Spicy Hot Brie

The simplicity of this recipe for Spicy Hot Brie, nestled in a baking dish and topped with flavorful herbs and spices, recommends it for a casual celebration. Serve this melty warm appetizer with crisp crackers or a crusty baguette.

Dress Up an Appetizer of Warmed Brie

There is no cheese more perfect for Valentine’s Day than Brie. Brie is smooth and sexy, silken soft and full of potential. Alone it is rich and mildly tangy spread on a crisp cracker or eaten with fruit. As an ingredient it provides a dramatic canvas for a great variety of flavors both sweet and savory.

Brie can be dressed up or down, baked with mustard and pepper, mango chutney or apricot jam. It can be wrapped in a buttery crisp robe of puff pastry or baked into a quiche. It can also be turned inside out and sprinkled with spicy hot pepper flakes, herbs and spices.

This recipe for Spicy Hot Brie is gleaned from a December issue of Sunset magazine. There it is suggested as part of a cocktail party menu. The simplicity of it caught my eye and the flavorful herbs and spices urged me to try it with a wedge of brie leftover from an earlier celebration.

Keep it Simple or Add Some Drama

Easy to put together, this tasty appetizer is ready to serve after just a few minutes in a hot oven. Simply slice the cheese to expose the soft interior. Then sprinkle the herbs and spices over the brie before baking.

To amplify the experience you can add a touch of drama with a mortar and pestle. Place whole peppercorns in the bowl and crack them with the pestle. Then add cumin seed and red pepper flakes to the mortar for a few quick grinds to blend the flavors and release the fragrance as guests arrive. Finally, snip the rosemary into the mortar. Give the mixture one last grind before scattering it over the brie and tucking the cheese into a warm oven.

In less than ten minutes the edges of your Spicy Hot Brie will begin to bubble. Remove your Brie from the oven and surround it with crisp crackers or slices of a crusty baguette. Add a few sprigs of rosemary for a fragrant garnish. Then this inviting appetizer will be ready to share and savor.

Enjoy!

Spicy Hot Brie

Course: AppetizersDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

15

minutes

Soft cheese nestled in a baking dish and topped with flavorful herbs and spices makes a thoughtfully delicious appetizer. Serve warm with crisp crackers or a crusty baguette.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces brie cheese

• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1/2 -1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, according to taste

• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, snipped

• rosemary sprigs, for garnish

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Split the brie horizontally,  evenly through the soft center of the cheese.
• Arrange the cheese in a pretty baking dish with the soft centers facing up.
• Combine the cracked peppercorns, cumin seeds, red pepper flakes and rosemary. Grind briefly with a mortar and pestle to blend and release fragrance, if desired. (It will release more flavor from the spices.)
• Sprinkle the herb and spice mixture over the brie.
• Bake at 350F until the edges of the cheese begin to melt and bubble, approximately 5 – 10 minutes.
• Garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs, if desired.
• Serve with crackers, breadsticks or slices of baguette.

Notes

• Recipe Source: from the December 2011 issue of Sunset magazine.