Brie Cheese

Quite by accident, we discovered Brie cheese. It's a soft cows' cheese named after the French province, Brie.  We don't eat the "crust" as some do, but the inside....ooooo la-la!

It's great to eat with apples which are in abundance now.  Below is a recipe for a snack that is heavenly. Oh, you can buy Brie nearly anywhere. We found two good brands at Sam's Club. Yes, Sam's. Any other Brie enthusiasts?

Preheat oven to 378 degrees F. Line a good quality baking sheet with parchment paper.

Ingredients:

• 2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 Tablespoon of unsalted butter
  
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom (optional)
  
• 1 round Brie cheese, 6 to 8 oz. and about 4 1/2  inches wide, slightly chilled
• 10-inch round of puff pastry dough, rolled out to 1/4-inch thickness
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbs. water
• Assorted crackers for serving

Directions: Melt butter in a saute pan. Add apples and cook until apples are tender (5-7 minutes). Add the sugar and cardamom, stir to dissolve and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, (12-15 minutes more). Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. 

With a sharp knife, cut the cheese in half horizontally. We don't like the rind, so we take it off first. Use a sharp knife and be patient.  Place one half of the cheese in the center of the puff pastry dough, which is on a lightly floured surface. Evenly spread 1/2 cup of the cooked apples over it. Set other half of cheese on top of apple-covered half and spread 1/2 cup cooked apples over the top.

Fold the dough up over the sides of the two cheese halves topped with apples. Pleat the upper edges to fit snugly around the cheese. Pinch the dough together in the center to seal. Brush the dough with egg and water. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake until the pastry is golden all over and crisp, 40 to 45 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then transfer to a platter along with a sharp knife and the crackers. Serve any remaining apples alongside the crackers. Serves 6 to 8. Photo below.      Photo and basic recipe is from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen