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Culinary team member and resident snack master Jeanette Donnarumma shares her creative, easy and delicious baked Brie with pesto. Wrapped in puff pastry dough and shaped like a wreath, it's perfect for the holiday season. Rach calls it "adorable" and says it tastes "fantastic!" 

Notes: Jeanette uses her favorite homemade pesto, but you can sub whatever pesto you like; store-bought is fine, too. Hot honey, which makes the pesto sweet and spicy, is widely available, but it takes two seconds to whip up your own. Simply stir together ¼ cup honey and 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (or try Rach’s version made with chili paste).

For more fun holiday-themed snacks, check out Jeannette's Antipasto Wreath and Katie Lee's Snowman Cheese Ball.  

Ingredients

For the Sweet and Spicy Pesto (see Notes):
  • ¼ cup unsalted shelled pistachios, toasted
  • 1 cup basil leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons hot honey (see Notes)
For the Wreath:
  • 1 package frozen puff pastry dough (with sheets of 2 doughs in it), defrosted
  • All-purpose flour, for rolling
  • One 8-ounce wheel of Brie cheese
  • ½ cup store-bought or homemade Pesto (above)
  • ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Chili flakes or hot honey (see Notes), for garnish

Yield

Serves: 6 to 8

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

For the pesto, pulse the pistachios in the bowl of a food processor a few times until they just begin to break down. Add the basil, garlic, Parm and salt and pepper to taste and pulse a few times to combine. With the machine running, stream in the olive oil, then stream in the hot honey. 

For the wreath, roll out 1 sheet of dough into a 15 x 15-inch square, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Transfer the dough to a rimless cookie sheet. Roll out the remaining sheet of dough into a 15 x 15-inch square. Trim it into a circle 14 inches in diameter and set aside.   

Place the wheel of Brie in the center of the dough on the cookie sheet. Spoon the pesto around the Brie, forming a 4-inch ring, then sprinkle with Parm. Lay the circle of dough over the Brie and pesto. Using your hands, gently press the dough along the sides of the Brie to remove as much air as possible. 

Using a sharp knife, trim the square of dough so it's the same size as the circle of dough. Starting at the base of the Brie, cut the dough into 16 even sections so that it resembles an octopus with 16 arms. Twist each section of dough 2 times, then brush all of the dough with the beaten egg. 

Bake the Brie until the dough is puffed and golden, 10 to 14 minutes.  

Transfer to a serving platter, cut around the circumference of the Brie with a serrated knife and pull off the top to expose the melty cheese. Garnish with chili flakes or hot honey and serve immediately.