Brie en croute with blueberries and pistachios

Chef Ozzie Chavez
The Paisley Café, Orangevale

Baking brie in puff pastry is an easy way to wow your guests, who won't be able to resist scooping up the warm cheese as it oozes from the golden brown crust.

Ingredients

1 wheel brie (about 8 inches in diameter)
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (see note)
1 egg, beaten
Baguette slices or crackers

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut brie in half horizontally and place blueberries and pistachios on the bottom half. Replace the top, making sure top and bottom edges align and no berries or nuts stick out.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to a square twice the size of the brie. Place brie in the center and fold pastry up and over it, pressing dough together at the top and along the seams. Gather dough at the top and secure with a piece of kitchen twine. Carefully transfer to a lined baking sheet and brush beaten egg over dough.

Bake in the middle of the oven until pastry is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring to a serving plate. Serve with bread or crackers.

Note: You may use store-bought crescent rolls in place of the puff pastry. Gently push all the perforations together so there are no gaps in the dough.

Serves 6 to 8