Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

There are all kinds of ways you can dress up a baked brie en croûte, both inside the pastry crust - with the rich, melty cheese - or adding various toppings to the golden puff pastry crust.

You can make an easy yet impressive one with nothing more than a bit of olive oil, a drizzle of honey, and some fresh thyme, rosemary, or other fresh herbs. I use some of these flavours in my Smoky Campfire Brie (no pastry, though!).

Beyond that, the sky’s the limit. Fig jam, apricot preserves, raspberry preserves, caramelized onions, fresh garlic, olive tapenade, sauteed mushrooms (like my Balsamic Mushroom Baked Brie!), and sun-dried tomatoes can all bring some nice, complex flavors to a classic brie en croute.

Serve it up with pear or apple slices and a pile of crackers, and you’ve turned a whole wheel of brie into an easy appetizer for date nights or dinner parties - and it’s a POPULAR appetizer, at that.

Who doesn’t love melted brie?

My favourite version of this bougie cheese appetizer uses some exquisite ingredients, both inside and out of that flaky puff pastry.

The cheese is topped with a sweet honey and pear sauce, then wrapped in salty Prosciutto. It’s then wrapped in pastry, baked, and topped with more honey pear sauce, pistachios, and figs.

The taste and texture of the fresh figs pairs perfectly with the saltiness of the prosciutto, the creaminess of the cheese, sweetness of the pear-honey sauce, and the crunch from the pistachios.

The final Brie en Croûte with Prosciutto, Honey Pear Sauce, Figs, and Pistachios makes a very elegant and impressive appetizer OR dessert course for any cheese lover.

You should have seen the look on my husband's face the first time I presented him with this and declared it to be his supper!

Anyway, let’s look at what you’ll need for this baked brie in puff pastry recipe ...

Ingredients

As party starters go, this recipe uses very few ingredients.

While some may be on the fancier end, it’s all still pretty basic stuff - you shouldn’t have a difficult time finding whatever you need in any larger grocery store... with one possible exception.

A couple of things to note:

Brie Cheese

If you haven’t had it before, brie is a soft cheese with a bloomy rind.

The rind is edible, but some may prefer to cut it off before wrapping it with the proscuitto - we used to, but stopped bothering to trim it a few years ago.

Brie ripens over time, and becomes more and more of a gooey cheese, the older it gets. If you’re looking to trim your cheese, newer/younger is going to be easier to deal with.

We usually get a nice round of triple-cream cheese. A small wheel of brie is best, but you could fashion a wedge of brie into more of a square if you cut the pointed half off and turn it around.

Not into brie? A small Camembert wheel would also work.

Puff Pastry

I use one sheet of store-bought puff pastry, but I hear that store bought crescent roll dough works for others.

You can either trim it to fit your brie neatly, or fold it all in.

Trimmed looks nicer and will get crispier, non-trimmed gives you more pastry to use as dipper material.

That said, the pastry towards the inside of the pile won’t get as crispy and flaky as the exterior pastry does, and may need a longer cook time overall.

Fresh Figs

If you've never had fresh figs, it may be a bit difficult to picture how this will taste. Unlike their dried counterparts, fresh figs have a dainty, almost floral taste to them.

I usually use Black Mission Figs, but those are generally what’s available where I live and shop. Use whichever fresh figs are available, that you like!

Pear Juice / Nectar

You can use apple juice or apple cider (the pressed apple juice kind, not the booze kind!), if that works better for you.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Prosciutto
Shelled Pistachios
Honey
Lemon Juice
1 Large Egg

... I just don’t have anything to add, as far as these last few ingredients go. Pretty Basic stuff!

How to Make Baked Brie in Puff Pastry

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, here is a pictorial walk through:

Honey Pear Sauce

Whisk together juices and honey in a small saucepan.

Bring JUST to a boil over medium heat, then turn heat down to low, and simmer for 20 minute, or until thick and syrupy. Keep an eye on it – it can burn!

Once thick, remove from heat and allow to cool.

If you’re not using it right away, store it in an airtight container in the fridge - like a small Mason jar - and reheat it right before using.

Brie En Croute with Prosciutto

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F, line baking sheet with parchment paper

Using a sharp knife, slice the prosciutto into long, thin strips. As pictured, I cut each strip into half, lengthwise. Set aside.

Place brie on a clean, flat surface.

Using the tip of a sharp knife, score the top of the brie wheel. Aim to cut JUST through the top rind, maybe slightly deeper - but that’s it.

Once you’ve scored the top, spoon a Tablespoon or two of Honey Pear Sauce on top of the scored cheese rind.

With one end of each slice meeting in the center of the top of the brie, arrange the prosciutto over top of the brie with the ends extending beyond the cheese.

Tuck the ends under the cheese round, to almost fully encase the cheese.

Unfold the sheet of puff pastry onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Place the prosciutto wrapped brie in center of the puff pastry sheet.

Pull up all edges of the pastry, to full enclose the brie in a little pouch. Trim off excess puff pastry if you like - we’ll usually leave it in, for more “dipper” material.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg and Tablespoon of water.

Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the entire pastry with beaten egg wash.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Assembly

As soon as brie is finished baking, transfer to serving platter or cheese board.

Arrange sliced figs on top of the pastry, drizzle generously with remaining honey pear sauce. Sprinkle with pistachios, serve immediately!

Notes

1 - Sliced pears, crostini, and crackers make great accompaniments.

2 - This is definitely best served fresh. If you do end up with leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container (or wrap with plastic wrap) after cooling to room temperature.

It’ll keep for 3-4 days in the fridge, but the pastry won’t be crisp.

More Fancy Recipes

Planning for a special dinner, whether Valentine’s Day, a special date, or a fancy dinner party? Here are a few recipes to consider!

Balsamic Mushroom Baked Brie
Boozy Crème Brûlée
Chocolate Dessert Ravioli
Chocolate Fondue
Clementine Mousse with Champagne
Creamy Mustard Chicken
Creamy Vanilla 6" Cheesecake
Cucumber Shrimp Canapes
Easy Kahlua Panna Cotta
Fancy Tea Sandwiches
How to Make Cream Puffs and Croquembouche
Mushroom Brie Turnovers
Mushroom & Goat Cheese Braid with Balsamic Glaze
Pepper Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Cream Sauce
Phyllo Crab Triangles
Savory Tomato Shortcake
Seafood Mousse
Smoked Salmon Canapes
Shrimp & Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms
Traditional Raspberry Mousse
White Chocolate Almond Amaretto Truffles
Wild Rice Stuffed Chicken Breast with Dijon Chive Cream Sauce