Brie in Puff Pastry, with Apples and Cranberries

Happy New Year!!!  Two Thousand Ten? Twenty Ten??? Well it is much less of an issue in French!!  Bonne Annee Deux Mille Dix!!

We celebrated the New Year with the usual gang at Peggy and John's house! There was as usual a lot of food!
My contributions to the dinner were a Brie in Puff Pastry, a Chili and an Eggnog Trifle. Today I will share the Brie recipe. This is something I would never have thought about while still in France, as Brie is a cheese, like every cheese there, that is served after the salad and before dessert, plain. We do not cook it, we do not add fruits or vegetable. We eat it with a nice piece of crusty bread and a real good glass of red wine. But I love this appetizer served hot out of the oven, the cheese running and mixing with the stuffing.

Brie in Puff Pastry with Apples and Cranberries

One wheel of Brie
2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/2 onion sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and then chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1 egg


Preheat the oven at 350F.

Heat one tablespoon of butter in a small saute pan; add the sliced onion and cook until tender and golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, heat the second tablespoon of butter and add the diced apples. Saute for about 5 minutes, tossing regularly, until golden brown and tender. Transfer to the onion bowl and set aside.

In another small pan, toast the walnuts until fragrant, about 3 or 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and chop roughly. Add to the onion and apples bowl.

Add the chopped cranberries to the bowl and mix all the ingredients well.

Cut two circles into the puff pastry, slightly larger than the cheese.
Cut the brie in half into two disks. Place the bottom half onto one of the puff pastry circles. Place the apple mixture on the cheese and cover with the top half of the Brie. Place the second puff pastry circle on the brie and "glue" the pastry together with the egg wash (egg mixed with water). Cut a small hole on the puff pastry to allow steam to escape.

Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for about half an hour, until crust is puffy and golden.

Serve hot.


Can be prepared a few hours ahead. Simply reheat in a 350F oven for 15 minutes.