Baked Brie with Mushrooms

I adore the creaminess of Brie cheese. Just spread on a cracker, it has a deliciously mild flavor and smooth texture.

A couple of years ago, at a party, someone made phyllo-wrapped brie as an appetizer and I instantly loved the idea. For this year's Christmas party, I searched for a recipe that might satisfy the masses.

A lot of recipes, especially holiday recipes, combine Brie cheese with cranberries. That is a wonderful combination, don't get me wrong, but I was searching for something a little more savory. I came across this recipe for Baked Brie with Mushrooms.

The original recipe called for phyllo pastry but I happened to have a sheet of puff pastry left over from another occasion so I used it instead. The result is the same, except the pastry around the outside is a little ... well, puffier.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
4 sheets frozen phyllo, thawed (or 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed)
2 Tbsp. margarine, melted
1 pkg. Brie cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Saute mushrooms and onion in dressing in frying pan until tender. Set aside to cool.

Brush one sheet of phyllo lightly with melted butter. Cover with remaining 3 phyllo sheets, brushing each layer with butter. Cut a circle from the stack that is big enough to wrap around the Brie (discard trimmings).

- OR -

Brush sheet of puff pastry with melted butter. Cut a circle from the stack that is big enough to wrap around the Brie (discard trimmings).

Cut Brie in half horizontally. Place one half of cheese in center of pastry; top with half of the mushroom mixture. Top with other half of cheese and remaining mushrooms. Wrap pastry around cheese, folding it as needed to completely enclose the cheese. Brush the top with the remaining butter. Place on a baking sheet or pie plate.

Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with crackers.

Nutritional Info
Serving Size = 2 Tbsp
Calories: 131; Total fat: 9.5 g; Saturated fat; 4.8 g; Cholesterol: 25 mg; Sodium: 225 mg; Carbohydrate: 7.2 g; Protein: 4.3 g; Vitamin A: 6% DV; Calcium: 3% DV; Iron: 4% DV