Due to the great camera debacle of 2010 I’m afraid I don’t have a picture of this. You’ll just have to trust me on its deliciousness. Or, you know, make it. It is the yum.

There are a thousand variations of this recipe floating around, but this is how we do it — always Christmas morning breakfast, and sometimes New Year’s morning breakfast as well (because, hey — more cheese!)

Baked brie

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (I use Pepperidge Farm; no they do not know I exist)
• One 8 ounce wheel brie cheese
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cranberries, pecans or walnuts, optional
• Platter of crackers and or apple slices
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp water

Instructions

1. THAW THE PUFF PASTRY (what? I may have forgotten this once or twice). When I remember I do it overnight in the fridge so it is ready to go in the morning

2. Lay the pastry sheet flat and slice the brie in half so you have two wheels of roughly equal thickness

3. Put one half-thick wheel on the sheet of pastry and top with brown sugar and any nuts or cranberries you want to use, then top with the other half of brie. Fold the pastry up around the brie and pinch the seams closed. If you feel so inclined you can tie it shut with a bow of cooking twine; pretty and helpful

4. Whisk the egg and water together and brush over the pastry; this will help the seams seal and give the whole thing a lovely shine

5. Bake on a cookie sheet (the cheese could overflow a little) at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until pastry is browned and brie is all melty. Serve with crackers and or apple slices

Go make it! Let me know how you love it. And, uh, take a picture for me. 😉