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I was gifted this cute little "brie baker" by my Mother for Christmas.
Today (being the first day of the New Year) meant that I got started a little later than normal due to being up until the wee hours of morning...celebrating. (Yeah, I'm one of those people who likes to let her hair down every once in awhile.)
As a result, I skipped breakfast and went straight to lunch at a good friend's house.
I decided the first day of the new year was as good an excuse as any to give my new brie baker a whirl.
Brie Is A Soft Creamy Cheese That Is Typical Sold in Rounds Of Different Sizes
This specialty cheese is often made with unpasteurized cow's milk (in France) in it's true form. However (in North America) we have rules around how long unpasteurized milk must cure before it can be imported and sold. 60 days is the length of time required to meet the laws, but this produces a brie that is over-ripened and not edible.
In Canada, our brie would not be considered authentic French brie because it isn't made with raw milk. It's been made with pasteurized milk, pasteurized cream and the addition of a bacterial culture, instead.
At any rate, the brie that I can buy is covered in a white papery rind which I like to cut off and discard.
This rind is actually a mold that gets sprayed on to the cheese. Today I learned (thanks to Google) that this mold is called penicillium candidum. It's completely edible and it's the same stuff that's also sprayed onto some Italian salamis, Triple Creme cheeses and Camembert.
To Make a Brie Bake You'll Need The Following Ingredients:
200 grams (7 oz) round of brie cheese
125 grams (4.5 oz) of cranberry apple chutney (or the fruit jelly of your choice)
1/4 cup of roughly chopped pecans.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the round of brie in the centre of the brie baker. (You don't need to oil the baker in advance.)
Top the brie with all of the chutney or the fruit jelly of your choice.
Top this with the pecan pieces.
Cover the brie baker with its lid and bake for 20 minutes or until the round of brie is completely melted and bubbling around the edges.
Let cool slightly and serve with your favourite crackers or sliced pears.
Enjoy!
I welcome your comments and I invite you to follow me on my journey...food always seems to taste better when it's shared.
~ Rebecca Ryan ;)