Best Baked Brie with Fresh Cranberry Glaze

Stunning Appetizer Perfect for Holiday Gatherings

Nov 20, 2009 Larry Ervin

While cranberries are nearly ubiquitous in American celebrations of Thanksgiving, there is some dispute about whether they were a part of the pilgrim's first thanksgiving

Whether or not the pilgrims dined on cranberries at that first Thanksgiving, there is no dispute over how healthy cranberries are, packed with vitamin C, fiber and anti-oxidants. More about cranberries at the end, but first this great recipe for baked brie with a fresh cranberry glaze that will get oohs and ahs at any holiday or other family gathering.

Baked Brie with Fresh Cranberry-Apple Glaze

Yield: about 12-14 appetizer-sized servings

Ingredients:

1 unpeeled apple, quartered and cored, preferably Granny Smith or MacIntosh
1 unpeeled orange, quartered and seeded, preferably navel or similar thin-skinned variety
¼ unpeeled lemon, seeded
1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
2 tsp fresh ginger, cut in a fine julienne
1 cup sugar, or to taste
½ tsp freshly ground white pepper
½ cup golden dried currants
1 wheel Brie cheese (8-12 ounces)
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts
assorted crackers or bread rounds for serving

Method:

Cut the apple, orange and lemon in one-inch chunks and chuck them into the food processor bowl with the cranberries and ginger. Process until reasonably smooth.
Turn out into a medium saucepan over medium flame. Mix in the sugar and pepper and cook, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust for your desired sweet/tart balance. Fold in the raisins, reduce the flame and simmer another 10-12 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350º F.
Place Brie in a shallow pie plate or casserole dish that is slightly bigger than the Brie itself. Spread the cranberry sauce over the top of the Brie, to within 1/4 inch of the edge all the way around.
Bake Brie in the preheated oven until heated through; about 12-15 minutes.
Serve warm, sprinkled with the chopped nuts. Arrange baskets of crackers or bread rounds nearby.

About Cranberries:

The name derives from what German settlers called kranbeere, because the blooming plant resembled the head and bill of cranes, who inhabited the same bogs and enjoyed the berries themselves.

Whether soon enough for that first Thanksgiving, there is ample record that Native American turned European settlers onto the benefits of this fall/winter crop early on. Their traditions had already incorporated cranberries into many dishes. Native Americans used the fruit medicinally for indigestion and as a poultice for wounds.

Cranberries got a boost in popularity during the Civil War when, one year after Lincoln had declared Thanksgiving a National Holiday, General Ulysses S. Grant had all of his soldiers served cranberry sauce during the Battle of Petersburg.

Cranberries are also enjoyed in Canada , especially at Christmas, where they often go by their Amerindian name atoca. They have also garnered a certain following in Britain and southern France.

In the United States, cranberries are principally served at Thanksgiving, although various juice combinations and “craisins” (dried cranberries) have increased the year-round demand.

Go here for 3 more baked brie ideas.

Go here for some tasty history of France's most famous Brie: Brie de Meau.

HOL101

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