Brie of Life, Not Starring Brad Pitt

The recipes I cook on a daily basis have a habit of becoming outdated, fast. I take pictures, I have a story to tell, but all of a sudden, a month has gone by, and neither the ingredients nor the tale feels fresh anymore. One of the more egregious examples is sitting right here in front of your faces. This post has been loitering in my drafts folder since March, when the event it premiered at, the Oscars, was still semi-acceptable to be talking about.

I had a small excuse of course: this site didn’t get off its feet until April, which means there were months of meals sitting in blog idea purgatory. Then, I disappeared off the face of the blogosphere for Chef Race, and when I returned, mushrooms were so 6 months ago. But I’m a sucker for clever names, and it was probably this one’s, coined by Josh for his friend’s Oscar party, that made me hang onto it in my mental archives.

Last week I resurrected it for a cocktail party I catered in the Ars Nova loft space. Baked Brie is one of those awesome retro dishes that’s pretty easy to put a gourmet seasonal spin on. A rustic sage and mushroom saute is a great compliment – certainly a savory improvement on the usual honey and puff pastry heart attack – and I’m glad I am FINALLY getting to share the recipe with you.

Serve it at your next fall gathering, before the next crop of Oscar favorites make their arrival.

xo

Phoebe

Brie of Life, Not Starring Brad Pitt

No ratings yet

print recipe

Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 6 ounces portabello mushrooms chopped
• 1 large shallot thinly sliced
• 3 sage leaves plus more for garnish, minced
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• One 16 ounce wheel of brie preferably in wooden box, chilled

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until they begin to release their moisture, about 3 minutes. Add the shallots and continue to saute until the mushrooms are tender and deeply brown, about 3 more minutes. Pour in the wine and scrape up any browned bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Add the salt and sage and cook until the wine is fully absorbed. Remove from the heat.
• Meanwhile, remove the brie from its box, discard the paper, and carefully saw off the top rind. Discard . Place the brie back in the box, and carefully fit a sheet of foil around the base (note: if you don’t have a box, simply create a little foil bundle for it). Place the brie on a baking sheet and spread the mushroom mixture on top of it.
• Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and oozing over the sides. Alternatively, you can chill in the fridge for up to 5 hours, until you’re ready to bake and serve!
• Either serve directly in the box, or carefully remove it using kitchen shears and slide the brie onto a platter. Serve immediately alongside crackers or toasted baguette.

If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe - I'd love to see it!