Baked Brie with Fig Jam in Kataifi Pastry

Baked Brie is always a great choice as an opening act to any holiday celebration. Weather it is baked in its own little wooden package, or, wrapped in puff pastry, the result is always dependable and reliable.  In this recipe, the brie is topped with fig jam and is then enclosed in kataifi  before it is baked until the cheese is thoroughly melted inside. The sweet jam and the crispy kataifi take this creamy cheese with its earthy flavor to a completely different level!

Kataifi is a Greek shredded filo pastry and it can be found in the frozen section of most Mediterranean markets and as of lately, in several supermarkets.  All it takes is to loosen or break the strands apart and then take those loose clumps of shredded filo to wrap around the entire cheese. Resist the temptation to use too much of the shredded filo or it won’t crisp properly. A drizzle of melted butter is all it needs before it goes into a hot oven.

Fifteen minutes later, a crisp, golden-brown, kataifi-wrapped, fig-jam-topped, melty, oozing brie comes out of the oven. At that point have some toasted crostini ready to serve alongside with some thinly sliced pears. With a delicious and almost effortless starter like that, the rest of your Thanksgiving menu is off to a very good start!

Baked Brie with Fig Jam in Kataifi Pastry

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: Marilena Leavitt

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 6 portions

Ingredients

• 1 wheel of brie, about 8 oz.
• 3 TBSP. fig jam
• --- handful of shredded filo dough, thawed
• 3 TBSP. melted butter
• --- toasted crostini
• --- sliced red pears
• --- pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the brie on a small baking dish, lined with parchment paper. Top with the fig jam and spread evenly.
2. Gently loosen or break the strands of the kataifi apart. Wrap the loose clumps of the shredded filo around the top and the sides of the cheese. Brush liberally with the melted butter.
3. Bake until the kataifi is crisp and golden brown—about 15-20 minutes depending on how thick the wheel of brie is. Garnish with a few pomegranate seeds. Serve on a cheese board with toasted crostini and sliced pears.

Notes

You can also use camembert instead of brie. If you can't find kataifi, you can use regular filo dough. Just wrap two buttered pieces of filo around the wheel of brie and proceed with the recipe.

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Baked Brie with Fig Jam in Kataifi Pastry

Step by step Instructions

Thaw the shredded filo overnight in your refrigerator.

Remove the wrapper from the wheel of brie (or camembert)

Place in a small baking dish and top with fig jam.

Wrap some shredded filo on the top and around the cheese.

Transfer to a cheese board and serve at once.

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