Moreish, decadent filo parcels perfect for a Christmas celebration

Really easy tasty brie and cranberry parcels go down well with both veggie and non-veggie guests.

Here are two you can try; one is using delicate, crispy filo and the other puff pastry (which is a little less fiddly).

Brie and cranberry puff parcels

I always find with these recipes that I end up with different-sized parcels because I mess up the measuring.

I wouldn’t worry about it, cut the pastry to the size you prefer but just make sure you have the equivalent pastry to make the ‘lids.

SERVES:  15
PREP TIME: 5 mins
COOKING TIME: 15 mins
DIFFICULTY: easy
IDEAL FOR: Christmas snacks, vegetarian snacks
BUDGET: £

Ingredients

  • 2 x shop-bought puff pastry rolls
  • jar of cranberry sauce
  • 1 x 250 g brie
  • 1 x egg (beaten for egg wash)

Method

  1. Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 3 horizontal strips. Brush some egg on.
  2. Add a good dollop of cranberry sauce with a nice chunk of brie (*be careful not to overdo it as you need to put the pastry lid on.
  3. Take the other roll of puff pastry and also cut it into 3 horizontal strips, then lay it over top of the first one.
  4. Gently press the pastry down to form 15 small parcels, then slice with a knife and press the edges down with a fork to make the parcels.
  5. Egg wash and pop in the oven at 200/220C for 15 mins or until golden brown.
  6. Serve.
brie and cranberry parcels

Brie and cranberry filo parcels

A lovely simple recipe from BBC Good Food that feels perfectly decadent for a Christmas party canape.

SERVES:  16 – 18
PREP TIME: 25 mins
COOKING TIME: 20 mins
DIFFICULTY: easy
IDEAL FOR: Christmas snacks, vegetarian snacks
BUDGET: £

Ingredients

  • 6 sheets filo pastry
  • 75g melted butter
  • 4 tbsp cranberry sauce, plus extra to serve
  • 100g brie, cut into 18 pieces (*you need to buy brie without rennet if you have vegetarians – see below to discover what rennet is)
  • 1 tbsp poppy seeds (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
  2. Unravel a sheet of filo pastry onto a chopping board, covering the rest of the filo with a damp tea towel so it doesn’t dry out.
  3. Brush the filo sheet liberally with some of the melted butter, then cut into three strips lengthways.
  4. Spoon ½ tsp cranberry sauce over the top right-hand corner of each pastry strip and place a piece of brie on top.
  5. Fold the pastry over the filling to create a triangle, then continue to fold the pastry over itself down the length of the strip.
  6. Brush with more butter to seal, then sprinkle over the poppy seeds and place on the lined baking tray. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. 
  7. Bake for 15-20 mins until deep golden brown. Leave to stand for 5 mins before serving with some extra cranberry sauce.

NB: you can make these in advance and freeze them. Then pop in the oven for approx. 25 – 30 mins from frozen.

Vegetarian cheese and rennet

I did a little research into rennet.

And thanks to the East London Cheese Board, came across their explanation of rennet.

Rennet is the ingredient in cheesemaking that makes the milk coagulate by means of a natural chemical reaction.

Without it, cheese as we know it would not exist.

Coagulation is a vital part of the cheesemaking process.

There are two types of rennet, traditional and vegetarian.

Traditional rennet is comes from the stomachs of young animals.

They’re referred to as ‘traditional’ as at one time, all cheeses that used rennet used animal rennet.

Vegetarian rennet most notably comes from the cardoon thistle but can also be found in fig, papaya, pineapple, nettles and more.

Traditional rennet cheeses include Stinking Bishop, Camembert de Normandie, Beauvale and Baron Bigod Brie

Vegetarian rennet cheese includes Oxford Isis, Minger and Cornish Yarg.

 For more Christmas snack ides, visit here.