Phyllo Wrapped Baked Brie

Tonight I watched Julie & Julia for the first time!! It was SO GOOD! I was laughing and teary-eyed multiple times while watching the movie and there were so many scenes I could identify with (other than being a famous blogger that is! haha). If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend it. My point is, I'm feeling utterly and absolutely inspired and excited to write a post tonight.

Just over a month ago I was trying to plan out a Thanksgiving dinner menu when I saw a blog post by a wonderful blogger who I have mentioned before - Jen from Food & Whine - it was brilliant - a Thanksgiving recipe round up. What a fabulous idea. I found this recipe for Phyllo Wrapped Baked Brie on her blog and was bound and determined to try it out. Working with phyllo pastry can be tricky, but if you follow the instructions and cover the pastry with a damp tea towel while until you're ready to use it, it really isn't that bad!

Funny story though about making this baked brie! So my plan was alllll good when I wrote it out on paper a couple weeks before thanksgiving. So good that I neglected to rememer that I would already be using my oven to cook the turkey while I was supposed to use the oven to also bake my brie... uh oh!!! hello crisis! Hubby saved the day with the toaster oven (which I've never actually used!) and boy did it do the trick and it didn't take long at all! Moral of the story - never underestimate hubby's creativity and inventiveness when solving a problem and consider the appliances required for each recipe you have planned! Coordination is KEY!

Phyllo Wrapped Baked Brie

Recipe from Food & Whine

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1/2 lb wheel brie or camembert cheese
• 10-12 sheets phyllo pastry, thawed
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• fresh dill weed, optional for garnish
• pears, sliced, optional for garnish (and for dipping in the delicious melty cheese!)

Method:

1. Spread the preserves on top of the brie.
2. Wrap the brie in the phyllo pastry, one sheet at a time, brushing each sheet with the melted butter.
3. Turn cheese over after applying each sheet of phyllo for even distribution.
4. Brush phyllo wrapped baked brie with butter. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Right before serving, place phyllo-wrapped cheese in shallow baking dish. Bake in 425F oven 8-12 minutes or until golden. Watch it carefully - once phyllo starts to change colour, it can burn quickly! Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish with dill weed and sliced pears. Serve with yummy crackers and fruit.

Seems like we have an appetizer theme going this weekend! This recipe was fun to make and definitely well received by our thanksgiving guests. I trust you are enjoying your weekend as much as I am! Tomorrow is time to work on the November Daring Bakers Challenge! Its a surprise - check my post on November 27th to find out what delicious shenannigans are going down this month with the DBs!!

Happy Cooking my Friends!