Brie and Fruit Pastry Cups
EducationBrie and Fruit Pastry Cups
Want to make an impressive dessert for your next dinner party with ease, but not sure what to prepare? Make these delicious and fairly easy brie puff pastry cups!
I love to have parties, but I get so tired of making the same standard recipes, so I always love something new. However, although I love variety, I hate slaving in the kitchen for hours for an exciting new recipe. These brie and fruit pastry cups are a very unique and elegant, yet easy, dessert with which you can impress your guests. Everyone will enjoy them, and with the many available preserve flavors, you can make a variety of this dessert to present to your guests to ensure they will be a hit!
You can tweak the recipe to suit as many guests as you plan to have. One standard sheet of puff pastry can prepare about 18-30 mini-cups. Most guests will have between 2 and 8 of the dessert cups, so try to plan accordingly. I will present this recipe as 24 servings, which is what my one mini-muffin pan holds. I have used regular sized muffin pans as well with good results.
Ingredients
1 standard puff pastry sheet
different flavor preserves or jam (I prefer the seedless raspberry or cherry preserves, but you can choose from any flavor variety, from grape to peach to strawberry...)
brie cheese (cut into equal cubes of about an inch each, more or less to your personal taste)
whole or halved pecans
chives to garnish
Directions
As I said, this recipe is really easy. While your oven is pre-heating to about 375 degrees Fahrenheit, set your puff pastry sheet(s) out to thaw for about 15-20 minutes. Spray non-stick cooking spray into the mini-muffin pan. After the pastry has thawed, cut into enough pieces to fill each cup of your mini-muffin pan. Mine holds 24, so I cut my pastry sheet into 24 squares or rectangles. Also cut the brie into as many equal cubes or rectangles.
Arrange one piece of puff pastry into each cup in the mini-muffin pan and set in the oven for about ten minutes. The pastry should still be soft and moist, but after about ten minutes, bring it out of the oven and use the non-spoon end of a wooden spoon (or your finger) to stamp in the middles of the pastries, creating a small round pool in the center. Replace the pastry in the oven for another ten minutes. Remove and stamp down the center again. If you like a crispier pastry, you can bake the pastry for another 10-15 minutes and then stamp them down again with the handle side of the wooden sppon. If you like a lighter and chewier pastry, you can omit cooking the extra time.
After you've stamped down the puff pastry and it's cooked for 20-30 minutes in the oven, you're ready to add the filling. Spoon about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (more or less to your liking) of the preserves into the middle of the pastry. Make one or more flavors as you prefer.
Add the slices of brie and a pecan or two on top. Bake another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Once the cheese is melted, remove the pastry cups from the oven and sprinkle with chives.
Tips and Personal Notes
Let this dessert cool for at least ten minutes before serving. The cheese may still be very hot and could burn someone's mouth if it doesn't stand outside the oven long enough. This dessert can be served hot, warm, or chilled, so it's very versatile. Serve with fresh fruit and herbs for an amazing presentation.
Seedless preserves are best. As aforementioned, I prefer seedless raspberry or cherry preserves, but there are dozens of flavors that can be used to add variety and excitement to your presentation. You can even use a mint jelly or jalepeno jelly for a spicy kick. If you dislike brie, you can try Swiss cheese or another semi-soft cheese. I am not a huge fan of brie, but it works very well in this recipe to blend with the other flavors and bring out a delicious taste. My suggestion is to try the recipe with brie first, and if you dislike that preparation, try another favorite cheese.
It's hard for me to describe this recipe. It is a bit of everything: sweet and filling yet light and tart, crispy and crunchy yet tender. This is one of my favorite desserts to make. Honestly, the preparation is not hard but is a bit time consuming and a pain, but it's so delicious and different that I think it's well worth it. It's been a hit at every party I host for every person who has sampled it, so I think it will be a hit for you as well!
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