Jim Coleman: Brie en Croute an oldie but goodie

Q: I'm planning to make Brie en Croute for a party next month. I remember that 30-plus years ago, this was a very popular dish at parties! Can you please send me a recipe using a whole wheel of Brie? Thank you for your time.

- Kim P.

A: You know what's scary? I could have been the cook at one of those parties 30 years ago! It's not that Brie en Croute is back in - it was never really out and seems as popular as ever.

And why not? Although there are many variations for baked Brie, they all combine a delicious, flaky crust with a creamy, melted, oozing cheese. An elegant dish in any generation.

These recipes are pretty simple, and it sounds hard to mess up, but you do need to take some precautions. Just like the little girl in the nursery rhyme, when Baked Brie en Croute is good, it's very good, but when it's bad, it's horrid!

What can go wrong with this dish? Just two things:

1. The Brie.

2. The en croute.

OK, let's break it down.

Real French Brie is a soft cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk. The authentic cheese is illegal to import into the United States, because cheese made with raw milk must be aged at least 60 days before transporting it here.

By the time it aged long enough to travel to America, Brie would be overripe. French Camembert is in the same boat (I guess I should say it's also illegal to put in the boat).

Fortunately, versions of both of these cheeses made from pasteurized milk are readily available. But if you go to France, make sure you try the real thing.

Remember when you said your party dish was popular decades ago? Legend has it that Brie (which has been dubbed "the king of all cheeses") was a favorite of Charlemagne's during the eighth century.

Brie was always on the table for King Louis XVI of France. When his table was turned during the French Revolution, he is rumored to have requested Brie for his last meal.

Brie ripens in only one to three months (depending upon its size). It has a completely edible white rind. For Brie en Croute, purchase a wheel that is slightly underripe; it should have a firmness to the touch and a sweet smell.

An overripe Brie - which is death to this preparation - will have a gummy rind and a hint of ammonia odor that will strongly intensify when cooked. When you cut into it, the smell will make you think that it was left over from the French Revolution.

Even though you want the cheese to melt, you don't want it to run all over the plate or you'll wind up with a greasy pool of cheese and an empty shell. One trick that definitely works is to freeze the Brie for 10 to 20 minutes (depending on its size) before baking.

Not only will this keep the Brie from running like lava, it also helps keep the crust crisp.

There are two things that help ensure success with the "en croute," or crust. When buying frozen puff pastry, look at the ingredients and try to purchase one that uses butter instead of oil. Butter creates a crispier crust.

The second technique to guarantee a flaky, crispy pastry is to use a hot oven, somewhere between 400-435 degrees, again depending on the size of your cheese wheel. The larger the wheel, the (slightly) lower temperature you want for your oven.

One last thing - OK, two things:

First, experiment away with all kinds of spreads. Try a variety of jams, jellies or preserves. You can stud the cheese with different types of nuts or dried fruit, too.

Finally - enjoy the party! They'll be talking about your Brie en Croute 30 years from now. *

Chef Jim Coleman, corporate chef at Normandy Farm and Blue Bell Country Club, is the author of three cookbooks and is the host of two nationally syndicated cooking shows – "A Chef's Table" on WHYY (91-FM) at noon Saturdays and "Flavors of America," on Channel 12 at 1 p.m. Saturdays and CN8 Monday through Friday, 4:30 p.m.