• Defrost puff pastry and unfold according to package directions.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Sauté the pecans in the butter until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon and stir until pecans are coated well. (Don't burn your nuts on Christmas like I did the first time!!!)
• Place Brie on puff pastry. Place nuts on Brie. Add half of the fresh raspberries, a hand full of cranberry raisins and sprinkle the brown sugar over the mixture.
• Pick up the corners of the pastry, pressing around the brie and gathering at the top. Gently squeeze together the excess dough and crimp end with kitchen scissors.
• Brush the beaten egg over pastry.
• Place Brie on parchment paper on cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes until pastry is golden brown.
• Serve while still warm with remainder of fresh raspberries and cranberry raisins as a garnish.

PASTRY-WRAPPED BRIE

Steps:

• Roll out 1 sheet puff pastry into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Trim into a circle and place an 8-ounce wheel of brie in the center. Brush the pastry with egg wash; fold into the center over the brie, pressing to seal. Press a smaller round of puff pastry on top, then brush all over with more egg wash. Bake at 400 degrees F until golden, 25 minutes.
• Photography by Alison Gootee

BRIE & CRANBERRY FILO PARCELS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line two baking trays with baking parchment. Unravel a sheet of filo pastry onto a chopping board, covering the rest of the filo with a damp tea towel so it doesn't dry out. Brush the filo sheet liberally with some of the melted butter, then cut into three strips lengthways.
• Spoon ½ tsp cranberry sauce over the top right-hand corner of each pastry strip and place a piece of brie on top. Fold the pastry over the filling to create a triangle, then continue to fold the pastry over itself down the length of the strip. Brush with more butter to seal, then sprinkle over the poppy seeds and place on the lined baking tray. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. The parcels can be covered and chilled in the fridge for up to a day or frozen for up to three months.
• Bake for 15-20 mins (or 20-25 mins from frozen) until deep golden brown. Leave to stand for 5 mins before serving with some extra cranberry sauce.