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This baked brie is simple, elegant, and oh-so-delicious! A quick homemade praline sauce and caramel smother a smooth melty wheel of brie.
*raises hand*
Hi. I’m Ashton. And I’m a brie cheese addict.
Of the sweet variety, that is. As evidenced here, here, and here.
Yeah. No surprises there, right?
It seems like forever ago, I randomly bought a wedge of brie on an impulse. My husband was out of town, and I was looking forward to a night of chick flicks and indulgent food. Brie looked like it would do the job nicely.
Later that night I stood in my kitchen, brie in hand, and realized that I had NO IDEA how to prepare brie. Rind? No rind? Do you eat it with a spoon? Cut it up and put it on crackers? Take a bite right out of the wedge?
So I put a query out on Instagram, and one of the suggestions was to simply chop it, sprinkle it with brown sugar and pecans, and pop it in the microwave for a quick melt. That night I ate it spread on top of fresh slices of french bread, and it was divine. (You can find a slight variation on that recipe here).
I absolutely fell in love with the flavors of brown sugar and brie cheese. So simple, yet so unbelievably good.
This Pecan Praline Baked Brie may actually be my favorite brie recipe to date. With brie, I believe less is more (and by less, I’m referring to ingredients, NOT the quantity!). The simplicity of this baked brie really allows each flavor to shine, and I just know you are going to love it.
Plus, it’s really very beautiful, isn’t it? Perfect for entertaining… or for a night on the couch with chick flicks 🙂
I recently discovered Nonni’s Thin Addictives in Cranberry and Pistachio, and they are my new favorite brie accessories! They taste just like super thin pieces of biscotti. But if you can’t get your hands on them, there are a lot of great options for brie dippers such as pie crust, ritz crackers, rolls, french bread, and a spoon… just to name a few!
1 8-ounce wheel brie cheese (anywhere from 6-ounces to 12-ounces will work just fine)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Over medium-high heat melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Mix in the brown sugar and stir for a minute (the sugar may not completely dissolve, but you want it to be less granular before you add the cream).
Whisk in the heavy whipping cream and gently stir until mixture starts to bubble around the edges.
Allow to bubble without stirring for 2 minutes. Stir in baking soda and remove from heat. Allow to cool for 10-20 minutes. It will thicken as it nears room temperature.
While the praline sauce is cooling, bake the brie: place the wheel of brie (rind on) in a small baking dish or ramekin.*
Bake cheese for 15 minutes or until it feels very soft (like the inside is melted) when you push gently on the top.
Remove from oven and transfer to serving dish if desired.*
Place pecans on top of the wheel, and pour 1/2 cup - 1 cup of the praline sauce over top (depending on how large your wheel is).**
Notes
*As long as the rind is completely covering the cheese inside (look out for spots where the rind is so thin you can see the cheese), you will be able to move the wheel from it's baking dish to a separate serving platter if you desire. Simply place wheel on parchment paper in baking dish for an easy transfer.
**There will be caramel sauce left over. Store covered in refrigerator and heat to serve over ice cream, brownies, or anything else!
No, you don't have to remove the rind before baking brie. The rind is edible and I don't even think you can taste it after the brie is baked. If you want to remove the rind, you can use a sharp knife to carefully cut off the thin rind of the cheese at the top of the wheel. This is easier to do when the brie is cold.
Just know that without the rind, it will likely spread more because there's nothing holding it together. Why is my baked brie rubbery? This can be two things. If you left the rind of the cheese on, the baked brie may seem like it is rubbery once heated, or the brie was overcooked by leaving it in the oven too long.
While baked Brie is likely the most famous way to serve Brie, it's not necessary to bake or even warm Brie up to enjoy it. You can eat Brie cold, as is, either adding it to a sandwich or as an appetizer with some fruit, bread, or crackers.
In a small saucepan over low heat, combine brown sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook and stir sauce until it is smooth and syrupy, about 5 minutes. If it seems lumpy at all, strain through a mesh sieve. Stir in vanilla extract and pecans.
If possible leave your Brie on the counter for an hour before baking. This just takes the chill off the cheese and allows it to bake more evenly. Unwrap the Brie and place it on a square of parchment paper on a baking sheet with sides.
It may be a turnoff but it's a consequence of aging, especially for bloomy-rind cheeses like Brie. As these cheeses ripen, their surface molds break down protein into amino acids and one byproduct of that breakdown is ammonia. When a Brie is aging at the creamery on a rack, the ammonia is evacuated through ventilation.
As Brie cheese ages, it develops a stronger flavor and becomes more complex, with earthy and nutty undertones. The rind of Brie has a slightly tangy and mushroom-like flavor that adds to the overall taste experience.
If you want to serve cheese as the French do, you should serve it to your dinner guests as an individual course before your dessert. Doing this allows the Brie to have a moment in the spotlight. However, many people also serve Brie as an appetizer with fruit, meat, and crackers.
As mentioned, brie's mild, yet buttery and nutty flavor pairs well with so many things. Some examples are salami, prosciutto, pickles, apricots, apples, pears, dates, almonds, candied walnuts, and pecans.
Normande cows are a hearty breed whose rich milk is perfect for butter and cheese production. The high-fat content lends buttery, cream of mushroom soup notes, making Le Pommier a prime cheese for baking. If you're feeling extra, follow this recipe and wrap your brie in puff pastry.
A pecan is a type of nut while a praline is a type of candy that is made with sugar and nuts. While pecans are the most common type of nut used in pralines, almonds or hazelnuts will work too.
Butter pecan is a flavor combination of pecans, butter, and pure vanilla flavoring, making this a sweet treat you want to bite your teeth into. Pecan pralines are another popular treat option using pecans. However, pecan pralines are much sweeter and more sugar forward compared to butter pecan.
Being that pecans are the main ingredient; the snack contains essential vitamins & minerals, can aid in long-term heart health, can be enjoyed by gluten intolerant consumers, can provide a high number of antioxidants, and can supply a large amount of protein & fiber.
In this baked brie recipe, I do not remove the rind because I need the surface to spread my jam and to add my beautiful nuts and toppings. The rind keeps the wheel of cheese together, and once you take it out of the oven and slice into it, all the gooey deliciousness oozes out like a nice surprise!
Unlike other rinds, the white moldy brie rind is edible and is usually eaten along with the softer interior. If you do not want to eat the rind, it is easy to trim from a refrigerated brie, or bring the cheese to room temperature, slice off the top and scoop out the soft center with a spoon.
Can You Eat the Rind on Brie Cheese? You should absolutely eat brie's signature bloomy rind. It's customary to enjoy the whole wheel, rind and all. Though eating the rind on top and bottom is very standard, some may feel the need to cut off the perimeter bits.
The long answer is when cooking brie cheese recipes, the cheese will melt but the rind won't. The rind will break down a little bit, but it won't evaporate into thin air.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Lawanda Wiegand, I am a inquisitive, helpful, glamorous, cheerful, open, clever, innocent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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