Imagine warm brie, gorgeous and gooey, dripping with nutty perfection. Then imagine topping that wheel of warm goodness with a sharply sweet fruity compote. The combination is insane, and requires a minimal amount of effort to throw together.

There are lots of recipes for baked Brie with some sort of sweet topping, and with good reason. The nutty cheese pairs beautiful with sweet toppings such as caramel or jam. However, if you’re not careful, the luxuriously rich Brie and the sugary-sweet topping can quickly become too much of a good thing.

Introducing an acid is the secret to Brie balance. An acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar, cuts through the buttery Brie, keeping your palette from being overwhelmed, and it balance the sweetness with a tart punch, keeping it from being cloying.

While you could use any acid, in the context of fruit, balsamic vinegar is my favorite. It delivers a syrupy yet sophisticated flavor well-suited to berries, bringing them to life in ways you won’t believe until you give it a taste.

I find it nice to slice off the top of the Brie before baking it so that the warm cheese is exposed, but you certainly don’t have to. I also like to use blackberries and blackberry jam, but truly any fruit combination would work.

Visually, I love the way the dark blackberry color punctuates the white Brie with a bold pop of color. Blackberries have a way of bringing any cheeseboard to life, especially in this case.

I hope you will give Warm Brie with Blackberry Compote a try. If you are looking for a party food trio, I suggest serving it with Maple Chipotle Snack Mix and Prosciutto-Wrapped Dates with Goat Cheese. Who’s ready for a party?

Ingredients

1 small wheel Brie (about 5-inches in diameter)
1/4 cup blackberry jam (I love Bonne Maman)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh blackberries, halved or quartered if very big

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the chilled Brie on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, carefully slice off the top of the rind. It will be a little messy, but just go with it.
Bake the Brie for 6-8 minutes until the cheese is warm throughout and beginning to look gooey and melted.
While the Brie bakes, combine the jam and balsamic vinegar until fully mixed. Heat in the microwave in 20-second intervals until the jam is loose and the mixture is warm but not bubbling. Stir in the fresh blackberries.
Remove the Brie from the oven and use the parchment paper to carefully slide it directly onto your serving platter. Spoon the warm blackberry mixture directly on top of the warm Brie. Serve with crackers.

Warm Brie with Blackberry Compote