Whether ‘tis nobler to offer two types of topping when serving brie or suffer the slings and arrows of someone who doesn’t like the one you chose……… (I knew when I decided to start writing on a daily basis, something amazing would happen, but I never dreamed that it would result in me channeling Shakespeare!) Please allow me to begin again using my own voice.
In my opinion, brie is one of the greatest tasting and versatile soft cheeses that is readily available in our super markets today. It can be served very simply by placing it on a plate surrounded by apple slices and buttery crackers. (The brie first being allowed to come to room temperature of course! Cheese is always more flavorful when not straight out of the refrigerator.) Or, and this is how I best like to serve brie, topped with some type of sweet or savory and heated until the cheese is warm and almost runny. Note: Not trying to sound like a cheese snob, I prefer to use French brie or brie made by an artisan cheese maker over some of the brie offered by large domestic cheese producers. Thankfully, Costco and Trader Joe’s often carry French brie. Most of the time it is in round cardboard containers, but often a very large round has been cut into large wedges. Rounds or wedges, it matters not. If it is French, it will be magnifique!
As you can see from the picture above, I prefer to cut my brie into small wedges and lay them ever so lovingly in an oven proof casserole. Then I add whatever topping I have prepared, along with toasted chopped pecans. I know that the presentation would be more traditional if I left the cheese in one piece, but I have found that pre-cutting the brie is much easier for my guests to handle. There is of course the convenience aspect to consider, but there is also the practical reason. Some guests, if left to their own devices, will help themselves to slices of cheese the size of small pieces of cake! So in order to spare my overly zealous guests the indignity of being called to task for their gluttonous behavior, I make sure there are enough servings for everyone by cutting the pieces myself. Ever the thoughtful hostess! Regardless of whether you cut the brie ahead of time, or top the intact round or wedge with the delicious topping ingredients listed below, you are going to love serving baked brie to your guests. It’s easy to prepare, and tastes like a million dollars. And by-the-way, sorry I don’t have a picture to show you of how the brie looked when it came out of the oven. But at the time, I was too busy plating other food to even think about my camera. By the time I remembered that I hadn’t taken a “this is how it looks when it’s ready to serve” picture, the lights were down and my feet were up!
Baked Brie with Curry Powder, Chutney, and Toasted Pecans
- French brie
- curry powder (like McCormick’s)
- chutney (I like Major Grey’s Mango Chutney)
- toasted chopped pecans
I purposely have not provided ingredient amounts because everything depends on how much baked brie you are building. Basically you want to cut your brie, place it in an oven-proof container, sprinkle liberally with curry powder, slather with chutney, and decorate with pecans. If you have more than one layer of cheese, decorate the first layer before adding more cheese. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven until cheese is very soft and just starting to melt, about 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with toasted baguette slices or crackers.
Baked Brie with Marmalade, Brown Sugar, and Toasted Pecans
- French brie
- orange marmalade
- brown sugar
- toasted chopped pecans
Cut the brie and lay it in an oven-proof dish. In a small bowl, stir together the *marmalade and *brown sugar and slather all over the cheese. Sprinkle with toasted pecans. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven until cheese is very soft and the topping is bubbly, about 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with apple slices, toasted baguette slices and/or crackers.
*Again, as with the recipe for Baked Brie with Curry Powder, Chutney, and Toasted Pecans, the amount, in this case of marmalade, brown sugar, and pecans, depends on how much cheese you are preparing. If for example, you were to purchase about 19 or 20 ounces of brie, you would combine ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) marmalade with 3 tablespoons of brown sugar (a ratio of 4 to 1). If you stick with this ratio, you can prepare as much or as little topping as you need. Top with a sprinkling of as many or as few nuts as you prefer. Or none, for that matter.