Who doesn’t love cheese? Unless you are lactose intolerant or restricting your dairy intake for health reasons, most people love cheese. Growing up in a Greek home, we always had at least 3 types of cheese at the table to eat as a meze (appetizer), along with the requisite kalamata olives, freshly sautéed sardines, and pickled jardinière vegetables and peppers that my father loved so much. Some of these items were of course many of the well known Greek cheeses like feta, halloumi, graviera, kasseri and kefalotiri. But we were also exposed to Danish blue cheese (my mother’s favorite) and it was not unheard of for me to eat a blue cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch at the age of eight! I thought it was normal until I went to visit one of my friends at home and saw that they were eating cheese spread from a jar…
I was in my early twenties when I tasted brie and camembert for the first time, and I must say it was not love at first bite. These were definitely unique in flavor and texture and not one that I took to right away. I tried it several times and still was not crazy about it, but then, something mysterious happened…I had it at a restaurant as an appetizer en croute, and I don’t know what happened to me that day, but it was as if the heavens opened and the angels began to sing…what a delicious way to start a meal. The pastry was buttery and crispy and the cheese was warm and gooey and oozing out of the deliciously baked dough. It was served with fresh fruit and home grown wildflower honey, and I was sold…
Since then, I have made it many times at home and whenever I have the opportunity, I will make this quick and easy dish for friends who I know will enjoy it. You don’t have to fancy it up like I did with the design on top if you don’t want to, just wrap the whole thing in the puff pastry and bake it until golden brown… I served it with some of my apple cranberry compote and other assorted fresh fruits, honey and roasted nuts, along with some delicious white wine. You can also serve it with an herbed tomato & cucumber salad topped with a light vinaigrette dressing, so it does not have to be served with sweet accompaniments. Either way, it is the beginning of a very delicious meal…
Lattice Topped Brie en Croute
1 full sheet of puff pastry
¼ wedge of brie, hard edges removed
1 egg
2 Tablespoons of milk or cream
Coarse salt for the top
When the puff pastry is thawed, cut the dough in half, either widthwise or lengthwise depending on the size of your serving platter. Score the base part of the dough with your fork. Cut the cheese into small pieces and lay all over the dough, leaving a ½ inch edge around the whole thing so that the top has something to stick to. Make sure to remove any hard edges from the cheese, because they really do not soften after baking. Add your egg and milk or cream to a small bowl and beat well. Coat the entire edge around the dough with the egg wash. Cut the final sheet of pastry into very thin long strips (using a pizza wheel), and criss-cross the dough over the cheese to create the lattice design.
Generously coat the entire lattice top with egg wash and sprinkle the coarse salt on top before baking. Trim the edges with a pizza wheel so you do not have any wayward pieces of dough sticking out and then bake in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy.
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