iTi Tropicals

Thanksgiving Appetizer: Brie en Croute

11/21/2019
By: iTi Innovation

Thanksgiving Appetizer:  Brie en Croute

Part of the magic of Thanksgiving is that each family celebrates a bit differently. Some families gather around to watch Thanksgiving Football, while others watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Some families host an elaborate and sophisticated meal, while many others prefer to keep it simple.

 No matter how you celebrate the holiday, Thanksgiving is the perfect day to spend with family and enjoy great food.  Sometimes the purpose of your Thanksgiving Day can get muddled under all of the anxiety and stress of holiday preparations. To take away some of the stress of finding the best recipe, the iTi family has created a simple, yet delicious Brie en Croute recipe that can be served as either an appetizer or dessert!

Brie en Croute is the most ideal dish for Thanksgiving because it is easy enough for the smallest of dinners, but also has the most delicious blend of flavors for more elaborate meals. Brie en croute is prepared by topping a wheel of brie with jam or preserves and candied nuts, wrapping the wheel of cheese in puff pastry dough, and baking it.

 

The first step in making Brie en Croute is to prepare the roasted nut topping.

 

Candied Nut Topping

½ cup Pecans, crushed

½ cup Cashews, crushed

3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1 tablespoon Honey

¾ teaspoon iTi 2610 Coconut Water Concentrate

1 teaspoon Brown Sugar

¼ teaspoon Vanilla

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 250°
  2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat.
  3. Add the brown sugar, honey, iTi 2610 coconut water concentrate, and vanilla. Mix well.
  4. Bring the mixture to a simmer for 8 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken.
  5. When the mixture has thickened to a syrup-like consistency, add the nuts and mix until the nuts have been coated in the sauce.
  6. Spread onto a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
  7. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Set out to cool until the tropical preserves have been prepared.

 

The next step for preparing Brie en Croute is to prepare the tropical preserves.

 

Tropical Preserves

1 ½ cups Raspberries

1 cup Sugar

¼ teaspoon Salt

2 tablespoons Pectin

½ cup iTi 4050 Acerola Puree

1 cup iTi 5000 Passion Fruit Juice

 

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, combine sugar, salt, and pectin. Mix well.
  2. In a medium sized pot, combine raspberries, acerola puree and passion fruit juice. Mash the raspberries with a fork until they have been broken down.
  3. Combine the dry ingredients (sugar, salt, pectin) with the fruit mixture. Mix well. Turn on the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to bring it to a simmer. Stir every 2-3 minutes to ensure the ingredients are combined.
  1. Simmer for 20-25 minutes stirring regularly, or until most of the water is evaporated and the preserves start to thicken. The preserves should coat the back of a spoon without falling off to be considered thick enough.
  2. Once the mixture has achieved this consistency, turn off the heat, set the mixture aside, and allow to cool.

 

Prepare an egg wash

2 eggs each

 

Directions:

  1. Crack the eggs into a bowl and discard the shells.
  2. Whip the eggs until the yolks and whites are combined.

 

Assembling the final product:

 

Tropical Brie en Croute

Candied Nut Topping

Tropical Preserves

Puff Pastry Dough

Medium Sized Wheel of Brie

Egg Wash

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300F.
  2. Lay on piece of the puff pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  3. Place the wheel of brie in the center of the puff pastry.
  4. Spread the prepared tropical preserves on top of the wheel of brie.
  5. Put the candied nuts on top of the tropical preserves.
  6. Brush the prepared egg wash on to the puff pastry dough in which the wheel of cheese is placed on. Make sure to brush the entire outskirts of the wheel of brie.
  7. Take a separate piece of puff pastry and place it on top of the brie.
  8. Smooth the dough down the side of the brie and onto the bottom layer of puff pastry.
  9. Take a fork and press the prongs into the circumference of the wheel of brie to create hash marks. This ensures that the two pieces of puff pastry are “glued” together.
  10. Using a knife, cut off the excess dough, starting at the edges of where the hash marks from the fork end.
  11. Discard the excess dough. Brush the entire wheel of brie with the egg wash.
  12. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
  13. Allow to cool for several minutes, then enjoy!

Tags:  Brie en Croute Thanksgiving appetizer