Baked Brie

Baked Brie & cranberry relish

Relish: dried fruits and acid

Regular cranberry sauce: does not have dried fruits and acid

"It's a nice twist on a classic," Chef Herve says.

Cranberry sauce should be loose because it will thicken as it sits

herve likes to leave the orange peels in big chunks because they are easy to remove if desired

"Some people like to chew on them and some don't, so I make it easy for them to take them out"

You could blend the cranberry sauce after cooking to make it smooth

"I love tarragon but that's because I'm French. It could be hard to find. You could use thyme, rosemary, anything like that will go great with cranberry sauce."

It thickens because of the natural pectin from the cranberries

"Because of the acid and tannins, the sauce goes well with anything deeply savory, especially meats. Roast ham and lamb roast would pair great"

"I love the color of cranberries, they're so beautiful"

"I like Thanksgiving, except the turkey. I only want ham."

 

You can find wheels of brie at big box stores

Cut it in half in order to fill it up

You want the cheese a little bit under-ripe so it doesn't fall apart when you slice it

Herve is choosing to fill his with a mushrom duxelle

Earthy mushroom flavor goes well with brie cheese and it's very fall-like

Caramelized onions, chopped bacon

Mincemeat - dried fruit

Encase the brie in puff pastry

You can use commercial puff pastry

Perfect for a party

Cut a circle in the puff a little bit bigger than the brie itself

Keeping the scraps of the puff for decoration

Brush the puff with egg wash around the edges, transfer the cheese on top. you want one inch of puff around the edges

fold the puff up around the sides of the cheese. repeat with a second sheet of puff

uses two sheets of puff because it looks better and it doesn't end up overlapping

"If people end up using multiple layers of dough, sometimes they overlap and then stay doughy after baking"

Cut extra puff to make a stripe around the edges

Brush with egg wash all around. This helps it shine, brown and keep the decorations stuck on

If not decorating, lightly score with a sharp knife across the top

Chill for about 20 mins before baking so the puff pastry firms up again before baking

"It's easy to do, just find the time for it. You can freeze it before baking, then defrost a couple of days before it and re-warm it before your event."

40 degree for about 40 minutes. make sure the dough is completely cooked through. you're looking for a nice dark brown

 

Recipe

Ingredients

Relish:

  • 1 lb cranberries - 1 bag
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 big shallot
  • 1 orange - zest in big pieces and juice
  • 1/4 white wine vinegar - chef guillard made tarragon vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • Herbs of choice - Chef Guillard chose tarragon
  • salt and pepper to taste

Brie:

  • 1 kilo of brie 
  • Mushroom duxelle - Mushrooms, shallots, white wine, parsley, garlic
  • Puff pastry
  • Egg wash - beaten eggs and milk or eggs and water
  •  

Directions

Relish:

  1. Put everything a pot
  2. Bring everything to a boil
  3. Down to a simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Remove the herbs and peels, if desired. It's done when some of the cranberries are bursting and the sauce reaches your desired texture. It should be loose because it's going to thicken as it sits.

Brie:

Chill for about 20 mins before baking so the puff pastry firms up again

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