Ellen had a great idea. She asked if I would like go caroling in Bayfield on Sunday— I'm tone-deaf but it's Christmas and anything goes, right? She sent out the call on Facebook and a group of hardy souls walked around Bayfield (in a snowstorm) and serenaded our neighbors. Now, I bet you're wondering how this relates to Sassy Nanny cheese wrapped in puff pastry? Good question and here's the answer— Liz. She was one of the trained caroling professionals and she came up to my house after the singing adventure with a gift bag full of treats, one of which was Sassy Nanny Holiday brie. The caroling was magical and the brie was, literally, the icing on the Buche de Noël.
Since it's Christmas and I'm all about going way over the top— curried nuts, cranberry/quince preserves and puff pastry seemed like a good way to honor a limited edition brie. It made the trudging through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh, not only worth it but so sublimely perfect, I can't wait to do it next year.
Brie en Croute with Curried Nuts and Cranberry Preserves
1/2 cup pecans and cashews
1/4 cup raw sugar
2 tbsp maple sugar
3 tbsp curry powder
4 tbsp. Peppadew peppers, minced
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup quince and cranberry relish (recipe here) you can substitute any good and tart fruit preserves
1 wheel of Sassy Nanny Holiday brie, top removed
1 sheet of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry
Preparation
Generously butter a dinner plate and set aside. In a sauté pan over medium high heat, place 1/2 cup of cashews and pecans, sugar, maple syrup and curry powder and heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has melted and the nuts are evenly coated. Place the nuts on the buttered plate and allow to cool. Once they have cooled down, break into bite sized pieces and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the thawed puff pastry on a floured surface until it's about a 12 inch square. Place the brie (with the top rind removed) in the middle and put the cranberry preserves, Peppadews and nuts on top. Bring the four corners of the puff pastry together and twist to seal. Place on a parchment covered sheet tray and bake for about 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is flaky and golden. Serve immediately with crackers.
