BAKED BRIE BOULE

Are you looking for an easy, impressive dish for cocktail hour? Here’s a fun idea that looks great and is fun to eat. The whole idea is to pre-cut the boule so that your guests can easily tear off pieces and dip them into the luscious melted cheese. It’s hard to resist!

INGREDIENTS

1 medium sized round French Boule

½ stick salted butter

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

1, 4-5 inch wheel of Brie, rind trimmed

2 tablespoons of fig jam

½ loaf baguette, sliced

PREPARATION

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Using the Brie wheel to measure, trim out the center of the boule so that the wheel can fit inside. Cut the removed bread into chunks for dipping and set aside.

Pre-cut the boule into 1½-inch squares, without cutting all the way through the loaf. You want your bread bowl to still have some integrity. It’s as if you’re perforating the sides in advance so that you’ll be able to easily tear off pieces once the dish is ready.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Brush the bread with the butter mixture.

Cut the Brie in half horizontally so that you now have two circles. Smear the fig jam on the top of one half. Place the other half on top as if you just made a brie/fig jam sandwich. (Note – if you don’t want the fig jam inside, feel free to serve it separately on the side).

Place the bread on a cookie sheet. Place the Brie inside the bread opening. Bake for 7 – 8 minutes or until the Brie starts to ooze. Keep on eye on it, because you don’t want it to be completely melted, just soft enough to dip.

For presentation, place the boule on a cutting board. Sprinkle the chives on top of the cheese. Place the pre-cut bread chunks and a few baguette slices around the loaf and serve while hot.