Valentine's Day Excess: Chocolate and Cheese
Submitted by Stuart Broz on Thu, 02/12/2009 - 12:15am
It's that time of year when minds turn to seduction via food. The question is, which old standby do you turn to, cheese or chocolate?
Just to be safe, I humbly suggest both.
This is how I made a chocolate brie en croute (the one pictured, in fact). I almost never follow recipes, so it feels a bit odd to write one. Feel free to deviate from it at will. If you do try it, let me know how it turns out... the food, that is. I'm not responsible for anything that happens afterward.
That's all you.
Chocolate Brie En Croute
1 sheet puff pastry
1 baby brie wheel
1.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chips)
2 Tablespoons red wine (I used a Merlot, because that's what I had)
1 egg
1 Tablespoon water
Some crushed hazelnuts, unless your grocery store is out of them like mine was.
Thaw your puff pastry, if it is frozen. This will take most of an hour. I love frozen sheets of puff pastry. They're expensive, but incredibly versatile.
Preheat your oven to 400º F.
Reduce your wine by about half in a small saucepan over a low heat. It should thicken up nicely.
Lay your puff pastry sheet flat.
Slice the top off of your wheel of brie and put it (rind side down) in the center of the puff pastry sheet. Most baked brie recipes of this sort just put things on top of the brie. We're going to put stuff inside.
Sprinkle your chocolate and, if you have them, your nuts on top of the piece of brie that you just put in the middle of the pastry sheet. Drizzle the chocolate with the wine. In case you were wondering why the wine is in there, it is an attempt to balance the flavors a bit. I wanted to add a wee bit of tanginess.
Put the brie wheel back together, and wrap the puff pastry around it. You may want to trim some of the pastry off. That's fine. You can use it for something else.
Turn the brie en croute over so that the pretty side is up. Put it on something oven safe. I just use a ceramic plate.
Now make an egg wash by taking the egg and mixing it with the water. Brush this on top of the pastry.
Bake for about 20 minutes.
Serve with warmed bread.
Morning Update: The leftovers are like a chocolate cheese croissant. On crack.
Comments
Marry me. Now. ...And that's
Marry me. Now.
...And that's before I've even tasted it, haha.
:)
Demanding, aren't we?
(I like that.)
hey
More days to go, you are still child.... try after 10years...
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massage
Wow...
I so need to try this. Thank you! :-)
You're welcome. Let me know
You're welcome. Let me know how it turns out.
Since I live in Louisville,
Since I live in Louisville, I'll have to make some obvious substitutions.
No red wine for me, thanks. It has to be bourbon.
Hazelnuts? Pecans, baby! Paired with chocolate and bourbon, you've got a holy trinity.
I now know what I'll be feeding to my beloved on Saturday after his hot rock massage. ;-)
Cheese and Chocolate????
Have I died and gone to heaven? I'm soooooo going to be making this! Cheese and Chocolate are my two greatest obsessions, and Brie??? My favorite cheese!!! Man, now I'm really excited for this!
Made this last night, and...
Made this last night, and... Wow. That's all I have to say! I had it for breakfast too, man it makes waking up at 7:00 on a Saturday worth it. Seriously, this is a delicious and decadent meal. I loved it so much. I'll be making it again, as well.
I'm glad you liked it!
I'm glad you liked it!
Well I love chocolate and I
Well I love chocolate and I love cheese but not sure I can imagine them together! Might have to try it though....
wow i am shocked at how many
wow i am shocked at how many people don't care about thier bodies. How many of you are obese or seriously overweight? No one sees anything wrong with stuffing yourself full of junk on a daily basis? I would just assume that i would be diabetic later on in life if i were that stupid. See why americans are called lazy and overfed? Sites like this show how true it is.
The fact that someone might
The fact that someone might appreciate Chocolate Brie En Croute means neither that they eat it on a daily basis nor eat a large quantity of it. I don't advocate for either of these things.
That said, brie en croute is actually a French dish, not an American one. The addition of a relatively small amount of bittersweet chocolate does not make it significantly worse for you.
Kitchenhacker.net is not dedicated to food that is bad for you. It isn't This Is Why You're Fat (though you might have found the link to this page there). Much of the food featured on this site is actually fairly healthy. In particular, I am a big fan of freshly prepared cooking with little in the way of preservatives, processed foods, or high=fructose corn syrup. I believe that those three are the culprits you should be chiding as causes of obesity.
Thank you for your input, Anonymous.
Who said it was on a daily
Who said it was on a daily basis? I'm neither obese nor overweight and I've made this twice.
Valentine's Day
Valentine’s day 2010
In this year of 2010 let us all focus on the meaning of this auspicious day honouring lovers. It is celebrated by expressing affection and sometimes the declaration of unrequited love; concentration is required and touches of delicate attentions are the order of the day.
The enjoyment of natures’ gifts surrounded by one’s loved ones is the foundation of our family lives. A step towards this state of bliss is the Valentine’s Day candle lit, intimate dinner.
At this point the choice of what food is served accompanied by a judicious selection of the wine is of the utmost importance. Ideas that instantly come to mind are: simple, seductive, succulent and fortifying. Cheese!
“Cheese is the soul of the soil. It is the purest and most romantic link between humans and the earth.” Pierre Androuet.
To ensure the evening is memorable I suggest a book of poems and recipes (www. Tastingtoeternity.com) inspired by a selection of French cheese, a country known for lovers.
Valentine's Day
That looked delicious to me but I tried it and... it did not taste melded at all. It just tasted like both. I think maybe what could taste better is adding a second sweet component that would meld well with both brie and chocolate -- the first thing that comes to mind is pears, which are delicious with both and which have a nice sweetness without being cloying. Maybe sliced pears and a gentle sprinkling of really good dark chocolate. I think when baked in the pastry this could be really nice.
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- the very first element that
- the very first element that comes to thoughts is pears, which are delightful with both and which have a awesome sweet taste without being cloying. Maybe cut pears and a soothing dropping of really excellent black chocolate.Top Business Listings