This is one of my go to appetizers I serve over the holidays. I love these for so many reasons…they can be made in advance, they follow the theme of the holidays with the cranberries, and they have brie in them…need I say more.
I found these mini phyllo tart shells at Central Market; you can also order them online at Amazon. You need brie, walnuts, and cranberry sauce which I purchased from Trader Joes… it is a little chunky, not too smooth and it has the perfect amount of tart versus sweet taste.
You can substitute pecans for the walnuts. Just realized that Whole Foods has chopped pecans, which makes this recipe super easy.
I place the tart shells in a cake pan.
I do not like the texture nor the taste of the brie rind so I use a peeler to get most of it off.
Roll the brie into twelve 1” balls. It is easier to put them on a plate so you can see if they are all the same size.
Make an indention in the brie with your thumb. The indention is for the cranberry sauce; it will more contained this way and it keeps the cranberry sauce from trailing onto the tart shells making them soggy and unattractive.
The shells are ready for the cranberry sauce.
Spoon 1/4 teaspoon cranberry sauce into each cavity. Try not to get cranberry sauce on the shells, it will make them soggy if your preparing these in advance.
Finely chop 1/4 cup walnuts.
Its less messy to take each shell out and sprinkle the nuts over the existing nuts, than to try to sprinkle the nuts into the pan. Trust me on this. After sprinkling the nuts, place a small dot of cranberry sauce on each tart to finish them off. Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes or until the brie has melted.
Warm Brie with a crunchy bite of walnut and a tart and sweet cranberry finish….perfection!
BRIE, CRANBERRY & WALNUT TARLETS RECIPE
Serves: 4-5 people
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 7-9 minutes
ingredients
1 Box, 12 phyllo pastry mini shells
8 ounces brie
6 teaspoons cranberry sauce
1/4 cups walnuts, (or pecans) chopped finely
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350
Place tart shells in an oven proof cake pan or cookie sheet.
Use a vegetable peeler or knife to scrap the rind off the brie.
Roll the brie into twelve 1” balls and place on plate.
Take a brie ball and make an indention with your thumb so the cranberry sauce will be contained and not run off the tarts.
Place the indented brie into the tarts and spoon 1/4 teaspoon of cranberry sauce into each cavity trying not to get cranberry sauce on the shells.
Chop your walnuts finely.
Pick up each tartlet, hold it over the chopped nuts and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts.
Add an additional small dot of cranberry sauce on each one to finish them off.
Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes till the brie has melted.
Note: They can really be heated at any temperature; Thanksgiving means your ovens are full, so heat them at whatever temperature works for you.
Note: If you are transporting these to a party, place a paper towel under them, so they do not slide everywhere, and remove towel before heating.