The Freshman Cook: The Perfect Appetizer – Triple Berry Brie

This time of year, I am all about party food, particularly appetizers. I am getting ready for a large and loud  Super Bowl party, and a really nice dinner for Valentine’s Day. Throw in Mardi Gras, Easter, a couple birthdays, and an upcoming college graduation, and I really need to get busy with some party planning! One of the foods I love to serve, no matter what the occasion, is warm brie with fruit and bread chunks on the side. It is simple, quick, and always so, so good! This time, I wanted to dress it up a little! So, I set the brie on a bed of triple berry jam, and wrapped it in a coat of puff pastry. I popped it in the oven, and what emerged was warm, creamy, sweet goodness. Heavenly!
Triple Berry Brie
(recipe courtesy of Smuckers)
1 sheet frozen Puff Pastry
1/3 cup Smucker’s Northwest Triple Berry Preserves
8 ounce wheel Brie
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Water
Crackers, Apples Slices, Bread Chunks  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

If you have ever used frozen puff pastry, you know 
that it is easy to use. Unless, of course, you ignore the
directions-like I did. I let the dough sit out on the 
counter top for so long that it was impossible to unfold it.
So I had to roll it out with a rolling pin-like pie crust!
It worked fine, but I recommend following 
the package directions. 🙂
Spoon the preserves into the middle of the dough.
Place the wheel of brie on top of the preserves.
Fold the pastry over the brie making sure to cover it.
Trim off any extra pastry, and put aside. Don’t throw
them away. Press together any open seams. Make an egg
wash by whisking together the egg and the water. 
Brush the seams of the pastry with the egg wash. 
This will help them seal together.
Place the brie seam side down on a baking dish.
 Roll out your pastry scraps, and cut out 
a decorative design for the top. Because it has been
so cold here, I thought snowflakes would be appropriate!
Brush the snowflakes with egg wash.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. 
Let your baked brie sit for 20 minutes before cutting.
Serve with crackers, fruit or bread.
Enjoy!

Thank you for joining me today!