Stuffed Baked Brie

Baked Brie is just such a nice thing to do for a party or a small wheel for the family on a Sunday afternoon. This recipe is for a nice Blueberry & Almond Stuffed Brie that I have been making for years and am doing for this gig on Saturday. It's easy and excellent, so give it a whirl and let me know what you think.

First:

1/2 Pint Blueberries (you can use frozen, but I never recommend anything but fresh)
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/4 Cup of Red Wine or Use Port and Skip the Sugar

Toss all of this in a pan and heat until the Blueberries start to break down and the Wine is simmering. Dissolve 1 Tablespoon of Cornstarch in an equal amount of water and add to the mixture. Bring it back to a boil stirring constantly. After it has thickened, cool down over ice or in the fridge & add the remaining 1/2 pint of blueberries.

Second:

Toast 1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds in a 350 Degree oven just long enough to activate the oils and begin browning.

Third:

Pull the sheet of Puff Pastry from the freezer and set on the counter to thaw.

Slice the Brie in Half so that you have two equal circles. If you cut the Brie into Half Moons, put your knife down and go stand in a corner for 20 minutes then eat the brie cold and put the blueberries on top of pancakes.

Lay the Brie rind side down and spread the Blueberry mixture evenly over the circle leaving about 1/3 inch around the outside so the cheese can reseal to a certain extent. Press the cheese back together and set aside.

Once the Puff Pastry is soft enough to work with, use a rolling pin to stretch the dough enough to accomidate the entire brie wheel. Then, lay the Almonds around the center of the Pastry and set the Brie directly on top. The bottom in this situation is going to become the top if you haven't guessed. Carefully wrap the pastry around the cheese and nuts making sure not to punch holes in the dough. Pinch the dough together in order to seal the project and trim off excessive amounts of dough. Feel free to then use the excess dough to make designs on the top of the now perfectly wrapped Brie.

Once the Stuffed Brie is together and flipped to the proper side up, brush the entire thing with egg wash. That's a whole egg mixed with a little water just in case you didn't know.

Finally:

Pop this baby in the oven until the Pastry takes on a crisp golden hue. For best consistancy, let the brie cool briefly before cutting in. Otherwise, the cheese will simply ooze out everywhere. Now that it's cooled off a little dig in and enjoy on your favorite cracker, pretzel or finger, maybe even a strawberry. Whatever you like. Afterall, it is your snack.