Crowd Pleaser: Baked Brie with Fruit Preserves

It has been too many days since I last posted. My husband and I were celebrating my big birthday in a big way – back in NYC. We weathered the snowstorm, drank lots of champagne, and surrounded ourselves with amazing friends. Now I have to get my act together and plan for Christmas dinner, which is approaching a bit too quickly for me.


My sister called me today to ask for a recipe for an hors d'oeuvre that I had made for her daughter’s birthday party a few weeks ago. The recipe came highly recommended to me from my friend, Christina. This baked brie stole the show among the hors d'oeuvres I brought to the party. My sister even declared that she liked this version better than my usual baked brie with caramelized onions that I had been making for the past seven years (which is also delicious).

You can use your favorite flavor of preserves in this recipe. Christina’s favorite is apricot. I was in need of a black-colored hors d'oeuvre for my “Brown Bear” theme, so I used blackberry preserves, and also garnished with some fresh blackberries. I’m going to make this again myself on Christmas and just purchased some raspberry preserves to try. (I think the red preserves and the green apple slices will look pretty for Christmas). Christina was correct when she said this is definitely a crowd pleaser!

Baked Brie with Fruit Preserves
Ingredients
1 wheel of brie
1 cup your favorite fruit preserves
1 sheet puff pastry
Optional garnish – fresh fruit (same as preserves)
Serve with crackers and apple slices

Directions
Thaw sheet of puff pastry by allowing it to sit at room temperature for 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Take a wheel of brie and using a sharp knife, cut off the case around the edges of the cheese. Wrap brie wheel in puff pastry. Cover the pastry with preserves. Place on a non-stick baking sheet (or one that has been coated in cooking spray), and bake for 30 minutes.

Garnish with fresh fruit, if desired. Serve immediately with crackers and apple slices.