The Holidays have arrived and here is a simple recipe for an appetizer that everyone will love. If you are running on limited time, use the premade pie crust rounds found in the refrigerated sections of your grocery store.
Brie en Croute with Cranberries and Pecans
Ingredients: Pie Crust (recipe below), 1 Whole Baby Brie, 1/3 C. Halved Pecans, 1/3 C. Dried Cranberries, 3 T Raspberry Chipotle Sauce, 1 egg, beaten
Pie Crust: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling, 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 6 to 8 Tbsp ice water
Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, make pie crust. Pat into 2 rounds, wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for an hour. Once chilled, roll each round out to 1/8 thickness. Place 1 pie crust round onto a baking sheet. Place the whole Baby Brie in the center. Add pecans and then dried cranberries on top of the Brie. Pour the Raspberry Chipotle over the cranberries and bring the crust up and over. Press together at the top using a bit of water to seal the crust. Cut leaves from the other crust and use water to affix then to the top in a decorative manner.
Brush entire crust with beaten egg and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the Brie en Croute rest for a few minutes so the cheese can set a bit before you serve with the crackers of your choice. This will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.