Cranberry Brie Knots Food

CRANBERRY BRIE BITES

Steps:

• Place Brie cheese in the freezer for 20 minutes. Oil a mini muffin pan with cooking spray.
• Roll 1 puff pastry sheet out into a 10x14-inch rectangle. Cut the sheet lengthwise into 4 even strips and crosswise into 6 even strips; there should be 24 squares. Separate and press them gently into the muffin cups.
• Cut chilled Brie cheese into 24 pieces approximately 3/4-inch in size. Add 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce to each pastry-lined muffin cup; press in 1 piece of Brie and top with 1 teaspoon of chopped walnuts. Sprinkle bites with sea salt. Chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake bites in the preheated oven until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

CRANBERRY KNOTS

Steps:

• Make the Basic Dinner-Roll Dough, using the cranberries, lemon zest and nutmeg as the mix-ins. Let rise as directed.
• Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and pat into a rectangle. Cut the dough into 24 equal pieces with a bench scraper or chef's knife. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch-long rope. Tie each rope into a knot. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let stand until puffy, about 45 minutes.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees F. Brush the knots with the beaten egg. Bake, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the rolls are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Warm the milk and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan or in the microwave until very warm (110 degrees F). Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook; mix in the sugar, yeast and 1 cup flour until combined but still lumpy. Let stand until the mixture is very bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• Add the butter, salt and 2 cups flour; mix on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs until combined, scraping the bottom and side of the bowl as needed. Add 1 1/4 cups flour and the mix-ins, if using; mix until the dough is smooth and starts to gather into a loose ball, about 4 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky; if it's too wet, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour.
• Lightly oil a large bowl; scrape the dough into the bowl and turn to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

CRANBERRY-BRIE BITES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Thaw puffy pastry sheet flat. Cut puff pastry sheet into approximately 3-inch squares and place them into mini muffin tins, pressing them into the shape of the muffin hole. Place a 1-inch slice of brie in the center of each puff pastry and then top it with approximately 1 tablespoon of cranberry sauce.
• Bake 10 minutes or until puff pastry corners are toasted light brown. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

CRANBERRY BRIE SHEET PAN BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and 2 teaspoons of the salt in a large bowl. Rub 4 tablespoons of the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until completely absorbed. Work the remaining 16 tablespoons butter into the flour mixture until pea-sized bits of butter remain. Use a fork to stir in the buttermilk until the mixture comes together into a shaggy dough. (Don't overmix the dough.)
• Add the Brie, parsley, cranberries, chives and thyme to the bowl and gently mix with lightly floured hands, folding the dough over itself (this is where the flaky layers will form) until the ingredients are just combined.
• Turn the dough out onto the prepared sheet pan and use lightly floured hands to evenly distribute the dough into the pan. Using a paring knife, gently score 24 squares on top of the dough, making sure the knife does not cut through to the bottom of the biscuit. (If baking the biscuits the following day, cover gently with plastic wrap at this point and refrigerate up to 24 hours.)
• Brush the top of the dough with more buttermilk. Bake until the biscuit top is lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then use a paring knife to follow the score marks to cut through the biscuits.
• Meanwhile, mix the honey with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Drizzle the honey over the warm biscuits. Serve the biscuits warm or at room temperature with more butter, if desired.

CRANBERRY-BRIE KNOTS

Steps:

• Brush the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place the pizza dough on top. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature until just about doubled in size, 1 hour.
• Cut off the rind from the sides of the Brie wheel, then cut the Brie into 18 equal-sized cubes. Set aside.
• Lightly flour a work surface. Using floured hands, shape the dough into an 18-by-4-inch-rectangle. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into eighteen 1-inch-wide strips.
• Shape each strip into a 10-inch-long rope and tie into a knot, tucking the two ends of the rope underneath it. Divide the knots between two baking sheets and let rest until slightly puffed, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
• Cut a small slit in the top of each knot with a sharp paring knife and use your fingers to create a small well. Spoon a heaping 1/4 teaspoon cranberry sauce into each well and top with 1 piece of Brie. Reserve the remaining cranberry sauce for serving.
• Brush the tops of the knots with 4 tablespoons of the butter. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bake until the cheese is melted, and the dough is fully cooked and turning light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
• Meanwhile, stir together the remaining cranberry sauce and 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl. Serve with the knots for dipping.

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.)

CRANBERRY AND BRIE BITES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
• Place pastry on a clean work surface and cut into 36 squares. Brush all squares with egg wash, then place one square on top of the other to make 18 stacks, each with 2 squares of pastry.
• Place on prepared sheet, about 2 inches apart, and bake until puffed and golden, about 13-15 minutes.
• Remove baking sheet from oven and top each puffed square with a piece of brie cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts, about 3-5 minutes.
• Place on a serving platter and top each with a small spoonful of cranberry sauce and a small sprig of thyme for garnish.