Brie en croute Brie en croute (aka baked Brie) moves the cheese course firmly into meal territory, taking a round of Brie, layering it with sweet or savory additions, and swaddling the whole package in puff pastry. From there, it’s 20 minutes in the oven at 425ºF to a flaky, golden crust that contains molten Brie swirled with various accoutrements. The trick to really exceptional Brie en croute is balancing the buttery richness of the cheese with the buttery richness of the pastry dough. You’ve got a lot of fat and protein as your base, and I rely on contrasting flavors for balance. Because, let’s be honest, who wants just a few bites of gooey, melted cheese? I want to enjoy the whole thing. For that, I turn to sugar, acid and spice for contrast and complexity. Rouses has three prepared varieties of Brie en croute that cover the full spectrum of harmonized pairings. For those with a sweet tooth, I love the unexpected surprise of caramelized onion jam Brie en croute. Instead of the one-note sugariness of honey, slow-cooked onion breaks down into a savory but caramelized jam that nestles up perfectly with the white button mushroom flavor of Brie. It’s sweet but not cloying, and reminiscent of milder, more buttery French onion soup. On the other end of the spectrum, Terrapin Farms bacon jam introduces smoke and spice, thanks to the addition of jalapeños. This version of Brie en croute ensures every bite delivers salt, fat, acid and heat, making an unexpectedly compulsive eating experience. My favorite, however, is the sour cherry Brie en croute. Again, I’m always leery of dumping a bunch of too-sweet stuff into melty, buttery Brie and flaky, buttery pastry. It’s too rich, too mouth-coating. Here, the addition of sour cherry jam delivers sweetness but also refreshing tartness. Like champagne with your triple crème, the acidity refreshes the palate so you are primed to go back for more. Whichever version appeals to you, do include some crunchy sides for dipping. Crackers, super-crusty bread, breadsticks and fruit/nut crisps are all go-tos. But I also think of this as a fondue and serve lots of fresh, crunchy fruits and veggies. Apples, pears, cherries and pomegranate seeds bathe happily in the sour cherry incarnation, while broccoli, cauliflower and pickled veggies lean in especially well with onion or bacon jam. Happy dipping! 4 4 R O U S E S W I N T E R 20 23
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Brie By Liz Thorpe If I brought a soft, creamy cheese with a white rind to your house this weekend, you’d almost certainly hug me and say delightedly, “You brought Brie!!” And you might be right. But then, if it’s me, you might well be wrong because there are dozens, even hundreds, of Brie-like cheeses out there that are not actually Brie. The technical name for this style is bloomy rind, and over 80% of what’s sold in the U.S. is purchased between Halloween and New Year’s Eve. Forget “fall.” We’re entering Bloomy Rind season.
