Recipes
Baked Brie Puffs With Chile Crisp
This flaky, creamy, sweet and spicy appetizer shrinks baked brie into single-bite, snackable sandwiches. (It’s hard to eat fewer than five.) They’re made by filling small squares of seeded puff pastry with a combination of Brie, raspberry preserves and chile crisp. The assembly is repetitive but not difficult — enlist friends to help, and they can be made up to 1 hour ahead of serving. If you want to serve the puffs warm, stick them in the oven for just a minute or two until the brie is gooey. If you have extra filling, add more to the puffs or save it to spread on tomorrow’s turkey sandwich. If you have extra puffs, eat them on their own as crackers.
Ingredients
- 1 (9- to 14-ounce) sheet puff pastry, thawed but still cold
- 1 large egg, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds, sesame seeds or a mix
- 3 tablespoons raspberry preserves
- 1 tablespoon chile crisp
- 12 ounces Brie, cold
Instructions
- Cut two pieces of parchment paper each the size of a sheet pan, then transfer one to a work surface and one to a sheet pan. Unroll the puff pastry on top of the parchment on the work surface, and prick all over with a fork. Brush with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with the seeds. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut into 1-inch squares. Transfer about half the squares to the parchment-lined sheet pan, then slide the remaining squares and parchment onto another sheet pan. Space the squares apart on their pans. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes until cold.
- While the pastry is chilling, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake the chilled pastry until golden-brown on the tops and bottoms, 10 to 13 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the raspberry preserves and chile crisp. Set aside. Cut off the rind from the Brie, then thinly slice the cheese. Place a few slices in a piping bag or in one of the bottom corners of a large resealable plastic bag. (It can be helpful to prop the bag up in a water glass with the tip pointing down.) Press the cheese down to remove air pockets, then spread with some of the raspberry-chile crisp. Repeat with the remaining brie and raspberry-chile crisp, pressing down to remove air pockets. Push out any excess air and twist the bag to seal.
- While the puffs are still warm, pull one puff in half from the side but try to leave one edge attached (as if you’re opening a burger bun). Snip a small hole in the tip of the piping bag, then squeeze some of the brie mixture into the puff pastry. If the filling isn’t coming out, snip a larger slit. Repeat with the remaining puffs. Serve on a platter.