Heart-shaped Baked Brie
14 December 2023
A Romantic Appetizer with Garlic Butter and Honey
Let me share one of my favorite showstopping appetizers – a heart-shaped baked brie nestled in crusty bread with aromatic garlic butter. This elegant yet cozy dish never fails to impress guests at parties and gatherings. The combination of melty cheese, crusty bread, and savory-sweet toppings creates an irresistible centerpiece that’s both beautiful and delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
After experimenting with various baked brie presentations, this heart-shaped version has become my go-to for special occasions. The garlic butter infuses the bread as it bakes, while the honey adds just the right touch of sweetness to complement the rich, creamy cheese.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- The brie: to make this cute heart shape, you will need an oval shaped brie. I know this is not very common to find outside of Australia, but you can always cut up the round brie into a heart shape! A cold brie is a lot easier to cut so keep your brie cold.
- Bread: A round loaf of sourdough is ideal – Must be fresh and sturdy Alternatives: Artisan boule, country bread, rustic Italian loaf. Choose bread larger than the brie. Save carved out portion for dipping.
- Garlic butter: it’s essentially, butter, garlic, parsley and chilli flakes. You can adjust the ingredients for a different flavour profile if you desire. Use softened unsalted butter for easy spreading. You could also use store-bought compount butter that’s already seasoned.
- Fresh Herbs: I used parsley but you could also use other herbs, such as Thyme, chives, mixed herbs
- Toppings: i’m going with the classic cheese board items! Bread, grapes, green apples and walnuts! But of course, adjust to your liking. Some ideas are:
- Sweet Elements: Honey drizzle, fresh grapes, sliced apples, fig jam, dried fruits, pear slices
- Crunchy Elements: walnuts, additional bread for dipping, Pecans, Almonds, crackers
Pro Tips for Perfect Presentation
- Shaping the Brie: Use cold brie for clean cuts, make precise diagonal cut. Trim if needed for symmetry
- Bread cutting: Cut slightly larger than brie. Keep walls thick enough for stability. Save carved portion for dipping
Make-Ahead Tips
- Prepare garlic butter in advance.
- Cut bread day before. Shape brie ahead by a few hours.
- Assemble just before baking
Remember, the key to success is working with room temperature butter and cold brie for shaping. Don’t worry if your heart shape isn’t perfect – once it’s melted and golden brown, it will look (and taste) amazing!
Ingredients
1 block of brie (preferrably oval shaped)
1 round crusty bread
3-4 tbsp butter, softened
2 garlic cloves, minced
parsley, minced
chilli flakes, adjust to taste
honey
Dippers:
Bread
Apples, sliced
Grapes
Walnuts
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- To make the heart shaped brie, cut your oval-shaped brie in half diagonally. Then flip one half to create a heart shape. If you can’t find oval-shaped brie at your supermarket, you can alway carve out the heart shape with a traditional round brie.
- Prepare your garlic butter by combining the butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper together. Set aside
- Place the brie over your loaf of bread as a guide and trace the heart shape with a knife. Set the brie aside and carve out the heart shape from your loaf of bread.
- Spread the garlic butter on the inside of the carved section of your bread. Then insert the brie into the buttered hole you’ve created. Scored the top of your brie and spread on more garlic butter.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with a range of different dippers.
Heart-shaped baked brie
Ingredients
- 1 block brie (preferrably oval shaped)
- 1 round crusty bread
- 3-4 tbsp butter, softened
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- parsley, minced
- chilli flakes, adjust to taste
- honey
Dippers:
- Bread
- Apples, sliced
- Grapes
- Walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- To make the heart shaped brie, cut your oval-shaped brie in half diagonally. Then flip one half to create a heart shape. If you can't find oval-shaped brie at your supermarket, you can alway carve out the heart shape with a traditional round brie.
- Prepare your garlic butter by combining the butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper together. Set aside
- Place the brie over your loaf of bread as a guide and trace the heart shape with a knife. Set the brie aside and carve out the heart shape from your loaf of bread.
- Spread the garlic butter on the inside of the carved section of your bread. Then insert the brie into the buttered hole you've created. Scored the top of your brie and spread on more garlic butter.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with a range of different dippers.