Offering maximum impact with minimal effort, a baked Brie turns a mild-mannered cheese into the superhero of a gathering: a warm, gooey communal comfort food. This version wraps the cheese in a shell of flaky puff pastry, along with two sweet-tart layers of apple-pear compote. WHY IT WORKS Pairing the creamy cheese with a combination of tart and sweet gives it the ideal flavor balance. Adding a puff pastry crust is an easy way to create an impressive party appetizer. Triple-cream cheese gives you the best gooey melt. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, rolling pin, pastry brush, kitchen twine (optional) NOTES: If possible, use a triple-cream Brie, which has a higher fat content that melts better. INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon (15g) unsalted butter 1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 pear, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice 1/4 cup (60g) sugar 1 small cinnamon stick (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon) 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 (6- to 8-ounce; 170 to 225g) round Brie or Camembert cheese, slightly chilled (see note) All-purpose flour, for dusting 10-inch square puff pastry dough, kept cold, rolled out to 1/4-inch thickness 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon (15ml) water DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat a medium saucepan over medium heat, add butter, and swirl until melted. Add apple and pear and cook, stirring occasionally, until fruit is tender and has released most of its liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in sugar, cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 12 to 15 minutes longer. Discard cinnamon stick, if used. Remove from heat and let compote cool to room temperature. 2. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 3. Using a sharp knife, cut cheese in half horizontally (through the middle). Lay one half on a work surface, cut side up, and spread 3 tablespoons (45ml) of compote evenly over it. Place second half on top and spread another 3 tablespoons (45ml) compote over it. 4. Place puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and roll to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Set prepared cheese in center of square, fold dough up and over, and pleat it together on top to enclose cheese. Gently pinch dough together in center to seal gathered pleats. You can tie a bit of kitchen twine on top to hold pleats together if you like, but this is not essential. If dough is no longer cold, chill wrapped cheese for at least 20 minutes. (Cheese can be wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated until ready to bake.) 5. Set prepared cheese wheel on prepared baking sheet. Brush dough evenly with egg wash. Bake until pastry is crisp and golden brown all over, 25 to 35 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then transfer to a platter. Serve any remaining compote alongside.
Juicy apples meet bubbly prosecco, rich sherry, and sweet orange liqueur in this cocktail. WHY IT WORKS Juicy apples add a mild, fresh sweetness to sherry and prosecco. Dry, nutty oloroso sherry offsets the sweetness of the apples and Mandarine Napoléon liqueur. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Muddler, mixing glass NOTES: Super-thin apple slices make gorgeous garnishes. However, to keep the slices looking crisp and white, remember to soak them in a bowl of water with a small spritz of lemon juice after slicing. Use your favorite kind of apple here; both sweeter, softer varieties and more tart, firm types work well. If you can't find Mandarine Napoléon liqueur, you can substitute with Grand Marnier or a good dry orange curacao, such as Pierre Ferrand. INGREDIENTS 1/4 apple, cored and diced 1 1/2 ounces apple brandy, such as Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy 3/4 ounce Mandarine Napoléon liqueur 1/2 ounce oloroso sherry, such as Williams & Humbert 4 ounces prosecco sparkling wine Orange twist, for garnish Thinly sliced apple, for garnish DIRECTIONS 1. Add diced apple to the bottom of a mixing glass and muddle until apples are broken down and have released their juice. Fill the mixing glass 2/3 full with ice and then pour in apple brandy, Mandarine Napoléon liqueur, and oloroso sherry. Stir to chill until mixing glass is very cold, about 20 seconds, then strain into a highball glass filled with ice and top with prosecco. 2. Twist orange peel over top of drink to release oils, then discard peels. Garnish with a thinly cut round of apple.
This cocktail is an apple orchard in a glass, bursting with three layers of apple flavor from fresh sweet cider, 100-proof apple brandy, and fizzy hard cider. This recipe starts with fresh apple cider, the unfiltered type you find at farmers markets, orchards, or the refrigerated section of your grocery store. If you'd prefer not to make our spiced cider concentrate, you can also purchase boiled apple cider concentrate at specialty stores or online. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: medium sauce pan, strainer, shaker, highball glass INGREDIENTS For the Spiced Cider Concentrate: 4 cups fresh apple cider 2 cinnamon sticks 4 allspice berries, whole 1 teaspoon cloves, whole 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, whole For the Cocktail: 2 ounces Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy 1 ounce apple cider concentrate syrup 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice from about half a lemon 4 ounces hard cider such as Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider Apple slice or apple chip for garnish (optional) DIRECTIONS 1. For the Spiced Cider Concentrate: In a medium saucepan, combine cider, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and black pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Keep at a simmer, uncovered, until reduced by 3/4, and consistency is viscous like maple syrup, about 2 hours. Strain and let cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month. 2. For the cocktail: Combine apple brandy, spiced cider concentrate, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake until well chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with hard cider. Garnish with apple slice or apple chip if desired. Serve
This apple brandy–based variation on the classic Negroni cocktail is spicy, rich, and bittersweet. It's as simple as could be to make, but the magic is in the proportions: It's not the standard equal-parts setup. Instead, you'll use two parts warming 100-proof apple brandy, along with one part Campari and one part sweet vermouth (I like Carpano Antica here), so that the brandy can cut the Campari's considerable sweetness. The recipe, created by Andrew Friedman of Liberty Bar in Seattle, originally appeared in Gary Regan's The Negroni: Drinking to La Dolce Vita, With Recipes & Lore. If you like Boulevardiers, this cocktail is a cold-weather essential. To make a big batch of it, multiply each ingredient by the number of drinks you'd like to make, and add about 25% of the total volume in water. (Use filtered if you don't love the flavor of your tap water.) For example, to make eight portions of the Mela d'Alba, add 16 ounces Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy, 8 ounces sweet vermouth, 8 ounces Campari, and 8 ounces water to a resealable jar or bottle. (You'll need a container that holds at least 40 ounces.) Refrigerate until ready to serve, then pour into individual ice-filled rocks glasses. NOTE Don't use Applejack here; you want the strong stuff, marked "bonded." INGREDIENTSES: 2 ounces (60ml) Laird's Bonded Apple Brandy (see note above) 1 ounce (30ml) sweet vermouth 1 ounce (30ml) Campari Lemon twist, for garnish DIRECTIONS 1. Add apple brandy, sweet vermouth, and Campari to an ice-filled Old Fashioned glass. Stir until well chilled, about 15 seconds. Express lemon oils over drink and add lemon twist. Serve immediately.
