Honey-Baked Brie Wrapped in Phyllo
serves 8
NOTE: A small wheel of brie can be wrapped in phyllo to form an
extralarge beggar's purse. Serve the warm brie with a very sharp
knife and spread it on crackers. The white, chalky mold that covers
a wheel of brie can give off an ammonia-like odor when heated,
especially if the cheese has been wrapped in packaging for some
time and been unable to breathe. Remove the mold to prevent this
problem. For this recipe, thaw a 1-pound box of phyllo (which has
about 20 sheets) in the refrigerator overnight. Let the boxed
phyllo come to room temperature on the counter for 2
hours.
10 sheets frozen phyllo dough (about 8 ounces), thawed and brought to room temperature
1 wheel of brie (about 2 pounds, 6 inches in diameter)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove phyllo from box and place on kitchen cloth that's just barely damp. Cover with another barely damp cloth and then a dry cloth to prevent phyllo from drying out.
2. Scrape white, chalky layer of mold off cheese rind, leaving remaining rind intact (see figure 7). Working with one phyllo sheet at a time, brush about 11/4 teaspoons melted butter lightly over sheet and arrange according to figures 8 and 9.
3. Place trimmed brie in center of phyllo layers. Use back of spoon to spread honey over top of brie. Following figure 10, lift edges of phyllo to enclose cheese, gathering excess on top. Brush surface with remaining tablespoon of butter and place on parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet.
4. Cover top of phyllo with piece of foil (see figure 11) and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until phyllo is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer brie to platter and serve immediately.