Brie Crescent Wreath
This delicious brie crescent wreath is a stunning festive centrepiece. Imagine molten and gooey brie, tart cranberry sauce and curls of parma ham, encased in buttery, flaky croissant dough. All finished off with a drizzle of sweet honey and herby thyme. Who could possibly resist?
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 x 340g pack ready-to-roll croissant dough
- 90 g cranberry sauce roughly
- 6 parma ham slices optional
- 125 g brie sliced into wedges (see ‘Cooking Tips’)
- 1 large egg beaten
To serve:
- Runny honey to drizzle
- Freshly plucked thyme
- Ripe figs sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Place a 10cm ramekin or side plate in the centre.
- Unroll the croissant dough and use a sharp knife to carefully separate each triangle along the lines. Place the triangles around the ramekin/plate with the points facing outwards, overlapping, if necessary. It should look a bit like a star.
- Remove the ramekin/side plate. Using a palette knife or the back of a spoon, spread the cranberry sauce around the base of each triangle where the dough overlaps. You want it to come about 5cm from the base of the triangle. Top with a curled slice of parma ham, followed by a slice of brie. Repeat for each triangle.
- Carefully, but confidently, fold over the corners of the dough to cover the parma ham and brie filling. Then gently wrap around as you would for a croissant making sure you go under and around. It's a bit fiddly the first few wraps but once you're into it it gets easier and makes sense as you're doing it. Take care to ensure the filling is fully covered - otherwise it will leak out the gaps. If this happens, it will still taste delicious, it just won’t be as pretty.
- Brush generously with the egg wash then bake in the oven for about 18-20 minutes - or until gloriously golden and just crisp. The best indicator of whether it is ready is the dough - so don’t be tempted to take it out if the brie starts to leak out.
- Remove from the oven and gently transfer to a large serving plate. Drizzle with runny honey and sprinkle with freshly plucked thyme. Serve straight away with sliced figs, if wished!
Notes
Scroll up for a step by step guide on how to make this brie crescent wreath.
To store: any leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. It's definitely best on the day it's made.
To reheat: reheat in the oven or airfyrer at 180c until melty in the middle again.
To freeze: you can prepare this brie crescent wreath the day before up until the egg glaze. Then cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Glaze with the egg then bake from frozen for about 30-40 minutes or until the croissant dough is puffed and golden and the brie is molten and piping hot inside.
Make ahead: you can prepare this brie crescent wreath the day before up until the egg glaze. Then cover and chill in the fridge overnight. Glaze with the egg then bake as instructed 20 minutes before you wish to serve.
Cranberry sauce: swap for all sorts of chutneys and jams. I love spiced tomato or caramelised onion chutney. Sweet chilli jam or fruity fig jam are delicious too.
Protect against leaks: if you are worried about the brie leaking out before the dough is fully baked, pop the individual slices of brie in a tupperware and freeze for 1 hour. Then continue with the recipe. This gives the dough more time to cook before the brie starts to melt. Also remember, the riper the brie, the faster it will melt. However, bear in mind that a little leakage is expected, so just try to make sure you don’t have any gaps/tears in the dough.
Make it smaller: you can make a smaller brie crescent wreath by using a just one packet of croissant dough. You may need slightly less of the fillings. You can also do ones where more of the filling is exposed and the cheese gets melty and oozy in the oven. Equally as delicious!
Make it vegetarian: this brie crescent wreath is a delicious vegetarian option for a festive buffet. Simply omit the parma ham.