CHRISTMAS TREE SAGE AND BRIE BITES

BRIE BITES that look like little Christmas Trees.

Thoughtful cheeseboards make me so happy. A thematic one, while albeit kitschy, can be super beautiful and really sell a moment. I’ve made these sophisticated little tree bites twice now—once with brie and the second time with camembert. If you want a seriously pungent though dynamic and interesting bite, go camembert—fyi, it will make your house smell like stinky cheese. For a more crowd-friendly option, the brie is perfect. It’s a much more mellow but still super delicious bite. If I were making these for a large group, I’d go brie.

I paired these with store bought chocolate covered cherries. They were the quintessentially perfect sweet to pair with these. I highly recommend.

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CHRISTMAS TREE SAGE AND BRIE BITES

Yield: 8 Trees

Author: Michelle Williams

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 5 MinTotal time: 15 Min

Ingredients

• Brie Wheel (8-ounce wheel)
• Fresh Sage Leaves (1 ounce, stems removed, finely chopped)
• Unsalted Butter (2 tablespoons)
• Fig Cake With Almonds (roughly a 2-inch cube)
• Creamy Honey (1 tablespoon)
• Finishing Salt (1/4 teaspoon)

KITCHEN TOOLS

• Cutting Board
• Chefs Knife
• Small Non-Stick Frying Pan (I used an 8.5 inch)
• Rubber Spatula

Instructions

TO MAKE YOUR CHRISTMAS CHEESE TREE SHAPE

1. On your cutting board, use your chef's knife to cut the rind off of the top of your brie wheel. I like to turn the wheel onto its side to cut the top off. Letting it sit flat makes it a bit more dangerous.
2. Cut your brie like a pizza leaving you with 8 evenly sized triangles. Set aside.
3. Cut your fig and almond cake into 8 1/2 inch tall and 1/4 inch thick squares.
4. Cut a slit into the bottom of your brie triangle where there is still a rind. Your slit should be made in the lower quarter of the side.
5. Stick your fig and almond square piece into the cutout slit in the base of your cheese to give your tree a trunk. Set aside.

TO GIVE YOUR TREES LEAVES

1. In your frying pan over medium-high heat, melt down your butter and then move it around with your spatula until it's browned—about 2-3 minutes after the butter has melted.
2. Add chopped sage. Mix until combined. Shake your pan so that your sage lays in an even layer covering the bottom of your pan. Remove from heat.
3. While your pan is still warm, gently press your brie triangles cut side down into the brown butter sage. Rotate your triangle so that all cut sides get gently pressed into the sage. Don't coat the sides with the rind on them. If you need to use your hands to shift any leaves around, go for it!
4. Transfer your trees to the serving board you plan to serve them on.
5. Drizzle honey and then finishing salt evenly over all of them.
6. Serve. Eat. Enjoy!

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