This is a recipe I created myself (gasp!) - and it only has 4 ingredients (no longer so impressive, huh?). It's a pretty good appetizer as either part of a cheese course or for 2-3 people to share. I would NOT suggest making this yourself because you will be in danger of finishing the whole thing and suffering the same horrible dairy stomachache that the French make fun of foreigners for. At least we don't have French bathrooms.
Baked Camembert
1 round Camembert or Brie (the Presidente brand works pretty nice)
1 package filo dough (or phyllo, phillo, newspaper, whatever you call it), thawed if frozen
3-4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon black raspberry preserves or jam, seedless if available
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the packaging from the Camembert and cut the top of the rind off - about 1/4 inch. DON'T THROW THE RIND AWAY. Scoop about a Tablespoon size hole of cheese out of the center (nibble on removed cheese off spoon or on cracker as you finish preparing the rest). Fill the hole with the black raspberry preserves and replace the top rind. Set aside.
Working with filo dough is not scary as long as you keep your workspace DRY. Any moisture outside of butter is the enemy of filo. You don't need the assistance of flour as long as you start with your filo at fridge temp and keep your hands and cutting board/counter top dry. If the dough gets wet it'll stick like normal dough and if it is too cold (working with it straight from the freezer like I've made the mistake of doing) it'll crack all over the place. Other than that, your filo will be golden.
Melt the butter in either a sauce pan on the stove or in the microwave in a bowl. Unroll the filo onto a cutting surface. It's packaged in a rectangular shape so you will need to cut a section off the left or right to be square and symmetrical to your Camembert round. Set the stack of squares aside and start by alternating brushing each layer with melted butter and placing each layer on top of one another. Keep doing this until you have no more sheets or you get bored (I usually get through 2/3 of the stack). Set the Camembert round on top of the last buttered layer and brush the round with butter. Fold one corner of the square onto the round and brush the underside with butter. Repeat until all corners are folded up and mini corners are folded as well - creating a little round filo package of cheesy goodness. Brush the whole round with butter (including the underside) and bake on a cookie sheet for around 10-15 minutes or until the filo is golden brown and crispy. Serve with a butter knife to spread onto crackers.
I can't take all the credit. I did help my grandma Janet make a play on the filo/brie/jelly recipe during Christmas of 09. The recipe is also in the ABC Grannies cookbook. Here's how to make a similar version of this for a party:
Red Pepper Jelly Brie Bites
2 packages frozen mini phyllo pastry shells, thawed
3 oz Brie cheese, rind removed, cut into 30 small pieces
1/2 cup red pepper jelly
3 Tablespoons chopped roasted salted almonds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon red pepper jelly into each pastry shell. Top with piece of cheese. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted.
I suggest making these in batches during hor d'oeuvre time to keep them hot. Makes 30 bites.
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