Fancy appetizers are nice and all, but they’re severely lacking in whiskey. Now you can have your cheese and drink it too with this Rye Whiskey Baked Brie.
I’ve been making an alcohol-free (lame) version of this every time I go home for the holidays. It’s quick, easy, and seems much more impressive than it really is. If there’s one thing most of us need during family time though, it’s alcohol. That’s why adding this simple rye whiskey sauce is perfect.
I used STilL 630 Rally Point rye whiskey because I’m obsessed with it. No deeper meaning, flavor profile, or proper pairings. And as far as the jam goes, I was actually looking for fig, but apparently that’s not as popular as Newton would lead you to believe.
Helpful hint: phyllo dough is in the freezer section next to the pie crusts. You’re welcome.
Make sure your phyllo dough is thawed first or that shit’s gonna crack.
After putting down a butter primer, it’s time to paint a happy little blob in the middle of the phyllo dough. No need for perfection. You’re not that great of an artist, and it’s going to be hidden anyway.
Wrap the cheese in dough like a Christmahanakwanzika present. Feel free to try to make the top some cool pattern, but odds are it’s not going to work. You’re built more for eating and reading the internet than you are geometric excellence, so just own it.
The astute observer, which is not likely to be any of you, will notice that the last picture is an entirely different shape. That’s what happens when you royally eff up the first time around and have to go to the bootleg grocery store.
Two key things to remember: Don’t cut off the side rinds of the cheese, and don’t add the whiskey sauce to the top of the little bundle of joy until the cheese has been baking for 10 minutes.
Some people like to let it cool. Other dive right in. The main difference is how runny the cheese is going to be. If you wait, it will re-solidify. Crack it open immediately and you get cheesy lava. Obviously from the 1st picture I took a dip in the magmatic river of brie.
You can do whatever makes you happy. Just remember how much burning the roof of your mouth with cheese sucks. I don’t want you leaving comments about how my instructions didn’t tell you that hot coffee was hot. I don’t have the capacity for sympathy.
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This is perfect with French Freedom Bread or any number of crackers. I used Triscuits because I’m a troll. Nobody likes Triscuits. NOBODY! They’re Shredded Mini Wheats without the one good side.
Rye Whiskey Baked Brie is one of the quickest and easiest recipes I’ve made thus far. As long as you remember to let the phyllo dough thaw for a couple hours on the counter this will only take about 25 minutes, most of which is spent on the couch playing Call of Duty with your imaginary friends.
Ingredients:
- 1 (8 ounce) round Brie cheese
- 4-5 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 1/3 cup fig preserves (or blackberry if the store sucks)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 shot STilL 630 Rally Point rye whiskey
Instructions:
- Thaw phyllo dough. Takes about 2 hours, no shortcuts.
- Preheat over to 375 degrees.
- Paint a happy little butter mural on each phyllo dough sheet and place in pie plate.
- Make it rain jam in center of dough.
- Shave top rind off cheese and place on jam.
- Wrap jam/cheese in dough and seal with more butter.
- Bake in over for 10 minutes.
- While cheese is in oven, mix whiskey, brown sugar, and pecans.
- Take bonus shot of whiskey.
- When cheese has cooked for 10 minutes, slowly pour the sauce over the top.
- Bake addition 10 minutes.
- Wait. Eat. Do whatever you want.