Baked Cranberry Walnut Brie with a homemade cranberry sauce is a stunning festive appetizer; perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration.
Hello dear Brie!
Sorry, I obviously meant “hello, friends!” I was just destructed with the pictures and thoughts about this delicious appetizer. How’s been this Brie treating you so far? Oh well, I certainly wanted to ask you: “How’s this week has been treating you”.
I guess all these small talks are just useless today because all I can focus on is this Baked Cranberry Walnut Brie. Let me just post the recipe and get over this thing!
I must confess I never tried baked brie until this recipe. I thought there’s nothing special in this kind of appetizer even though I do like the way baked brie (or camembert) tastes on flatbreads and crostini. However, I was wrong! It is not that much about the flavour profile – though I think the flavour gets better once it’s baked. Baked brie is about the texture. All this rich and gooey goodness, and you need just a cracker to dig into this molten situation. Once it cools down and hardens, you’ll need a help of a knife, but the texture and flavour profile are still wonderful.
And you want to make it a super elegant festive recipe? Just top it with some cranberry sauce, walnuts, and fresh herbs. Red and green against white? That’s Christmas time!
Of course, you can use a store-bought cranberry sauce, but I recommend making a homemade batch; it’s so easy yet the flavour is much better. However, if you want to omit this step, please go ahead and use a jar from your store.
Either ways, it’s going to be so delicious!
Should I try any other toppings for baked brie? What’d you recommend?
Cheers for now and have a great weekend!
Baked Cranberry Walnut Brie
Ingredients
The Brie:
- 1 large (400 – 500 gr) wheel brie or camembert
- 1,5 to 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly crumbled or halved
- Few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme
The Cranberry Sauce:
- 2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 cup golden sugar
- a pinch of cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom each (or a good pinch of pumpkin pie spice)
Instructions
- To prepare the sauce, put all the ingredients in a medium saucepan over high medium heat. Don’t add more liquid as the cranberries will release the juice. Bring it to a boil then reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes, or until the berries are soft. Try and adjust the spices / sugar if necessary. Off heat and let it cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Unwrap the and place in a small, shallow ovenproof dish slightly larger than the brie or a piece of parchment paper.
- Score the top in a crosshatch pattern with a knife – few marks would be enough. Make sure you do not go all the way through to the bottom.
- Drizzle with the oil, and arrange the walnuts and herbs.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until hot and gooey.
- Remove, top with the cranberry sauce (Or serve it separately) and serve. You can drizzle with some extra olive oil.
- Enjoy!
The only way to improve on baked Brie is by adding cranberries. This looks delicious, Ben! I looove cranberries and I’ll be trying this very soon!
Baked brie is heavenly! I love what you’ve done here and suggested it as an appetizer. Great idea! I’m going to suggest this to my mother-in-law who is in charge of the cheese board this year!
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Now you’ve got my attention here, Ben! I love brie, and you’re right that baking it totally does something special. (I love the “molten situation” comment. Perfect description!) Baked brie is always a holiday favorite in the appetizer category, but I love how you’ve put a Christmas spin on this with the cranberries, walnuts and herbs. This would be a huge hit in our house!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Italian Almond Cookies