Green and red and holiday cheer – there’s no doubt Christmas is my favorite time of the year here at NYC. The decorated storefronts, the tree-lighting events, the ice skating – and the shower of emails offering their version of a holiday recipe.
The Holidays are every foodie’s dream – so many meals to plan for, and so many options to pick from! I’m usually saving tons of recipes along the year and putting it under a “must try” file. This is such a fun process, but sometimes you find yourself with too many recipes and not enough opportunities to make them all. Happens to me all the time!
THE HACK WITH THAT
So continuing my last post about short cuts and hacks, I’d like to give you a recipe that requires only one ingredient (ONE!), and can be very versatile (just the way I like them…) – Baked Brie. It can be served alongside crackers and fruits as an afternoon snack, as a side dish for a light dinner or brunch. The additions can be anything you like, and will determine the character of the dish.
READER’S CHOICE
So here’s how you make it your own. When baked, the cheese gets super gooey on the inside but the exterior will keep its shape and structure. It all depends on how you like it, so there’s actually no specific baking time. The rule is, the longer you bake it, the gooier it will get (not to mention runny!). It can range between 5-20 minutes in a pre-heated oven, depending on the size of the cheese.
INSIGHTS
Use the kind of cheese you would usually enjoy at room temp. There are two rules to remember: first, because this is a sole ingredient recipe, it is all about quality. Second, cheese gets naturally runny the more ripe it is. When it’s only the two of us, I like to use Trader Joe’s goat milk cheese, which is just right. If it’s served as a snack alongside wine and some fruit it can serve up to 4 people. For a party of more than 4 peeps, I’d get a larger chunk of about 8oz.
This is so good.
FREESTYLE BAKED BRIE
Serves 4. For a larger crowd, use a larger cheese wheel!
FROM THE PANTRY:
1 4.4oz Trader Joe’s Goat Milk Brie
FOR SHOW:
Sliced fruit of choice (pears, apples, figs or grapes will be a nice match!)
Baguette slices
Anything that can be dipped!
Optional: Roasted nuts such as cashew, almonds etc
1 tsp honey
GET MIXIN’:
- Preheat oven to 350f.
- Take cheese out of original wrap and put on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Bake for 6-10* minutes: 6 for a not-very-runny interior and 15 for a complete meltdown!
- Take tray out of the oven and allow to cool slightly, about 3 minutes.
- Remove cheese from tray and onto a serving plate.
- Optional: Top with nuts and a drizzle of honey.
- Using a knife, cut the cheese-wheel. Note that the runny interior will flow out of the cheese, so choose a plate that can handle it! (hint – a cutting board would be an unfortunate choice, Ask my rug.)
- Serve and enjoy all the free time for a more complicated holiday project 🙂
* Note: for bigger cheese wheels – add 1 extra minute for every additional oz (so if you get an 8oz cheese, for instance, you’d bake 10 minutes and up to 15 minutes. Yes, I’m rounding it up guys. The original recipe calls for 4.4oz cheese but no one would measure 0.4 minutes..!).