Karen Leslie

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How to Make Perfect Baked Brie

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Making Baked Brie for your next gathering is a guaranteed hit. Baked Brie is easy and quick to assemble, and you can keep all of the ingredients on hand to throw together in a pinch. You can even assemble it the day before and pop it in the oven at the last minute. Voila! Delicious, decadent, gorgeous Baked Brie! Make sure you clear the area around the Baked Brie. It draws a crowd.

Ingredients

  • 1 Brie wheel or wedge (8oz + for party size)
  • 8-12 Phyllo Dough sheets or 1 sheet Puff Pastry (thawed)
  • Melted Butter or Ghee
  • 2-3 T organic Apricot Jam (low sugar)
  • A handful of Almond Flakes
  • Crackers of choice
  • Step 1
  • Step 2
  • Step 3 with Puff Pastry option

STEP 1 & 2 ~ PREP & BAKE

For Baked Brie in Phyllo Dough – Thaw 1 sleeve. Start with a large piece of foil coated with non-stick spray. Carefully unroll Phyllo Dough sheets and lay the first sheet on the foil. Brush with Butter (do not completely saturate). Lay another sheet cross-ways on top of the first sheet. Brush with butter. Repeat until you have  8-12 sheets layered in a circle. Place Brie in the middle of the phyllo dough layers. Carefully fold layers to cover the top. This is a bit messy and the dough may flake. Press down to slightly flatten top. Spread with Apricot Jam and sprinkle with Almond Slivers. Brush exposed phyllo dough with melted butter. Do not saturate. Fold foil up around the brie and close loosely so that the foil does not touch the top (like a cocoon with a 3 inch opening). Place brie foil packet on a cookie sheet or directly on oven rack. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, loosen foil so the sides become crisp and golden. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes. Phyllo dough will be crisp and brie soft to the touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

For Baked Brie in Pastry Dough – Thaw 1 sheet. Lay down parchment paper, dust lightly with flour. Lay down thawed Pastry Dough sheet. Dust lightly with flour and roll until flattened a bit. Place Brie in the middle of pastry dough. Fold dough up around the brie. Twist or wrap the ends together. Brush with Beaten Egg. Do not allow egg to pool around the bottom edges of the brie. Transfer parchment paper and brie to a glass pie plate. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

STEP 3 ~ PRESENTATION

For the Phyllo Dough version, I removed it with a spatula from the foil packet and place it on a wooden cutting board surrounded with crackers. If you use parchment paper with the Pastry Dough version, you can simply transfer the pie plate to the serving area.

Crackers: My current favorite are Trader Joe’s Norwegian Gluten-Free Crackers broken “artistically” and stacked in a small colorful ramekin.

Make Ahead: Up to 24 hours ahead, do Step 1 (minus the jam and almonds), cover and refrigerate. Be sure to allow it to warm a bit between refrigerator and oven. Add toppings just before baking. If I’m able to use my host’s oven, I check to see if I can bake it just before serving.

A Note about Xylitol: The low-sugar alternative I have linked in the ingredients list contains xylitol. This is a natural sweetener, HOWEVER, don’t share it with your puppy. Xylitol can be lethal to their systems. To be safe, simply look for a reduced-sugar alternative.

How to Make the Perfect Dukan Diet Galette (Recipe!)

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Dukan Diet oat bran galette with sugar free syrup. Low carb!
Dukan Diet Galette with Cinnamon

The Dukan Diet galette recipe offers up a tasty low-fat, low-carb breakfast delight. This galette recipe has been a long-time favorite of mine when I crave something warm and bread-like. The galette is a healthy low-carb, fiber-filled pancake, so I make it for breakfast a few times a week. As a traveler, when I know I’ll have access to a kitchen, I pack a small container of gluten-free oat bran (Bob’s Red Mill) and stop by a grocery store for the other ingredients. Whether you are following the Dukan Diet, counting carbs, or simply searching for a healthier version of the pancake, here’s my tweaked recipe for this sorta finicky breakfast treat. I hope you enjoy the galette recipe as much as I do!

The Perfect Dukan Diet Galette

Makes 1 yummy galette

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • 2 T oat bran (1.5 T for Attack Phase)
  • 1 T wheat bran (optional)
  • 1 1/2 – 2 T non-fat, plain greek yogurt or quark
  • Dash of cinnamon

Spray an omelet pan with coconut oil or vegetable spray and heat the pan on medium. It’s important the pan is hot, so while it’s heating, mix the first three ingredients together with a fork or whisk until smooth. If you want options like fresh or frozen blueberries, add them to the batter now. Berries do add a few carbs in case you’re counting. Pour mixture into the hot pan and sprinkle with cinnamon. I like a lot of cinnamon. Cook until edges are defined (cooked), but middle is still slightly gooey. Then flip and cook until solid, about 1 more minute. Serve with monk fruit sweetened maple syrup, if desired. Lakanto is pretty perfect.

What is Mindful Eating?

Sit down, turn off your devices, enjoy the silence and savor this healthy morning treat. It’s important to take time to mindfully feed your body. I consider exercise and good, clean food sources a gift to myself. And, it’s taken a long time for me to give myself gifts. I want to be healthy now and all my life, as much as I can help it! It goes back to my “put your oxygen mask on first” mantra. If I care for myself, everyone around me gets the best version, and I have more good stuff to give. The result? A better small and big world.

Dukan Diet Galette Ingredients

Dukan Diet

Get the Book. Includes a lot of lovely recipes.

Oat Bran

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free Oat Bran, because it’s “pure organic” and sturdy.

Wheat Bran

Again, Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Bran. I prefer unprocessed everything, when possible. It’s possible!

Sugar Free Syrup

My favorite is Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup, sweetened with monk fruit. Walden Farms has a low-calorie syrup, too. I don’t recommend syrups with malitol as it generally has unpleasant side effects…if you know what I mean, [Wink. Wink.]

Non-fat, Plain Greek Yogurt

Check the nutritional information and ingredients to make sure there is no added sugar. I personally like Triple Zero Greek Yogurt in blueberry flavor. You can use regular, coconut, or cashew yogurt, however, it’s not as dense, so you may need to adjust your amounts until you get the consistency you like. If you want a galette resembling a crepe, choose a thinner yogurt.

Non-fat, Plain Quark

In the dairy section at Trader Joe’s.

Variations for The Perfect Dukan Diet Galette

Mix in any of the following: fresh or frozen blueberries, diced sautéed veggies, or 85% chocolate bits. Note: each of these will increase the carb count.

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