- Geoffrey Zakarian makes his go-to holiday appetizer with just puff pastry, Brie and honey.
- Zakarian’s recipe has playful twists, like adding rosemary or walnuts, or swapping honey for cinnamon and balsamic glaze.
- This easy baked Brie can be customized however you like, and it pairs well with other apps.
Even chef Geoffrey Zakarian knows the magic of a three-ingredient holiday appetizer. The Michelin-star-awarded restaurateur found television fame after winning the fourth season of Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef, appearing as a guest judge on Chopped and co-hosting the talk show The Kitchen, which just aired its last season. Despite owning some of the best restaurants in the country with cooking skills to match, Zakarian’s go-to holiday appetizer is something someone at any skill level could make.
He recently shared a reel of himself making baked Brie on Instagram, calling the recipe “the ultimate holiday appetizer.” The recipe uses just puff pastry, Brie and honey. The warmth of the mild, creamy, salty Brie is wrapped in tender, flaky puff pastry, balanced out by a final drizzle of sweet honey.
To make the appetizer, start by laying a piece of puff pastry flat on a cutting board and add a wheel of Brie to the middle. Bring the four corners of the pastry to the center and then repeat this step with the excess pastry still hanging loose, tightly wrapping the entire wheel of cheese. Place the wrapped Brie in a cast-iron skillet or use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Coat with egg wash, ensuring you cover both the top and sides of the puff pastry. While the video doesn’t include exact baking instructions, you can follow our recipe for Baked Brie with Jam in Puff Pastry, baking at 400°F for 30 to 35 minutes. Once it’s out of the oven with a crisp, golden exterior, Zakarian adds a kiss of honey, cutting the pastry in half to reveal an unbelievable ooze of cheese. Serve with small pieces of crusty bread.
For a different flavor combo, you can try Zakarian’s variation of this baked brie from 2024. In this version, he places a handful of rosemary and a pinch of salt on top of the cheese and tops the baked pastry with cinnamon and a balsamic glaze instead of honey. Finally, he serves it with a side of whole walnuts. For even more ideas, you can add jam to your brie (as we like to), use hot honey instead of regular or add some crushed pistachios on top.
Serve with a variety of dipping options, like fruit (think apple slices, figs or dried apricots), crackers and melba toast. Arrange everything nicely on a serving platter or nice cutting board—a little presentation goes a long way to impress your holiday guests.
For more easy recipes this holiday season, take inspiration from the other stars of The Kitchen, filling your table with Katie Lee’s five-ingredient Pimento Cheese Spread, Sunny Anderson’s Holiday Butter and Alex Guarnaschelli’s Alex Mashed Sweet Potatoes. With a menu that tasty, we know we’d be more than happy to dig in.
