Cherry & Berry Baked Brie Galette with a Cherry Balsamic Reduction

If you didn’t happen to make my 4th of July recipes last year, oh BOY did you miss out! I created a delicious and easy balsamic berry baked brie, which I’ve heard countless times is “life changing” and “shockingly easy.” I love that recipe dearly, but I wanted to take it to the next level this year by turning it into a galette with a balsamic cherry reduction instead of just plain balsamic vinegar. If you haven’t made my classic balsamic berry brie yet, I’m linking it here! Also, if you only have blueberries or blackberries, here’s a great alternative to this galette : my blackberry brie galette with lavender honey.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Skyler Bouchard Oppenheim (@diningwithskyler)

Let’s talk about the crust. Most galettes are made with a pie crust. However, I had leftover puff pastry from when I developed a cronut recipe, and I decided to use that instead. I absolutely LOVE the flaky, buttery layers with the baked brie and berries … but it is very indulgent. If you want to keep this classic, use a standard pie crust. Pre-made is always fine. In terms of folding the crust, you really can keep this simple and you don’t have to do anything crazy! That is why I love galettes: as long as you encase what’s in the center so it doesn’t spill out, the rustic look is always appealing. Rustic look = takes no technique to specially fold the edges. Of course, you can precisely fold each crevice and make a design, but if you do this, I recommend working with a pie crust instead of puff pastry.

Incase there was any confusion – this dish is rich. We’re using one of the creamiest, triple creme cheeses and throwing it on one of the butteriest pastry crusts around. The berries and cherries break it up and add some fruitiness and tartness. In addition to that, we have this intense cherry balsamic reduction to further contrast the creaminess and richness of the crust. I love this combination. But if you want something light and less *extra* for your party or whatever occasion, I think you should really now with a salad, like my burrata prosciutto cantaloupe salad or my watermelon salad. I’ve never had a light baked brie dish LOL.

For the cherry balsamic reduction: this is really simple to make. It requires 2 ingredients, one which you already have to make this galette in the first place (cherries.) So, that being said, I think it’s worth your while to make this reduction while your galette is in the oven. However, it’s totally not necessary and you can go with store bought reduction instead if you want (even though I have to throw out there that there’s so much extra sugar and thickeners in those!!!! which is so silly because this reduction is very easy to make!) The moral of the story is: DO WHAT YOU WANT!!!