Who knew, when I first published this recipe, that it would be the NUMBER ONE HIT on this little food blog thing-y?
Certainly not me; I’ve seen a lot of Brie baked over the past several decades, and I thought everyone must surely already have their own fave down pat.
Mebbe it’s the pepper jelly? Mebbe the Crescent Rolls?
I dunno, it’s a mystery, but…
I am back, this week, with two versions; one, more or less the original I published a couple of years ago (with all thanks to the nice folk at Pillsbury), stuffed with Pepper Jelly, then wrapped in Crescent Roll dough before baking, and the other, just the cheese, folks, baked with a center filled with pepper jelly, so folk who cannot eat gluten, can still 
enjoy this lovely little nibble (happily, there are some quite nice gluten-free cracker options available these days that will not even make you miss the Water Crackers!).
Note: the “no-dough” version NEEDS a Brie Baker or other small, round baking dish.
INGREDIENTS
•1 round (8 oz) Brie*
•1 can (8 oz) crescent dinner rolls
•Pepper jelly (a couple of tablespoons)
•1 egg, beaten
*For my latest version, I used a perfectly wonderful “Comfort Cream” cheese from the Upper Canada Cheese Company, who also had a really nice Niagara Ice Wine Red Pepper Jelly that worked a treat. If you get the chance, a visit to Southern Ontario would be a very good idea. Wineries, cheese, condiments! What’s not to love?
Of course, we love and cherish our family up there as well, oh, and did I mention the out of the way roadside barbecue joint that they showed us?
ANYwho, back to the Brie – or Comfort Cream, or whatever you prefer.
Some folk call for freezing the cheese wheel for about 15 minutes to make it easier to slice, but I’ve not really had any trouble promptly slicing a wheel straight from the fridge.
You do what you want.
Heat your oven to 350º.
If using the Crescent Roll dough, press half of the can into a rough square, sealing the seams. Arrange this in your Brie Baker, or in the middle of a parchment paper lined rimmed baking sheet.
Note: you can shape the other half of the dough into rolls and bake it with the cheese.
Place half of the cheese, rind side down, in the middle of the dough and top with the pepper jelly.
Place the other half of the cheese, rind side UP, on top of the jelly and fold the corners up and over the dough to cover. Gaps in the top are not a big deal so chill.
Going gluten-free? Slice your cheese in half, arrange one half, again, rind side down, in the baker, then top with the pepper jelly.
Place the other half (you got it, rind side UP, on top, and place the cover on the baker.
Bake for five to seven minutes, until the Brie is warmed through and the center nicely oozy, then remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes or so before serving warm.
Sticking with the Crescent Rolls? Don’t bother covering your cheese, but do brush on the beaten egg to cover any exposed dough.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned, then remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving with crackers, or crusty bread, or whatever you happen to like your baked Brie and pepper jelly on.
Speaking of Pepper Jelly…
It is really quite nice, and comes in a variety of “heats” from mild to smokin’ hot.
It can also be kinda pricey, so, I make my own, using a mix of sweet and jalapeño peppers for a nicely spiced sweet and hot pepper jelly.
That recipe, is here.