Baked Brie is from the gods. Seriously, I don’t do it often, because I have no control.

Baked Brie is brie on steroids, it takes this already delicious cheese to another level. It is definitely a showstopper too. Whether you make individually  wrapped cheeses or one big round, your guests will love it. It is like unwrapping a Christmas present. What is great about baking a Brie, is that you can go the sweet or savoury route. For the sweet option, I use cranberries, pistachios, honey and thyme and for the savory one, olives, artichokes, peppers etc.

Yesterday I posted ideas to make Snack Times easy and fuss-free. Having a few brie of camembert cheeses in the fridge is just another idea to always be ready for guests. I prep the cheese parcels earlier in the day if I know I am going to have guests. So all I need to do, when my guests arrive, is to switch on the oven, put some lipstick on and you are ready to blow them away.

Baked Brie with Pesto and roasted tomatoes

serves 6 – if you’re using a Vinter’s Brie, or make 6 individual portions

Ingredients

1 Fairview Vinter’s Brie

125 ml basil pesto

some truss tomatoes

a little olive oil

salt and pepper

fresh basil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 C, place the truss tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt an pepper. Roast the tomatoes for 10-15 minutes or until the burst open and have some char marks. Keep until needed.

Place the cheese on a piece of baking paper and with a sharp knife, cut the cheese in half horizontally. Spread pesto lavishly on the bottom half of the cheese. Take half of your tomatoes and remove the trusses. Place tomatoes on the pesto, season with salt and pepper and place the top half of the cheese on top. Bring all 4 corners of the baking paper together and tie with a piece of string. Just before serving, warm the cheese in the microwave for 2 minutes or bake in a preheat oven (180 C) for 5 minutes. Serve with more truss tomatoes and lots of crusty bread

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