Baked Brie Cheese

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A cheese plate is always welcome and for any occasion! Having some friends around for the afternoon? Perfect! Hosting a big family dinner? It’s a great starter! What about just chilling out on a regular day and looking for something tasty too much on? Always welcome! Indeed, the classic Cheese plate is universally loved by all. However, if you really are looking for something a bit more special with your cheese plate then this is the dish for you. Baked Brie Cheese is so easy to make, tastes amazing, and is a show stopping visual dish that is perfect for any dining occasion. The right time to enjoy some Baked Brie Cheese? Well, right now of course!

The creamier, the better

There are literally thousands of types of Brie to use when making this recipe, and cheese is just one of those ingredients that everyone has a unique preference. You’d think it would be easier? I mean, even wine has a definitive ranking of what wines are considered the best in the world

When it comes to cheese however, everyone has their own opinion and no one brand, or even type of cheese stands out as the best. It’s rare you’ll see a cheese plate served to a group of people where everyone agrees on their favorite one. Peoples cheese preferences are simply so diverse, which is a good thing! So, we have two pieces of advice when it comes to choosing the right cheese for your Baked Brie Cheese

• The creamier the better
• Try a lot of cheeses, and use the one you like the most
  
  

When it comes to baked cheese, you want a creamy, gooey cheese that’s going to melt well. Brie is a great choice, as is Camembert as an alternative. We recommend getting the triple cream variety, as it will produce the best result

Try a few Cheeses first to see which you prefer

Because there’s literally millions of brands of Brie out there, we highly recommend sampling a few to try your best. Look, if you’re looking at this recipe we think it’s safe to assume you’ve tried a few Brie in the past, so you probably have a few that you like. So, start with them

If this is literally your first time trying Brie Cheese, we’d recommend sampling a few different brands before you dive into the wonderful world of baked Cheese. Mainly because we’re baking a whole block of cheese (also called a ‘Round’ of Cheese), so you want to be assured you will enjoy the flavor of that cheese before cooking the whole lot!

How to make the perfect Baked Brie Cheese

Fortunately, the most challenging part of this dish is choosing what cheese you want to use. Once you’ve got that sorted (after loads of sampling yummy cheese we hope!), the rest is easy!

The cheese is baked whole, including the rind that covers the outer layer of the Brie. In fact, rind plays an important element in the cooking process. It acts like a layer of insulation, which helps to melt the inside of the cheese evenly, as well as maintain the structure of the cheese. Without it, all the cheese will melt into a puddle in the oven!

For baking, we recommend using a small, oven proof baking vessel for the cheese. Try to find one that is approximately the same size as the cheese itself. You want the cheese to fit snuggly inside the baking vessel. Make sure the cheese doesn’t peek over the top either, choose one that is deep enough to fully immerse the cheese

Baking the cheese can be tricky, as it will look exactly the same once cooked

Because we’re baking the Brie Cheese in its rind, the outside will look the same once cooked as it did when you put it into the oven! So, you will need to touch the cheese lightly on the top to see if it’s done. We recommend touching the cheese beforehand, so you get a feel of its texture. Once cooked, the rind on the top will sink almost immediately to the touch, as the inside is all melty and gooey

So, bake the Brie at 350F for about 8 – 10 minutes. You may need a little longer if you’re using a bigger block of cheese. However, the typical blocks weigh about 6 oz. For 8 oz. bake for 12 – 14 minutes

Once cooked, carefully remove it from the oven using some oven proof mitts or a kitchen towel. The container will be hot! Cut an ‘X’ in the rind at the top of the Cheese. You can then fold out each segment to reveal the beautiful, gooey inside of the cheese, ready for dipping and enjoying!

Enjoying Baked Brie Cheese is always better with some sweet and savory accompaniments

If you’re a cheese fiend then you can absolutely eat the cheese by itself, however we recommend serving it alongside some beautiful sides and accompaniments. A combination of sweet and savory accompaniments always works well with cheese. For our recipe we’re used a combination of Toasted Bread, Grapes, thinly sliced Apple, and some Peanut Brittle

The sweetness of the Grapes and Brittle pair amazing with Baked Brie Cheese and cut through some of the sharpness the cheese delivers. The slight sourness of the Green Apple works in harmony to contrast those sweet flavors. Of course, you always need some lovely crust bread for dipping

We recommend making some simple and delicious crusty bread slices to enjoy with your Baked Brie Cheese

Nothing beats the combination of gooey cheese and crusty bread. The flavors and textures are truly the peak of gastronomy as far as we’re concerned. There are no issues buying some of that pre-made crusty slices of thin toasts, however if you can, we recommend making your own

Start with a long roll such as a Baguette, or Sourdough if you can find it shaped into a long roll. Slice it up into thin pieces, about ¼ inch thick. Lay the bread pieces out on a flat surface then drizzle with some good quality Olive Oil. Both sides of the bread if you can

Heat up a frying pan over medium heat and place the pieces of bread straight into the pan. Toast each side for about 5 minutes until golden brown and crunchy. The smell at this point will be amazing, so the temptation to eat a few right now is great (go on, we won’t tell anyone!)

Set the toasts aside and then grab a clove of Garlic and cut it in half, right down the center. Carefully grate the exposed flesh of the Garlic straight over the toasts. This will infuse a wonderful garlic flavor and aroma into the bread!

Finish with a touch of Salt and allow the bread to cool a bit then they can be used for dunking straight into that gooey, delicious, Baked Brie Cheese!

Baked Brie Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 6 oz. round of Brie Cheese (or Camembert)
• ½ cup Grapes
• ½ Green Apple, thinly sliced
• 1 Baguette or Long Roll style Sourdough Bread
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• ½ Garlic Clove
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• Optional: Peanut Brittle (recipe here)
  
  

Instructions

1. Unwrap the cheese and place it into an oven safe container such as a ramekin. Try to find a container that is about the same size as the round of cheese you are using
2. Place the Cheese in the oven which has been pre-heated to 350F and bake for 10 – 12 minutes
3. While the cheese is baking, slice your bread into thin pieces about ¼ inch thick. Drizzle with Olive Oil then toast in the frying pan over medium heat for 4 – 5 minutes on each side until golden-brown
4. Remove toasts from the pan and place on a flat surface. Cut the Garlic Clove in half and rub the exposed flesh over the toast while they’re still hot. Sprinkle with Salt and set aside
5. After 10 minutes the Cheese should be cooked. Check for doneness by touching the top of the cheese rind. If you can easily press down then it’s cooked. Remove from heat and place in the center of a serving plate
6. Dress the remainder of the serving plate or platter with the Grapes, slices of Apple, Toasts, and (optional) Peanut Brittle (recipe here)
   
   

Recipe Notes

• Add a few minutes for larger rounds of cheese. For 8 oz. we recommend baking the cheese for 12 – 14 minutes
  
  

For a show stopping starter to a meal, or for a unique twist on the traditional cheese platter we highly recommend trying this delicious Baked Brie Cheese recipe!

If you enjoyed this recipe why not try some of our other fun and unique appetizers and starters such as these:

• Chorizo Scotch Eggs
• Red Snapper Aguachile
• Spicy Kale Chips
• Puff Pastry Stromboli
  
  

Happy Cooking!