I love entertaining. When I am having a party or even a small get together, I feel like it is very important to have some go-to recipes for appetizers. I call my go-to recipes my "back pocket" recipes. My Raspberry Brie Tartlet recipe is one of my favorite "back pocket" recipes for hors d'oeuvres, especially during the holiday season. Throw a holiday party in style with these beautiful and simple puff pastry tartlets filled with raspberry jam, brie, and a festive sprig of thyme. Your party guests will love this puff pastry recipe and you will love how easy it is to prepare!
Please note, this post contains affiliate links which means I will receive a small commission on the sale of these items at no cost to you.
Nothing Is More Indulgent Than Puff Pastry
In my perfect world, I would eat puff pastry for every meal of the day. Perhaps I would wake up and indulge in a puff pastry cinnamon roll (yes, they do exist!). I may dine on salmon en croute with a side of arugula for lunch. I could sit down to a gigantic Beef Wellington, enveloped in flaky, buttery puff pastry. It may be my favorite indulgence.
I have made puff pastry from scratch before. However, I am a fan of store-bought puff pastry. It tastes delicious and it is super easy to bake with. This recipe requires store-bought puff pastry (although you could use homemade, if you are feeling ambitious!).
Why Store-Bought Puff Pastry?
If I am being honest, puff pastry is one of the items I don't mind buying already prepared. I am usually a make-from-scratch person, but puff pastry is one of my exceptions. Homemade puff pastry is delicious, but it is very time consuming and it can be pretty finicky. Store-bought puff pastry tastes delicious and cuts down on the difficulty and time when preparing this recipe. I don't know about you, but when I am catering a holiday party, high quality shortcuts are so nice to have. You will not sacrifice quality with store-bought puff pastry, I promise!
Tips For A Perfect Holiday Party Menu
When I am having a holiday party, I sometimes make several different appetizers to be passed around, in lieu of a formal dinner. In addition to my Raspberry Brie Tartlets, I like to choose 2-3 additional hors d'oeuvres from this list of "back pocket" recipes: jalapeno stuffed bacon wrapped shrimp, deviled eggs and angeled eggs. I try to keep a good balance of vegetarian and meat dishes. I also allocate at least 3 of each appetizer per person, just for good measure.
If I am serving appetizers and then dinner, I choose two of the appetizers above to compliment the entrée. I still allocate 3 of each appetizer per person, just to be sure we don't run out. My shepherd's pie recipe is great to serve as a main course because it contains meat, vegetables and potatoes in one dish. I usually serve my shepherd's pie with a roasted vegetable salad drizzled with a balsamic reduction.
Or, if you are interested in serving something a little lighter, my oven roasted salmon is delicious with a roasted vegetable salad and Instant Pot mashed potatoes.
Ode To Brie
Brie is one of my favorite cheeses. It is good in savory recipes but I love it even more when it is paired with something sweet. These tartlets have the perfect balance of salt from the brie and sweet from the raspberry jam. If you are looking to be even more festive, you can always replace the raspberry jam with cranberry sauce! The punch of herbaciousness from the thyme will be a welcome surprise for your palate. Whether you are indulging at home with family or catering a larger-scale holiday get-together, my Raspberry Brie Tartlets should be on the menu!
Essential Tools
Please note, this post contains affiliate links which means I will receive a small commission on the sale of these items at no cost to you.
All of my posts contain my recommendations for essential tools. I have researched these tools. Many of them are already in my kitchen. The ones that are not come highly rated. I do the research so you don’t have to and I only recommend high-quality tools.
If you are just starting to furnish your kitchen with tools or if you are looking to expand your kitchen toolkit, be sure to reference Expert Guide: Equip Your Kitchen for Less Than $200. This guide contains links to all of the equipment items I recommend for a basic kitchen set up.
My essential tools when making this puff pastry recipe include the following:
Easy and Sophisticated Raspberry Brie Tartlets
Ingredients
- 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry defrosted in refrigerator
- 12 tsp. seedless raspberry jam OR you can use cranberry sauce, if it is Thanksgiving!
- 4 oz. brie cheese rind removed
- 12 small sprigs of thyme
- 1 large egg beaten
Instructions
- Defrost puff pastry in fridge. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out puff pastry.
- Using a sharp knife, cut out puff pastry into 12 squares.
- Cut and fold puff pastry into desired shape (see video tutorial to see how to create the shape featured in the photos).
- Chill dough in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Assemble 12 cubes of brie, 12 small sprigs of thyme, egg wash (1 egg beaten with a splash of water), and seedless raspberry jam.
- When oven is preheated, brush chilled dough with egg wash and place in oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove tarts from oven. Place a dollop of raspberry jam, a cube of brie, and a sprig of thyme in the center of each tart.
- Bake tarts for another 5 minutes at 400°F.
- Serve warm and enjoy with friends and family!
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