Balsamic Fig Brie in Pastry
ingredients
1 13.2-oz. round of Brie, cold
1/2 a jar of BALSAMIC FIG JAM
One 1.1-lb package of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 beaten egg
instructions
On a lightly floured surface, lay out one piece of puff pastry dough and roll it slightly with a rolling pin just to even out the cracks. Be sure there are no holes in the pastry or the cheese will leak out. Calculate the approximate size of dough that you will need to wrap the cheese including enough to overlap across the bottom. Cut off the excess dough and save for decoration or another dish.
In the middle of this piece of dough, spoon on a circle of BALSAMIC FIG JAM the size of the round of cheese. Place the cheese directly on top of the circle of spread.
Wrap the pastry dough around the sides and over the bottom of the cheese. Make a neat little package completely encasing the cheese and brush inside the bottom flaps with the beaten egg. Press with your fingers to seal the pastry flaps. Turn over the entire package and brush the top and sides with more of the beaten egg. You can even decorate the top with bits of the leftover dough. It will adhere to the wet egg wash. Now place the prepared
cheese into the refrigerator until ready to bake. This can be prepared to this point hours or even the day before you intend to bake it.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and place the wrapped cheese on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Bake about 15 minutes or until the pastry is a nice golden color. Serve at once while the pastry is hot and the cheese is runny.
One 13.2 oz. round of Brie will serve 4 to 6 persons- two will serve 8 to 12, etc.
Preparation time: about 30 or 40 minutes depending on the time spent decorating.
