I cant turn down pumpkin-themed foods, regardless of their actual pumpkin content.
Anything goespumpkin desserts, pumpkin beers; even things that are just pumpkin-shaped.
Thats precisely why an adorable, pumpkin-shaped baked brie fits my needs this fall.
It also happens to be damn delicious.
Whats a baked brie?
Baked brie is a celebrated cool-weather appetizer.
An entire wheel of brie cheese wrapped in puff pastry and baked until puffed and golden.
Ill take five, thanks.
(you could also bake several wheels in abig ol pan.)
Its usually accompanied by a complementary layer of sweet jam and maybe some crunchy nuts.
The result is a liquid cheese bomb bound to a layer of buttery pastry.
The pumpkin preparation appeals to my festive-holiday-food reptilian brain, so I cant resist.
The pastry expands while the string restricts the expansion in thin bands.
When the twine is removed, the shape resembles our favorite autumnal squash.
Use my method below to avoid the hiccups I noticed with other recipes across the internet.
Step 1: Lay out the string on parchment paper
Preheat your oven to 400F.
Cut five pieces of butchers string, each one 15- to 18-inches long, and butter them.
Its an unconventional step, but trust me, you want to grease them.
In the center of a parchment paper-lined sheet tray, lay out the strings in an asterisk-like pattern.
The strings should all cross in the center.
Start with an X-shape and lay the next three pieces across so theyre all evenly spaced.
These will be your pumpkins lumps, if you will.
Youll be able to see the impression of the strings underneath.
Try and put the center of the strings at the center of the pastry.
Place the wheel of brie on top.
I usedTrader Joes Pumpkin Spread, chopped walnuts, and an eight and a half-ounce wheel of truffle brie.
Cut off excess pastry rather than building up a knot of dough.
(Save the scraps of puff forthese recipes!)
Pinch any seams closed.
If you get confused over which string ends are attached, give them a gentle tug to see.
Use the parchment paper to help you flip the entire brie over so the knots are on the bottom.
have a go at be gentle.
Plate the pumpkin, make a little stem out of anything stick-shaped and poke it into the top.
Regardless of your flavor combinations, your pumpkin-shaped baked brie is sure to be a star appetizer.
