Thanksgiving Leftovers: Cranberry Baked Brie

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Well, it’s hard to believe this is the week of Thanksgiving already.  Every year it comes faster and faster doesn’t it! My husband and I host an annual Friendsgiving, or a Thanksgiving Potluck with our friends, the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  It’s a nice excuse to get together with friends and eat some good food.  We make the turkey and homemade gravy (and anything else missing) and ask our guests to provide a dessert, side, drink, or snack and it’s always a lot of fun.  It’s neat because the mix of people every year is different, which means a different mix of food too.  The first year I did this (2004 I think?) there were 25 people that came and it was a little nuts!  The past few years it’s been a smaller group but still a good time.

As you can imagine, between Friendsgiving and the real Thanksgiving we usually have quite a bit of leftovers.  Each year we get better at finding ways to use them all up!  As I mentioned on Friday, this week I will be sharing some of those recipes with you.  I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share on what to make on Thanksgiving, so I thought it would be fun to help you with the aftermath. 🙂

Today I am giving you a recipe for using up that last bit of cranberry sauce and extra pie dough.  I wanted to share this with you early in the week just in case you want to make is as a snack for your guests on the day.  It’s oooey baked Brie with cranberry sauce wrapped in pie crust and it’s amazing!  This appetizer is relatively easy to make and will make you the hit at any party.

Let’s rock some leftover cranberry sauce!

Start by preheating the oven and covering a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Roll out your pie dough to about 1/4″ thick to a size large enough to completely wrap the brie.

Then you’ll dollop your cranberry sauce in the center.

The weight of the brie on top of it will make it spread, so just spread it out a little.  We’re assembling this upside down so the seams are on the bottom and the cranberry sauce ends up on top.  Place the wheel of Brie on top of your cranberry sauce.  I used a large 16-ounce wheel.  If you use a smaller one, just cut your dough down to size and reduce the amount of cranberry sauce you use.

Now bring the dough up and seal it on the top.  I just kind of folded it up like a present and then pressed the dough into itself to seal.  Remember, this is going to be the bottom so it doesn’t need to be perfect.

Then gently turn it over and place it on the cookie sheet. You can also use a cookie cutter to make a design with the dough scraps (you can see I used a leaf cookie cutter). Mix together the water and a beaten egg (also know as an “eggwash”).  Brush this over the pastry, it will give it a nice sheen.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and cooked. Let it sit out for 10 minutes before slicing into it, so the cheese doesn’t ooze out too fast.

Serve with bread or crackers and get ready for anyone that eats it to ask for the recipe. 😉  I’ve also made it with this Pumpkin Butter and I bet it would be tasty with Apple Butter too.

What’s your favorite use for leftover cranberry sauce?

Stay tuned for another leftover recipe tomorrow and throughout the week!