Baked Brie with Vanilla Bean Berry Compote, Pecans, & Gold Leaf

Kindi Lantz January 31, 2019

Gold Adorned Baked Brie with Vanilla Berry Compote and Pecans

From donuts and nigiri to truffles and champagne, gold leaf is popping up in restaurants, bake shops, and home kitchens across the world. A simple search for “edible gold” will return a plethora of images—even chicken wings (though I have to admit, even I think that might be taking it a bit too far).

While some of the more recent applications seem to be a fad, edible gold as a culinary adornment is anything but. The use of gold leaf in food dates back at least to the middle ages, when it is known that European royalty would decorate dishes with the precious metal as a means of demonstrating their status.

Despite its rich history (see what I did there) and the more recent surge in culinary popularity of gold leaf sheets, I had yet to find any edible metal used as an embellishment on a baked brie so I figured I’d create one to share with you.

I adore brie—it’s creamy, soft, buttery, nutty, and seemingly very elegant. It is quite often served at parties and other special occasions. It’s a wonder why this event favorite isn’t garnished with gold leaf more often.

Brie pairs beautifully with both sweet and savory, and nothing can top that oozy goodness of a hot, melty, baked brie. I decided to enhance this particular baked brie with a vanilla berry compote and don it with flecks of edible gold pulled from loose sheets of gold leaf. The result is aesthetically stunning. The contrast of the berry red and the dramatic sheen of the gold leaf draws the eye in and the flavor keeps you wanting more!

Gold Adorned Baked Brie with Vanilla Berry Compote and Pecans

• ⅔ cup frozen blueberries
• ⅓ cup red wine
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon fresh, grated ginger
• Seeds of 2 grade A vanilla bean
• ⅓ cup fresh raspberries, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 8-ounce round of brie
• Bread or crackers for serving
• 1 partial sheet of loose leaf edible gold

Procedure:

1. Mix the frozen blueberries, wine, honey, ginger, and vanilla caviar together in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil before reducing to simmer.
2. Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
4. Stir the fresh raspberries, pecans, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt into the blueberry mixture and simmer for another 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has thickened to a syrup consistency.
5. Once the oven has preheated, place the wheel of brie on a piece of parchment paper, and bake on a baking sheet for 12 minutes, or until the cheese is oozy.

Serving Suggestions:

Immediately upon pulling the brie from the oven, place it on the serving platter and spoon the berry compote over top. Garnish with additional pecans, fresh raspberries, and small, rough sections of edible gold.

Alternatively, you could cover the entire cheese wheel with the gold leaf prior to spooning the vanilla berry compote over top. Let your culinary creativity guide you.

You can buy your edible 24 karat gold sheets here.

Need inspiration? Follow us on Instagram to see what some of our customers are creating with their gold leaf sheets!