Appetizers / November 16, 2022

brie and bourbon apple tarts

Name: brie and bourbon apple tarts
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 sheets puff pastry (1 box), softened; 1/4 cup apricot preserves; 2 8-oz wheels brie; 2 medium honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced; 1/3 cup brown sugar; 2 tbsp butter, melted; 1 tbsp bourbon; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ginger; 1/4 tsp cloves; 1 egg, for brushing; flaky sea salt, to sprinkle

Apple, meet Brie. You two are gonna hit it off just fine.

Coming at you with a dish somewhat like apple pie, but not. Real helpful, I know. Channeling the beloved sweet-savory taste play in these Brie and Bourbon Apple Tarts, some pretty and pretty delish autumn appetizers. Plus, they’re laced with booze. As I am wont to do.

I initially had a different idea for apples and cheese, but I kept rethinking the concept and my brain wove an image of something with puff pastry. I remembered my Peach Ricotta Tarts from summer, which I loved, and figured a fall version could do a Thanksgiving table good. Fruit and cheese is quite a supple pairing, and for real, brie and apples is one of the finest you could marry.

Tipsy apples washed in a brown sugar-cinnamon coating, piled over creamy Brie, and baked in puff pastry until golden and gooey. They’re wonderfully simple, too, which is always nice during a day that begs for your full gastronomic attention.

Go Home Apples, You’re Drunk

You’ll probably want to eat the cinnamon apples straight. They’re luscious, so I don’t blame you. Try to save some for the tarts, though, else you’ll have nakey puff pastry. It’s a modest dough, likes to be filled, not left exposed. Sheesh.

Slice the apples pretty thin, so they’re more apt to soften when baked. I use honeycrisps for the job, but any sweeter variety of apple will do. I’d try fuji as an alternative. Throw some butter, brown sugar, bourbon, and spices over the apples. Resist the urge to nom.

Puff Daddy

Tip: to quickly bring puff to room temp, set out on the counter for 10-15 minutes. You can also take the sheets out of their wrapping and zap in the microwave for about 10 seconds on high power. Either method gets them pliable enough to work with.

Roll the pastry sheets out a bit and slice 4 squares from each (so 8 total, if math isn’t your thing). Layer with a touch of apricot preserves – yes, it sounds odd, but it adds a lovely tartness to the base flavor – a couple slabs of sliced Brie, and a few apples. Keep the rind on the Brie, by the way. Fold the pastry borders inward, crimp with a fork, and brush with an egg wash. Pop the baking sheets in the fridge to chill the pastry so it puffs up more nicely when baked.

After a bit, take those babies out of the fridge and chuck them in the oven. If you’re like me (I hope you’re not in many ways, for your sake) you might stand by the oven with the internal light on watching the pastries slowly creep upward and the brown sugar coating melt gently into the Brie. To be fair, it is more interesting than watching paint dry.

The pastries are perfect with just a hit of flaky salt as a garnish, maybe some fresh thyme as well. Halve them and serve warm. The recipe is easily doubled, too, if you have a big crowd to feed.

If you’re wary of apple and Brie together, I encourage you to give it a shot. And maybe take a shot of bourbon while you’re making the apples, if you’d like. Enough ounces and anything tastes good; though you don’t have to be drunk to like these. And don’t drive, please.

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

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