Brie en Croute

I have an obsession with brie. It is quite possibly one of my favorite cheeses; the rich, creamy texture, the fact that you can pair it with anything and it still feels elegant, and the outstanding brie recipes. Previously during the holidays, my mom and I would go to a gourmet grocery store and buy the packaged brie en croute, simply because I believed it was too difficult to make. This year, however, I decided to take the plunge and make it myself during our annual "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" night (a holiday tradition with my family!). It was surprisingly easy, and I think it tasted so much better than the store-bought ones we've purchased in the past. You can use whatever kind of fruit preserves strike your fancy, although I admit I'm partial to the Door County cherry preserves. Yum...

Serve with Carr's table crackers and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 wheel of Brie
fruit preserves of your choice
slivered almonds
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Directions:

1. First, slice the brie down the middle. Add the fruit preserves and almonds to the bottom half, like so

Put the top half of the brie on, and set aside.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry sheet. Place the brie in the center of the sheet, and wrap the puff pastry around the brie. Lightly grease a cookie sheet (I've had back luck in the past with stubborn cooked puff pastry sheets not wanting to budge on ungreased surfaces!), and cook in the oven at 400 degrees for approx. 10-15 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown.