Baked brie is delicious. There seems to be so many different recipes out there which are all delicious, but I wanted to try something different than I’ve ever had. My first thought was to use candied ginger, but fun fact, it is no longer available for purchase in California. Since that option was far and gone, I decided to use dried apricots re hydrated with ginger beer and fresh ginger to give a sweet and spicy kick to this recipe. Below you’ll find a step by step recipe with pictures to help you out. This was my tester batch but I was really pleased with it. Let me know what you think!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup dried apricots
1/3 cup ginger beer
1 heaping tsp fresh grated ginger
3/4 cup walnuts
2 tbs brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 role (or 1/2 package) of thawed out puff pastry
1 log or wheel of brie that has been chilled or partially frozen
1 egg + 1 tbs water to make an egg wash.
Step 1: Dice the apricots to small chunks and place them in a small bowl and mix with fresh ginger and ginger beer. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes, but a couple of hours is preferable. Note: add the fresh ginger to taste, but make it a bit spicier than you think because it really mellows out as it bakes.
Step 2: Chop the walnuts to chunks about the same size as the apricots and mix them in. Next add the brown sugar and salt, and taste for seasoning. Remember that the spice will be mellowed out in the oven.
Step 3: Unroll the thawed puff pastry, and depending on if you are using a log or wheel of brie, put the apricot mixture down where you’d like the brie to go. I used a brie log, so I put the mixture down in a vertical line about 2 inches away from the side of the rolled out puff pastry. Unwrap the brie and place it on top of the apricots, and then act like you’re wrapping a present and wrap up the brie within the dough. Make sure your seam is on top, because when you’re done, you’ll flip the whole thing over so the seam is on the bottom, and the apricot mixture is baked on top of the brie. I had leftover dough so I used cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes to put on top. Use a bit of water on the seams and as glue for the dough cutouts (if you’re using them) to make it all stick. Note: if you’re using a wheel of brie, just plop the apricots and then brie in the center, and fold all the dough to the middle before flipping it over.
Step 4: Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spray liberally with non-stick spray. Place your brie package on the prepared cookie sheet and brush with egg wash. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until dough is golden.
Step 5: THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! You absolutely must let this rest for at least half an hour. Preferably an hour so it fully comes to room temperature, but do what you can. I know how tempting it is to dig in right away! The problem with that is since the cheese is still hot, it becomes a big ooey gooey mess that is very hard to handle. It’s best to let it cool down. It will still be melty, but won’t produce an ever expanding puddle of melted brie. Enjoy your edible work of art!