You know you have a crowd-pleasing dish on your hand when the word brie is in the title, and this recipe is sure to get you crowned as the kitchen master. Delicious and easy to make, it will have everybody coming back not only for seconds, but third and fourth servings! Read on to learn how to make this rich and creamy baked brie.

Ingredients

Brown sugar 1/4 cup Ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon Ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt 1/8 teaspoon Bartlett pear 1/2, firm, ripe, peeled, cored, and diced Toasted, slivered almonds, 2 tablespoons Dried cherries, chopped 2 tablespoons Flour for dusting your work surface Frozen puff pastry sheet 18-ounce, thawed Brie wheel with rind 19-ounce Large egg 1, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water Honey, for drizzling Flaky sea salt for sprinkling Crackers and sliced apples for serving

Step 1

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Simultaneously, whisk brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and salt together until well-combined. In this mixture, add almonds, diced pears, and cherries. Stir together until everything is coated in a sugar mixture. Now, take a rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to an even 9.5-inch square. Gently transfer the rolled-out pastry to the baking sheet.

Step 2

In the center of the rolled-out pastry, place your rind of brie and spoon the pear mixture on top of it. If you’re looking for extra-gooey results, you can opt for a double-cream brie. Now, with delicate hands, grab any two opposite corners of the pastry and fold them over the center of the brie together. Twist and press down the corners to seal the pastry. Repeat the process with the other two corners. Ensure that there are no gaps and holes which might allow the filling to leak out when it is being heated. Tuck in any remaining stray corner. Lastly, brush the pastry with egg wash before popping it in the oven.

Step 3

Bake the brie in the preheated oven for approximately 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. After taking it out, let it cool down for five minutes so that the cheese and pastry hold together well. For the final touch, drizzle honey and sprinkle the sea salt on the pastry. Serve with sliced apple and crackers for the best taste.

The people of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, love milk. They love it so much that if you step into any of their favorite bars, you will get it on tap. The people who enjoy it say that too. It helps them keep calm and reduce stress levels. Such milk bars are scattered all over this central African country with a population of only 12 million.

Enjoying Ikivuguto

People of all ages and genders gather at these bars and enjoy liters of fresh milk or milk that is yogurt-like by sitting on plastic chairs or benches. The local people call this yogurt-like milk ikivuguto. Some people prefer drinking hot milk while some prefer it cold. Many even follow the old and well-known custom of chugging the glass of milk at once. Those who sip it leisurely like to enjoy it with accompaniments like chapatis, bananas, or cakes. It does not matter how they prefer their glass, they just come in to unwind and relax. And to do that, they drink a lot of milk.

A Valuable Drink

The milk bars may have been around only in the last ten years or so but milk has long been part of their country’s history and culture, and now it is also part of their economy and modern identity. Cows were thought to be a source of status and wealth and one of the most valuable gifts you could give to a family or friend. They were so valuable that people would name their children Inyamibwa which means beautiful cow or Munganyinka which means as valuable as a cow. In traditional dances, women also depicted the Ankole cows that had a giant horn by raising their hands.

Moving Ahead

Back in 1994, the country experienced genocide that killed about 800,000 people in 100 days. Those who were killed were identified to be ethnic Tutsis. These were historical people who owned a lot of cattle. As Rwanda recovered from this terrible incident, the country’s government began looking to fight malnutrition and expand its economy through cows, once again. In the year 2006, Paul Kagame, the country’s President, also launched the Girinka program. It intends to provide every family of low income with one cow.