Healthy Holidays: Baked Brie Pastry (Guest Post)

I always try to find a balance between eating good food and food that tastes good. Around the house, LE and I tend to have snacks like muffins made with whole wheat flour and almost no added fats or sugar. Yes, that ends up being a fine snack for us, but I most of them wouldn't get served to guests. 

That's why I'm excited to share with you this series that the gals at Createlive [kree-ATE-liv] are doing right now. They are taking great recipes for the holidays and remaking them into a healthy (or healthier) version. Take a look at some of these recipes they've posted so far:

So, without further ado, check out this great looking recipe that Createlive sent over! All of the following photos and text are theirs.

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

Here come the holidays. This year, I challenge you - yes, you - to be a little more careful in order to be a little more happy and survive the holiday season guilt-free. A delicious holiday feast - complete with appetizers, stuffing, and even dessert - can be had on a "calorie" budget. If you're looking for a trim holiday dinner, check out the "Healthy Holidays" series.

Today: Pastry-wrapped Brie with Cranberry Basil Sauce, Walnuts, and Kahlua Syrup. Does it get better? This dish was devoured in about 15 minutes at my house. Might want to double the recipe... ;-)

Pastry-wrapped Brie with Cranberry Basil Sauce, Walnuts, and Kahlua Syrup

Ingredients:
1 wheel of Brie Cheese
1/2 tablespoon Basil
1 tablespoon Honey
1 cup of whole fresh cranberries
1 cup of water
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 sheet of pastry dough (I used Pepperidge Farms)
1 cup Kahlua
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Walnuts or Pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Set pastry sheet out to thaw.
3. In a small or medium saucepan, boil water and add cranberries. You can substitute ½ can of whole cranberry sauce, if desired.
4. Add basil and honey and stir frequently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Use a roller to smooth out pastry sheet. Push and roll toward the edges to thin the pastry dough while also making it larger.
6. Cut brie in half sideways, so that you end up with two thinner, yet still circular, wheels. Place the bottom layer in the middle of the pastry dough.
7. Cover this layer with cranberries. If they drip down the sides, that’s fine. You’re wrapping it up later, anyways!
8. Place the second half of cheese on top. Add another layer of cranberry.
9. Fold up pastry dough. Beginning on one side, pick up a corner and fold up, covering the side of the dough, then use your fingers to crinkle the dough, making flaps that can be overlapped. Continue moving around the dough until you reach where you started. See picture below for a visual.
10. Place in a circular (if possible) casserole dish that is a bit larger than the pastry dough itself (so that there is a bit of a margin around the food). Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and use a knife to poke holes down through the top of the brie. If you’d like, you can also purposely break the pastry dough a bit around the tops, allowing the cheese to melt down a little bit more.
12. Pour 1 cup of Kahlua over the top of the brie. It will drip down the sides and take residence in the margin around the pastry.
13. Sprinkle brown sugar and nuts around the brie, dropping them into the Kahlua.
14. Bake for another 20 minutes.
15. Remove from oven and serve with crackers (I used Wheat Thins).

Check out this year's Winter '11 series of Healthy Holiday Recipes! Includes healthy recipes for stuffing, baked brie, cherry pomegranate pie, kahlua and walnut sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce...

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]

[Click here for more Healthy Holiday recipes for a guilt-free holiday season!]