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Baked brie a poupular holiday dish

AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN

Baked brie with honeyed apricots in Brookline, Mass. This recipe appears in the cookbook “All-Time Best Appetizers.”

Baked Brie topped with jam or fruit is popular at holidays such as Thanksgiving, for good reason. When the cheese is warmed, it becomes rich and gooey, and pairing it with sweet fruit brings out the savory notes in the cheese.

For sweet and creamy flavor in every bite, we re-engineered the traditional whole wheel of baked Brie by trimming off the rind (which doesn’t melt that well) and slicing the cheese into cubes.

This allowed our honey-apricot mixture to be evenly distributed, not just spooned on top.

A cast-iron skillet holds onto heat so well, it keeps the cheese in the ideal luscious, fluid state. We finished the dish with an extra drizzle of honey and some minced chives to reinforce the sweet- savory flavor profile.

Be sure to use a firm, fairly unripe Brie for this recipe. Serve with crackers or Melba toast.

BAKED BRIE WITH HONEYED APRICOTS

By America’s Test Kitchen

  • 1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/4 cup honey, divided
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 (8-ounce) wheels firm Brie cheese, rind removed, cheese cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.

Microwave apricots, 2 tablespoons honey, rosemary, salt and pepper in medium bowl until apricots are softened and mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring halfway through.

Add Brie and toss to combine. Transfer mixture to 10-inch cast-iron skillet and bake until cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes.

Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons honey and sprinkle with chives. Serves 8-10.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 239 calories, 16 g total fat, 10 g saturated fat, 57 mg cholesterol, 432 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 12 g protein.

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