Stuffed Brie Cheese with Low-Carb Fillings

How to Make Stuffed Brie

When you're going to a party, and want something easy, elegant, and tasty to bring, I have a great idea for you. This appetizer can be put together in 5 minutes and will be welcome at any party. It's brie cheese -- rich, buttery, luscious and soft -- split and spread in the middle with a layer of a contrasting flavor. That flavor can be sweet, tart or savory -- a wide variety of fillings work well.

Brie is a particularly low-carb cheese -- to get a gram of carbohydrate, you'd have to eat half a pound of cheese!

One of the tricks to keeping the whole appetizer low carb is to choose an alternative to crackers or bread to serve with the cheese. For savory fillings, vegetables such as cucumber or jicama slices work well. For sweet fillings, I like thin apple or pear slices. One of my favorite things to bring to a party is a smoked salmon filled brie with cucumber slices - it is guaranteed to disappear!

How to Choose a Brie Cheese

The most important element in choosing brie is to make sure it's ripe. Unripe brie will not have that lovely, rich flavor. If you are buying wedges wrapped in clear plastic, it's easy to tell -- the cheese will be bulging on the sides, and it will be the same color all the way through. If you look at an unripe wedge closely, you will see a slightly lighter color in the center, and it will be firmer than a ripe cheese. Brie will not ripen after cutting.

Whole wheels of brie are a bit harder to be sure about. Push on the top - it should feel soft and a bit "springy" -- midway between firm and too soft.

More about choosing brie from About.com's Home Cooking Site

What You Need to Make a Stuffed Brie

• Ripe brie cheese (wedge or round), fully chilled
• Long, sharp knife (some like serrated knives for this, but I don't find a lot of difference)
• Filling (see below)
• Whipped cream cheese (optional, but helpful with some fillings)

Fillings for Stuffed Brie

Smoked salmon: This doesn't need the cream cheese "anchor," but some people like it with the cream cheese anyway.

Pesto: Sandwich a layer of pesto between layers of the whipped cream cheese. (Otherwise, the cheese "slides" on the pesto.)

Herbs: Finely mince some fresh herbs -- basil, dill, thyme, oregano, or almost any herb works well. Layer a thin spread of cream cheese, then the herbs.

Hot peppers: Mince jalpeno, serano, or any other hot pepper you like, then apply with cream cheese. You can even use Italian cherry peppers or jalpenos from a jar. Be sure to mince them fine and spread in a thin layer.

Mushrooms: Mince mushrooms and sauté with garlic, salt and pepper, and a little wine. You don't need the cream cheese for this one.

Cranberries: Tangy cranberries are a great foil for the creamy cheese. You can either use sugar-free cranberry sauce, or chop fresh cranberries and soften them in the microwave with a little sweetener. I like the chopped fresh cranberries mixed with chopped pecans or walnuts. If using cranberry sauce, you don't need cream cheese; it does, however, help anchor loose nuts and berries if you go the fresh route.

Jam: Spread a layer of sugar-free jam and a layer of cream cheese. Nuts can go well with this, for example, apricot jam with chopped almonds.

Instructions

1. Chill cheese thoroughly (it will make cutting easier).
2. Cut through the center of the cheese.
3. If using whipped cream cheese, spread on each side, about ¼ inch thick.
4. Spread filling of choice on the bottom layer, and replace the top, like you would when making a sandwich.
5. Serve at room temperature as a spread for low-carb crackers, vegetables, or hard fruit such as apples.

Leftovers can be melted into an omelet, wrapped in deli turkey slices, or, what the heck, dip a spoon in!