We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Merci!
Baked Brie Bites – This quick and easy appetizer is sure to make an appearance at our next family gathering. Everything about this easy appetizer centerpiece recipe is a winner in my cookbook.
A well arranged cheese platter should include a variety of cheeses but in our home a wheel of brie is always the centerpiece of our “assiette de fromages”.
Your guests will not hesitate to spread warm brie on any cracker or thin slice of crisp baguette even if they hesitate to do the same with the “blues”.
Make Baked Brie Bites Your Appetizer Table Centerpiece
Baked Brie With Nuts and Grapes © Can Stock Photo Inc. / Peteer
In this appetizer recipe, the smooth, rich and warm cheese is made even more appealing by combining the bite sized portions with a perfectly selected flavor add-on – tart cranberries and salty crushed pistachios.
Stoneware Brie Cheese Baker
Be sure to try the recipe with a mild variation of this cheese as the flavor can become quite intense. At home, we buy it according to its “age”.
Some like it mild (when it is brand new, firm in texture and uniformly pale white in color) and some prefer Brie well aged when it becomes buttery colored and runny in texture.
At Wegmans®, my preferred level is “Intense” but it would not work in this recipe.
It might actually chase your guests away!
While some manufacturers claim that this cheese has a long life.
Not so much!
As one who grew up eating this type of cheese on a daily basis, there is in fact a fine line between “intense” and too strong to eat.
Look Ma…No Shells!
At home, that long life lasted a max of 3 days!
While there is no brand name mentioned in the recipe below, authentic brie comes in a wheel shape not a rectangle.
Trader Joe’s® is only store I know of which carries a brick shaped piece of what they call “slicing” brie.
This is a convenient shape when serving with rectangular shaped crackers but it does not have the authentic flavor of genuine brie cheese.
My Topping Choices?
Cross & Blackwell® cranberry chutney (not as sweet) and crushed salted pistachio nuts.
Forget the shells! Why not make this recipe even easier to prepare?
Baked Brie
Gooey melted Brie cheese topped with crushed pistachios.
Ingredients
- Brie wheel
- Pistachios
- Cranberry chutney
- Onion jam, caramelized
Instructions
Trim a thin layer off the top of a wheel of brie.
Place the brie in an oven proof glass or ceramic dish.
Top with crushed pistachios or walnuts pieces, a chutney or stud with roasted garlic cloves and top with a few sprigs of fresh thyme.
Cover with foil.
Preheat your toaster oven to 350* and bake until melted and bubbly.
Transfer the warm brie to a pretty wooden board or platter. Decorate the platter or board with whole pistachios and cranberries. Also fresh sprigs of thyme and rosemary.
Notes
Serve with slices of thin cut baguette.
Depending on the number of guests you are hosting for the Holiday party, Wegmans® sell regular sized brie wheels as well as large wheels of Brie cheese. Adjust ingredient amounts and baking time accordingly.
Have you tried Wegmans® ready made Balsamic Cherry Topping? Tastes yummy on melted Brie!
More Appetizer Recipes
- Rillettes De Porc: Easy & Inexpensive Recipe For A Popular Appetizer
- Smoked Salmon Feta Cake: Make A Savory Appetizer Loaf
- Tuna Salad Stuffed Avocado: Easy Seafood Appetizer
- Cheese Board Knife Sets: A Perfect Gift For Foodies