I always like to have a delicious variety of deli meats and cheeses on my charcuterie platter along with olives, dried fruit, nuts and toasted French bread. I recently posted an easy recipe for Rosemary Sun-Dried Tomato Olives, which would be so good with this. The more variety the better. But instead of just mixing everything together, I like to have a star of the show that stands out, and for this charcuterie, it is baked brie.
With the weather warming up, it’s all about friends, family and entertaining with cold beverages and good company. This baked brie is an appetizer that can be assembled ahead and baked right before your guests arrive. They will think you bought it from a gourmet bakery, but only you will know.
This baked brie also comes with a wow factor and that comes in the form of runny, melted cheese. When you cut into the crispy pastry and remove a slice, you see the delicious Black Forest Ham exposed, then the cheese starts to run and gets everyone excited. The soft, melted brie along with a piece of ham is perfect for spreading on those crusty pieces of French bread. Try with a little drizzle of honey, it is a wonderful taste sensation. Even though this baked brie looks like it was purchased from a bakery, it is so easy to prepare and I’ll show you how in these easy steps.
Baked Brie and Ham in Puff Pastry – Step by Step
Place the brie onto a cutting board. Lay 4 slices of ham over the brie starting on the top and tuck underneath. Roll out the puff pastry dough so there is 3 1/3 inches all around. Place the ham covered brie in the center and neatly wrap the pastry around with the seam on the bottom. Trim any excess pastry so it can sit flat. For those extra pieces? Create strips and make a pretty diamond pattern on the top. Then simply brush with egg wash and bake until golden brown.
Pastry Decoration The decoration is really up to you, depending on how creative you want to be. You can just simply cut slices into the pastry to create a diamond pattern, or go the one step further like I did. Serving When the brie comes out of the oven, allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. I found this was the perfect amount of time so the cheese is not too runny, just melted enough to create that slow flowing fountain of cheese. Presentation With the brie being the star of the show, I wanted to raise it above everything else on the platter so I elevated it on a small bowl. This also gives the cheese a chance to create a lovely cascading effect. If you’ve tried this Baked Ham and Brie in Puff Pastry or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see daily recipe updates.
