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Lighter Holiday Brie & Cranberry Puff Pastry Board

lighter holiday brie cranberry puff pastry board - featured image
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A beautiful, shareable appetizer featuring golden puff pastry topped with creamy brie and tart cranberries, perfect for holiday gatherings. Ready in under 30 minutes, this lighter version of brie en croûte is impressive yet effortless.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 small wheel of brie cheese, about 8 ounces
  • ½ cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Fresh apple slices (Honeycrisp or Granny Smith)
  • Fresh pear slices (Bosc or Anjou)
  • A handful of fresh cranberries (for garnish)
  • ¼ cup toasted walnuts or pecans
  • Fresh rosemary sprigs (for garnish)
  • Fig jam (optional)
  • Sliced prosciutto (optional)
  • Honeycomb (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, gently unfold your thawed puff pastry sheet. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut it into 8 equal rectangles, about 3×4 inches each. Place the rectangles on your prepared baking sheet, spacing them about an inch apart.
  3. Using the tip of a sharp knife, lightly score a border about ¼ inch from the edge of each rectangle. Don’t cut all the way through—just a shallow line.
  4. While the pastry rests, take your brie wheel and carefully cut it into 8 even wedges. Leave the rind on.
  5. Place one wedge of brie in the center of each pastry rectangle, rind side down. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cranberry sauce over each brie wedge.
  6. Drizzle a tiny bit of honey over each piece—about ¼ teaspoon each. Then sprinkle the chopped rosemary evenly over all of them.
  7. Using your pastry brush, gently brush the exposed pastry edges with the beaten egg.
  8. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and deeply golden brown. Rotate the pan halfway through if your oven has hot spots.
  9. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the pastry pieces cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes.
  10. While the pastry rests, arrange your fresh apple slices, pear slices, and toasted nuts on your serving board. Leave a nice open space in the center for the warm pastry. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the warm pastry pieces to the board, arranging them in a cluster. Scatter fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs around for color. Serve immediately.

Notes

If your puff pastry starts to feel sticky at any point, pop it back in the fridge for 5 minutes. Cold pastry puffs better. If you’re making this for a party, you can prep everything except the egg wash a few hours ahead and keep it in the fridge. Just brush with egg and bake right before serving. Make sure your cranberry sauce isn’t too liquidy—drain off any excess syrup before spooning it over the brie to prevent soggy pastry.

Nutrition

Keywords: brie, cranberry, puff pastry, holiday appetizer, Christmas appetizer, New Year's Eve appetizer, party food, cheese board, easy appetizer

Find it online: https://dinadishes.com/lighter-holiday-brie-and-cranberry-puff-pastry-board/