Brie en Croute

It was Super Bowl last weekend and while I'm more of a hockey girl I do like to watch it every year. It's mostly an excuse to eat a lot of snacks and sort of watch some football. This Brie en Croute is just a fancy name for pastry wrapped brie cheese. It's like having the cheese and crackers but all in one package. What's great about this appetizer is that it can be made in advanced and baked right before the game. 

Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 wheel brie cheese, top and bottom rind sliced off
1 tbsp. fig jam or honey
2 tbsp. candied pecans
1 egg + 1 tsp. water

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2. On a lightly floured surface gently roll out the puff pastry. You want it to be about a 12 inch square. 

3. Cut the top and bottom rind off of the brie. Coat top of brie with a thin layer of the fig jam or honey. Top the honey or jam with the candied pecans. Place brie onto the puff pastry with the side with nuts face down so when it's baked they will be on top. 

4. Crimp the puff pastry around the brie, bringing the edges up and meeting in the middle. You can get fancy here if you like but the important point is sealing in the brie so when it bakes it doesn't spill out of the pastry. 

5. Place puff pastry onto the baking sheet with parchment paper. You want the crimped side on the bottom. You can decorate the top with any extra puff pastry like leaves but I did a small football for superbowl. 

6. In a small bowl mix together the egg and 1 tsp. water to make an egg wash. Lightly coat all of the puff pastry with the egg wash. 

7. Bake puff pastry for about 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm with crackers and/or fruit and enjoy!