Baked Brie in Puff Pastry with Fruit
Food and Drink

Excerpted from Exclusively Kamado, by Paul Sidoriak. Text and photographs copyright © 2015 Paul Sidoriak. Ulysses Press/2015. Used with permission.

Baked Brie in Puff Pastry with Fruit

"There’s just something about serving baked Brie with fresh fruit that gets people excited. I once lived in a ski town where friends got together often for dinner parties; bringing this baked Brie always ensured an invite to the next event. "

Paul Sidoriak
Serves: 4 to 6

 

1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry

1 8-ounce Brie wheel

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1 apple, cored and thinly sliced

1 pear, cored and thinly sliced

2 cups strawberries, cored and halved

1 cup large blackberries

REMOVE the puff pastry from its packaging and allow to sit at room temperature for up to 30 minutes, or until malleable but still firm. Gently unfold the sheets. 

PREPARE your kamado for raised indirect cooking and stabilize at the temperature specified on the puff pastry package—typically 400°F.

CONSIDER what you’ll be baking the Brie on; you may want to prep the dish on that. I prefer to use a grill plank, which adds some flavor and makes for a dramatic presentation (a spritz of cooking spray on the plank prior to prep is never a bad idea). Or you can prep on parchment paper, transfer paper and cheese to the grill, and finally transfer the baked Brie to your serving platter with relative ease.

POSITION the Brie wheel on a sheet of puff pastry. With a sharp paring knife or pizza cutter, cut a puff pastry disk 1/4 inch larger all around than the Brie wheel, for the bottom crust. Now cut a second disk the same size for the top crust. Cut a 1-inch-wide strip for the sides, long enough to go all the way around. By now the cut edges of the puff pastry should be a bit supple, and you will be able to adhere the top and bottom disks to the side strip simply by pinching the pieces together, creating a uniform pastry shell.

IN A SMALL BOWL, beat together the egg and water to make an egg wash. Paint a thin coat of the wash on the top and sides of the puff pastry shell, taking care to avoid any pooling. The egg wash will promote browning and add visual appeal.

BAKE the Brie on your kamado grill for as long as the puff pastry directions recommend, typically 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and airy.

CAREFULLY remove the baked Brie from the grill. Serve it on the grill plank or transfer it to a serving platter, with fruit arranged alongside.