The Brie Bread Bowl

Did someone say cheese and bread? Bread and cheese? Okay, you have my attention. That’s the sh!t that holds my life together.

I mean, who doesn’t love a good bread bowl? And then you go ahead and add brie? The queen of cheese. Shall we call her… Brieyonce?

Ah-ha. I think I’m so funny sometimes. Please tell me you laughed? But seriously, this is a new favorite recipe, and one that I’ve already made a few times. It is a must for any dinners or events you find yourself invited to. Ah-hem, how about that daunting holiday season that is all too quickly approaching? Don’t worry, lil’ Miss Brieyonce has you covered. This is quick, easy, delicious, warm, decadent, and it looks like you spend way more time crafting it than it really takes.

Okay, now to the good stuff –

Ingredients:

• A good loaf (preferably a round) of bread
• Brie round
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Olive oil
• Garlic – 1 clove

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (I will be honest here, I’m making that temperature up. I don’t remember what I cooked it at, I think it was more like 400, but that sounds a little excessive and 375 will work… so, you do you boo. However, cowards cook on low. High heat baby!)
2. Slice and saute your onions and mushrooms with olive oil (no exact quantities needed here, eyeball-ing it will suffice; you can always add the extra somewhere else or at the end).
3. Dice up your garlic. If you like a stronger garlic flavor, add it at the end. Leaving it fresh and uncooked will give you that garlic-kick (sign me up!). If you’re not a garlic-fiend, cook it with the onions and mushrooms.
4. Use a knife to cut a round hole in the top of the bread, keep the top.
5. Tear out the inside of the loaf, keeping the pieces of bread in a separate bowl (you’ll want those for later!).
6. Drop the round of brie inside the loaf.
7. Top with the sauteed onions, mushrooms, and garlic.
8. Put the top back on.
9. Wrap the loaf in tinfoil.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes. At that point I pull it out, unwrap it, take the top off, stir and check for melty-ness, and pop it back in if needed.
11. Once all of your cheese is fully melted, stir it good, and serve it hot. Find those bread pieces you put off to the side earlier, and get to dippin’. You can also bring out some good crackers to dip in your cheese sauce, or, anything. Literally anything. Once Jared was out of dipping material, he went to deconstructing the bowl and ate the whole thing. Seriously, the whole thing. So, eat your heart out!

Note:

What I have outlined above is only one rendition of a thousand possibilities. This recipe is easily adjusted to fit your needs. I’d love to add a little rosemary for an extra herbaceous kick. Maybe some bacon? Or perhaps ditch the veggies and add jam and fruit for a sweet treat (ahh, fresh summer peaches and honey…). The possibilities are endless. With a good base like brie and bread, you can make anything happen. Get adventurous!

I hope you enjoy this recipe. You can’t go wrong with bread or cheese, and you can’t mess this recipe up. Could it get any better? I don’t think so. Now go cook and eat!

Please tag @jcasacca on Instagram, I’d love to see your creations!