Celebrate New Year’s Eve With Supreme Crispy Baked Brie En Croute

I’ve been looking for new ways to make brie in cool circles. Brie en croûte (“en croûte” translates to “in the crust”) is a New Year’s Eve party staple, promising decadence with softly oozing cheese. Many recipes add jam, honey or nuts to the parcel, but I say we welcome 2024 with a dose of fancy foods and ground beef. Instead of serving the same old baked brie, serve something unexpected at your New Year’s Eve party this year. Impress your guests with a brie en croute Crunchwrap Supreme, Taco Bell style.

I’m not ashamed of my love for Taco Bell, and the Crunchwrap Supreme is undoubtedly their best product. It consists of seasoned ground beef, processed cheese, a hard corn tortilla, lettuce, tomato and sour cream, all encased in a soft tortilla. The bag is lined with a rack on both sides to secure the tortilla and keep it warm. It may not be difficult, but it’s damn good.

En croûte simply means “in the crust,” so I feel like everything that makes Crunchwrap great can make brie en croûte even better. (What monster could say no to zesty baked brie, Taco Bell style?) I was ready to add the seasoned beef and all the necessary ingredients to a brie roll, but then I wondered, “What should I wrap it in?” The Crunchwrap is packaged in a soft flour tortilla, giving it a chewy consistency and an easy-to-handle wrap. Traditional brie en crûte is wrapped in puff pastry, giving it a flaky, rich and buttery layer. I couldn’t decide, so I did both.

I found the puff pastry version to be a great showcase of bronzed pastry and overflowing lettuce. From a presentation standpoint, this is much more ideal for a party. I cut my cheese too early, which is a risk with all baked brie, so the cheese was too melty. Otherwise, it worked as promised: the taste of Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme with a decadent, buttery crust and melty brie cheese.

The tortilla version was more of a Crunchwrap clone. I prefer the chewy texture of a flour tortilla to the flaky puff pastry, but many will disagree. Once the cheese has cooled to a controlled liquid, this brie en croute is cut into clean slices to separate it and is much easier to handle than puff pastry cheese. At the same time, visually, brie made from puff pastry attracts much more attention.

Fortunately, there is no wrong choice. Serve it simply with a small knife and let your guests cut it. Your friends and family will definitely love it for its savory taste and, of course, its creativity. Either way, you’ll start the new year with a sense of adventure.

Crispy brie en croute with puff pastry

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces ground beef

• 1 tablespoon Taco Bell Seasoning Mix

• 1 sheet defrosted puff pastry (I used frozen Pillsbury puff pastry )

• 6 or 7 ounce wheel of brie (a wide wheel is better than a tall wheel)

• 1 corn tostada (I used Guerrero tostadas)

• ½ cup chopped or shredded lettuce

• ¼ cup chopped tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon sour cream

• Egg wash

1. Fry the beef in a frying pan (you can add a pinch of baking soda to brown it if desired). Use a paper towel to remove excess grease and moisture if more than a tablespoon accumulates in the pan. Add Taco Bell Seasoning Blend. Set aside to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.

3. Lightly flour your work surface and place the defrosted puff pastry on top. Use a rolling pin to roll it out in both directions for about an inch of extra surface area. Place the puff pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

4. Place the cooled beef mixture in the center of the dough sheet. Top with tostada and place circle of brie on top of tostada. Bring the edges up and toward the top of the brie. Start folding the dough until it comes together. Brush a light coat of egg wash on the outside to seal and brown the dough. The top will not close completely; it’s okay because we’ll put fresh vegetables on top. However, this can cause the dough to wilt in the oven, so I wrapped a piece of buttered kitchen string around the middle to support the dough.

5. Bake the brie for 20 to 25 minutes at 400°F or until puffed and browned. Cool for 15 minutes.

6. Top with chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes and a little sour cream. Remove string and serve.

Brie Croute Supreme Wrap

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces ground beef

• 1 tablespoon Taco Bell Seasoning Mix

• 1 ½ 10-inch soft flour tortillas

• 6 or 7 ounce wheel of brie (a wide wheel is better than a tall wheel)

• 1 corn tostada (I used Guerrero tostadas)

• ½ cup chopped or shredded lettuce

• ¼ cup chopped tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon sour cream

• Oil to lightly coat the pan

• 3 or 4 toothpicks

1. Fry the beef in a frying pan (you can add a pinch of baking soda to brown it if desired). Use a paper towel to remove excess grease and moisture if more than a tablespoon accumulates in the pan. Add Taco Bell Seasoning Blend. Set aside to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place a round of brie on a piece of parchment paper in a small cake pan. Place the brie in the oven and preheat for 5-7 minutes. This is just to take the chill off and soften the brie. Don’t heat it too much or it will be very difficult to work with. Put this aside.

3. Lightly grease the bottom of a non-stick frying pan with neutral vegetable oil. Don’t turn on the heating yet. Take a flour tortilla and place it on top of the warmed brie. Take the cooled mold in your right hand, place your left hand on the flatbread and turn it over so that the brie comes out of the mold and is already in the center of the flatbread. Place this on a cold frying pan.

4. Arrange the seasoned beef around and on top of the brie. Place tostada on top and spread with sour cream. Top with half of the shredded lettuce and tomatoes. If you haven’t guessed already, a 10-inch tortilla won’t cover that giant mound, so take half of another tortilla and place it in the center, on top of the lettuce and tomatoes. Gather and fold the first quilt along the edges so that it overlaps the second quilt. Use several toothpicks to pierce the folds (be sure to grab the center half of the tortilla when piercing).

5. Turn the burner to medium heat and cook the bottom of the wrapper for about two minutes. Cover the pan with a plate and carefully invert it. Using a spatula, lift the parcel back into the pan, tucking in the folds to brown the other side.

6. Cool the brie cheese for 15 minutes. Top with remaining shredded lettuce and tomatoes. Remove toothpicks and serve.

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