12 Days of Holiday Eats: Baked Brie

My mom always makes baked brie around the holidays, but it's so good I request it any time I'm home for a visit. The combination of cheese, puff pastry, and brown sugar is almost euphoric. The addition of almonds and cherries (or another dried fruit of your choice--cranberries work well too) makes this an especially festive party-starter. This particular recipe comes from the Food Network. Please be advised--if you're having me over, you might want to make more than one of these so the other guests can have some too!

Ingredients
1 (7 to 8-inch) wheel brie cheese
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 sheets (12-inch by 18-inch) puff pastry
2 eggs, beaten

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Using a warmed sharp knife, cut the wheel of brie in half horizontally and separate the top half of the wheel from the bottom half. Sprinkle the bottom half of the brie with the dried cherries, toasted almonds, and brown sugar. Replace the top half of the brie and apply pressure to secure the stuffing.
3. Working on a well-floured surface, roll out the puff pastry so that it will fully cover the brie. Place the brie in the middle of the puff pastry and fold the excess pastry around the wheel. Put the wheel aside.
4. Roll out another piece of puff pastry and cut out a circle the same circumference as the top of the brie. Save the trimmings for decorations.
5. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg on top of the brie in the puff pastry and place the circle on top. Brush the top of the circle with egg. Cut out decorations using cookie cutters or a small knife on top of the brie. Brush the entire top side of the brie with the egg and place the brie on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pastry begins to turn golden brown, then turn the temperature down to 325 degrees F and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve on a pretty platter.

--AndreaLeigh

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