We used to make a similar dish to this when I worked in the restaurant. We’d prep them and then cook them in a deep fat fryer for a few minutes and they were yum! Crispy breadcrumbs with a gooey, hot cheesy center, what’s not to love? (Apart from the calories). They were, however, a lot of effort to consider cooking for just one person/portionn. There is some significant and messy prep involved and they only keep for a few days in the fridge before cooking.
I decided that it would be great to find a method to make these in individual portions but in a way that would justify the prep involved. The freezer was the obvious answer. After testing several rounds (including taste testing, which was a real hardship) here are my freeze ahead brie bites. Bulk prep and freeze for a few months. When you are ready to cook they go straight from the freezer to the hob – meaning they are on the table and ready to eat in less than 15 minutes. Now you can have a fancy, restaurant quality starter for one whenever the mood takes you!
The recipe calls for a couple of tablespoons of red onion marmalade when serving. You can see my recipe here (which keeps for up to 3 months in the fridge) or you can buy it in jars from the supermarket. If you cut the brie to the size indicated below then this should make around 3 pieces per portion. They will last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Freeze Ahead Brie Bites
Course: StarterCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Medium4
servings20
minutes10
minutes470
kcalA restaurant quality starter that can be prepped in advance and frozen for up to 3 months. Simply cook straight from the freezer as needed! These Freeze Ahead Brie Melts are rich, gooey and indulgent – yum!
Ingredients
250g brie, rind cut off with a sharp knife
50g plain flour
2 medium eggs
100g breadcrumbs
6 tsp olive oil
6 tbsp red onion marmalade
Directions
- Remove the rind from the brie and cut into square/rectangle shaped chunks. The chunks should be around 2-3cm on each side.
- Setup 3 dishes – one with flour, one whisked eggs, and one with breadcrumbs.
- Roll the brie in the flour until covered and then transfer to the eggs. Coat well in the egg mixture and then move into the breadcrumbs and roll until the breadcrumbs cover and stick to all surface areas. This can get messy so you might find it easiest to use one hand to roll in the eggs and one for breadcrumbs.
- Repeat the egg and breadcrumb coating steps – finally patting the breadcrumbs onto the brie all round to make sure that they are evenly and well coated and that there aren’t any loose bits. Place into a freezer proof container and seal. Freeze the brie for up to 3 months.
- When you are ready to eat take a portion of the brie from the freezer and heat 2 tsp of oil in a frying pan over a medium to slightly high heat. Don’t be tempted to crank the heat right up as you want to cook them slowly enough to melt the brie in the middle. The oil should be hot enough that it sizzles when you add the brie, but not smoking hot.
- Turn the brie in the saucepan regularly so as not to let it burn. Make sure all sides are evenly browned and the breadcrumbed brie feels soft to the touch. This should take around 10 minutes in all.
- Serve with 2 tablespoons of red onion marmalade per portion.
Notes
- I have tried to be as accurate as possible with the calorie calculations for this recipe. For example, I weighed the breadcrumbs and flour before and after dipping to calculate only on the amounts that went into the actual eaten end product (for reference that was 70g breadcrumbs and 10g flour utilised.)
- If you are planning on serving the brie straight after preparing then you do need to plan ahead – ideally you should leave the brie in the freezer for at least one hour before cooking so that the cheese doesn’t melt too quickly (before the breadcrumbs are browned).
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