Cranberry orange peel baked brie

Serves 8 - or more, depending on what else is on your cheese board

Prep time: 15 minutes

Despite the amount of prep for thanksgiving, we sometimes forget that once thanksgiving is over, the holiday gatherings really start coming fast. I’ve started making extra cranberry sauce and canning it (or just storing it in the fridge on for the short-term), and then using it to make this awesome baked brie for any or all holiday gatherings. It’s festive and tasty, and a little surprising. See the “experiment” I perfomed in the photo below (I am a scientist, after all). The top brie is a cow’s milk brie, and the bottom a goat’s-milk brie, baked together (at the same time, for the same temperature). I personally love the flavor of the goat’s milk brie (and I lean away from too much cow’s milk myself), but I love the look of the cow’s milk one.

photo credit: Ken Kaushansky

One round of brie

Peel from two oranges, cut into strips

1T honey

1/4t each nutmeg, cloves, cardamom

1/2-3/4 cup orange cranberry sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the brie on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet or pyrex pan. Top with cranberry sauce and bake for 5-7 minutes or untill it begins to melt.

While the cheese bakes, add the strips of orange peel to a pan over low heat. The peel should be removed from the orange so that as little of the white pith is included (this is quite bitter). Add the honey and spices and heat until the honey darkens in cover. Remove from pan and put on a piece of parchment to cool.

Remove the baked brie from the oven, allow to cool for 1 minute, then top with orange peel. Serve warm with crackers or bread.