Brie en Croute

I grew up in a very Southern family.  We never really had fancy dinners so I wasn’t exposed to a lot of “fancy” foods growing up.  In elementary school, my best friend always took me out to eat with her family so I got a chance to try lots of different types of cuisines that we never had at home (Chinese, Italian, etc.)  I not only learned to try new things, but I also learned that I liked a lot of different types of food.
Specialty cheeses were something I never knew anything about until I worked at Creative Campus.  We had a lot of wine and cheese receptions and I was constantly having to order “fancy” cheeses.  One cheese that I fell in love with (thanks to not only Creative Campus, but Alex as well) was brie.  Last summer, while browsing the discount section at Barnes and Noble, I ran across this Campbell’s Cookbook.  I knew that I had eaten a ton of recipes that mom got off the soup labels and they were always good, so I thought this might be a good purchase and boy was it worth more than the $2.99 I paid for it! :)
I’ve tried several recipes out of it, but the first one I tried was the Brie en croute.  I made it as an appetizer one night as part of the dinner I made for Alex last year (I made a 3 course dinner…I was so proud)  Anyway, here is the recipe

Click on the picture to go to the website and see a video on how to make it! :) (By the way, mine was not near this pretty, but tasted good!)

Brie en Croute

From: Campbell's Kitchen
Thaw: 40 minutes
Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 20 minutes
Stand: 1 hour
Serves: 12

Ingredients:

1/2 package of a 17.5 ounce Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cups toasted sliced almonds (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 (1 pound) Brie cheese round
1 package Pepperidge Farm® Entertaining Quartet Distinctive Crackers

Directions:

Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it's easy to handle. Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.
Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square. Cut off the corners to make a circle. Sprinkle with the almonds and parsley in the center of the circle. Top with the cheese. Brush the edge of the circle with the egg mixture. Fold the sides of the pastry over the cheese. Trim the remaining two sides to 2 inches  from the edge of the cheese. Fold the two sides up onto the cheese. Press the edges to seal. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Decorate the top with pastry scraps, if desired. Brush with the egg mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes or the pastry is until golden brown. Let stand for 1 hour. Serve with the crackers.
My notes:

• It was quite yummy and I was super proud of how it turned out :)  It was a great start to our dinner that evening :) 
• It did not say to take the casing off, but I might do that next time.  It was a little hard to cut into and I like the melted cheese running out :)