A brie appetizer recipe that everyone will love to dig into. It’s easy, and it’s make ahead. Brie is stuffed with a luscious mixture of sun dried tomato and basil. Sounds like a perfect appetizer for your next Italian Wine Tasting Party doesn’t it?
Neighborhood Wine Tasting Party
It’s been nearly five years since we moved into our new home in Tresana. And I’ve loved every single minute of living here. We only moved a couple of miles from where we built our original house 27 years ago. We’ve left behind a neighborhood bustling with young couples with young families and traded for a community better suited for us. A large percentage of our neighbors are retired. Perfect! So are we.
I’ve joined a neighborhood book club, a ladies afternoon Mexican Dominoes and card group, and once a month, we organize a neighborhood wine tasting party, alternating hosts and wine themes. Potluck style, everyone brings a bottle of wine and some food. There are usually about 30 of us and it’s a wonderful way to bring us all together.
Our May party was hosted by Beth, and being a good Italian, she chose wines from Italy. We brought a red wine from Sicily, a 2017 Cusumano Nero d’Avola. My appetizer for our Italian Wine Tasting party was this stuffed brie appetizer recipe.
It was easy to prepare and even though the travel time was only two houses away, it traveled beautifully and looked very impressive in an Italian sort of way. And it traveled home even easier, as the plate was picked clean.
I know, I know, Brie is a French cheese, but the filling for this appetizer was so very Italian. This is a super easy appetizer recipe to make. It’s showy, and it’s delicious. Let’s take a look at this stuffed brie appetizer.
How to Make This Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Brie Appetizer
Start with an 8-ounce wheel of brie cheese. A couple of hours before the party, place the brie cheese in the freezer for about 30 minutes. When ready to prepare, remove from the freezer, remove the box and the paper from the brie, and with a sharp sturdy knife, slice the brie into two halves horizontally. With brie’s creamy texture, the brie must be very cold for a clean slicing experience.
In a food processor, add fresh basil leaves, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, garlic cloves, lemon juice and black pepper.
Process into a rough paste. The paste must be spreadable, so if it’s too dry, add a little more oil from the sun-dried tomato jar.
Spread half the mixture onto the bottom half of the sliced brie. Don’t you just love that rich color and rich texture?
Place the other half of the brie onto the mixture and press firmly. Spread the remaining sun-dried tomato mixture over the top and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Your stuffed brie appetizer is ready to serve with water crackers and Mini Croccantini artisan crackers.
Provide a good sharp spreading knife for guests to easily slice and scoop a hearty wedge for their cracker. Done! An easy and delicious appetizer for any party you’ve been invited to.
Can you eat the rind of brie cheese?
Absolutely! The rind is a white mold, called Penicillium candidum, which cheesemakers inoculate the cheese with. This edible mold blooms on the outside of the paste and is then patted down, over and over again, to form the rind. This process gives Brie its distinctive taste.
Recipe for Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Brie Appetizer
Make sure to buy sun dried tomatoes in oil to keep this spread nice and spreadable … and luscious. And since the brie is not baked, but served room temperature, buy quality brie to keep it as creamy as possible.
I hope you give this Brie Appetizer Recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating, and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
And if you have a favorite Italian Appetizer recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
More Appetizer Recipes For Theme Wine Tasting Parties
- Caramelized Onion Tart with Gruyere, a nice choice for a French Wine Theme.
- Savory Scones Appetizer with Smoked Trout, lovely to pair with an Oregon Themed Wine Party.
- Goat Cheese Bruschetta with Mushrooms, Capers and Anchovies for that California Cab celebration.
And if you’re looking for more appetizer recipes, don’t miss my appetizers category. Lots of fun and tasty ideas. And one of the easiest and most popular make ahead appetizer is a beautiful relish plate, which always includes some of my Pickled Beets. Everyone loves them … well ok, almost everyone.
And don’t miss this appetizer recipe using sun-dried tomatoes: Spicy Sun-dried Tomato basil Chickpea Spread. It’s a crowd pleaser.
Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Stuffed Brie Appetizer Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 12 sun-dried tomatoes drained and oil reserved
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper fresh ground
- 8 ounce brie cheese a wheel, 1/2 pound, thoroughly chilled
- fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Remove brie from refrigerator and cut in half horizontally. Brie must be thoroughly chilled to make this possible.
- In a food processor, combine basil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pepper and lemon juice.
- Process until a rough paste forms. Add the oil that dripped from the sun-dried tomatoes. Add a tad more from the jar if the mixture seems dry. It should be spreadable, but not too thin.
- Spread the bottom half of the brie with half of the sun-dried tomato mixture. Top with the remaining brie half, pressing together firmly. Top the brie with the remaining sun-dried tomato mixture.
- Bring to room temperature before serving. Serve with water crackers. May be made a day in advance. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill.
I am an absolute fiend for baked Bries. Or even slightly warmed Bries. And I really prefer savory presentations than extra sweet. So I know I’ll love this. And I like how you tired them! Excited!
Ooh, I love this savory Brie topping! I tend to go with jams and nuts, so this is the perfect alternative!!!
Hi Liz – and thanks for stopping in. This recipe was a big hit at our neighborhood wine night. I hope you give it a try.
Wow, neat dish! Loads of flavor and easy to prepare. And it looks really impressive! Definitely a winner — thanks.
Thanks so much John. And as always, so nice to have you visit and take the time to comment.
I can’t tell you how often I’m asked to bring an appetizer to a get together. This would be a perfect one as you can travel easily with it and it doesn’t need any additional preparation once you are at the party.