This delicious baked brie in puff pastry, a.k.a brie ‘Tarte Soleil’ is big on WOW factor, simple to make and perfect for sharing! Recipe in collaboration with Castello.
Any cheese lovers here? I am raising both arms and waving them in the air like I just don’t care, in case you are wondering. If you are a big cheese fan like myself then you will LOVE today’s recipe! This simple puff pastry tart brings together: creamy brie, puff pastry and sun-dried tomato paste.
In other words it’s high on YUMMY and low on effort, even if it looks pretty fancy. And a fancy appetiser needs an equally lofty name, so how about ‘tarte soleil’?
What is a tarte soleil?
French speakers will tell you that ‘tarte soleil’ is simply French for ‘sun tart’. The name clearly comes from the beautiful shape, with a central disk surrounded by thin twisted ‘rays’.
You can get creative when folding the pastry – twisting the pastry inwards creates a pretty snowflake tart. Make sure you take a couple of phone snaps soon after it is served because I guarantee it won’t last more than a few minutes.
Tarte Soleil fillings
These beautiful tarts can be sweet or savoury so your imagination is the only limit when it comes to fillings. Savoury fillings include pesto, olive tapenade, sun-dried tomato paste, onion jam, cream cheese – basically anything that can be easily spread over the puff pastry in a thin layer.
If you wish to make a sweet tart you can use Nutella (yum!), jam, nut butters and so on. Sweet fillings have a tendency to colour quickly and possibly burn so you might need to tent your tart with foil while baking.
I used store-bought sun-dried tomato paste, but if you can’t find any you could blend a jar of sun-dried tomatoes and their oil in a food processor until you have a smooth paste. Alternatively simply use sun-dried tomato pesto which is widely available. You can also replace this with any of the other suggested fillings above.
Which cheese to use
Melty cheese and crisp golden puff pastry are a match made in culinary heaven! A creamy cheese such as brie or camembert are the best candidates for the ‘sun’ in your tarte soleil.
I used Castello Extra Creamy brie which is mild, rich and melts to a soft heavenly texture when baked. Brie is also great with sweet fillings like cranberry conserve if you wanted to create a Christmassy version of this recipe!
If you are curious to discover your flavour profile among the plethora of gorgeous Castello cheese products then try their ‘find your flavour’ quiz. It will match your preferences to create personalised content and recipes!
A note on puff pastry
As you will see in the video, I used ready-rolled round puff pastry sheets for this recipe, specially created for Tarte Tatin. If you can’t find them, you can use ready rolled puff pastry sheets.
You will need to roll this out slightly to create a square that’s at least 25cm (10 in) – or larger if possible. Cut a circle using a large bowl or cake tin as a guide. You will need two disks to create this tart.
How to make brie in puff pastry ‘Tarte Soleil’
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and place the shelf in the centre of the oven. Unroll your puff pastry, on the paper it came wrapped in, and use a rolling pin to form a square that’s at least 25cm (10 in). Cut a circle using a large bowl or cake tin as a guide. You will need to do this twice. Keep the puff pastry covered as you work or in the fridge on a hot day.
Place your brie in the centre of the puff pastry and cover with a small bowl that allows for a small border around the cheese. Spread the filling over the puff pastry in a thin layer, going almost to the edge. Remove the bowl.
Cover with the second puff pastry sheet, you might want to drape it over a rolling pin to transfer and position it. Gently smooth the pastry over the cheese and then use the bowl to press down around it. Remove the bowl and prick around the cheese with a fork.
Use a knife to score the pastry into eight sections and then cut up to the border. Cut each section into half to create 16 sections. If your pastry gets very soft, transfer onto a tray and pop in the fridge to chill. Twist each section a couple of times in a single direction. For an even fancier tart you could slice the pastry into 32 sections!
Brush the entire tart with egg wash and then grate a little mature cheddar cheese over it. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and a pinch of coarse salt. Transfer to a heavy baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp.
Cool the tart on the baking tray for around 10 minutes before serving. Transfer to a serving platter and use a small knife to remove the puff pastry lid over the cheese. Tear off the ‘rays’ and get dipping!
HAVE YOU MADE MY BRIE TARTE SOLEIL?
Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
Baked brie in puff pastry Tarte Soleil
Ingredients
- 2 packages ready rolled puff pastry sheets
- 1 wheel creamy brie
- 100 g | 3 1/2 oz sun-dried tomato paste (or pesto)
- 100 g | 3 1/2 oz cheddar cheese
- 1 egg , lightly beaten
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
- pinch coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and place the shelf in the centre of the oven.
- Unroll your puff pastry, on the paper if came wrapped in, and use a rolling pin to form a square that’s at least 25cm (10 in). Cut a circle using a large bowl or cake tin as a guide. You will need to do this twice, keep the puff pastry covered as you work.
- Place your brie in the centre of the puff pastry and cover with a small bowl that allows for a small border around the cheese.
- Spread the filling over the puff pastry in a thin layer, going almost to the edge. Remove the bowl.
- Cover with the second puff pastry sheet, you might want to drape it over a rolling pin to transfer and position it.
- Gently smooth the pastry over the cheese and then use the bowl to press down around it. Remove the bowl and prick around the cheese with a fork.
- Use a knife to score the pastry into eight sections and then cut up to the border. Cut each section into half to create 16 sections. If your pastry gets very soft, transfer onto a tray and pop in the fridge to chill.
- Twist each section a couple of times in a single direction.
- Brush the entire tart with egg wash and then grate a little mature cheddar cheese over it. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and a little coarse salt.
- Transfer to a heavy baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp.
- Cool the tart on the baking tray for around 10 minutes before serving.
- Transfer to a serving platter and use a small knife to remove the puff pastry lid over the cheese. Tear off the ‘rays’ and get dipping!
Video
Notes
- You can use any of the following as your savoury fillings: pesto, olive tapenade, sun-dried tomato paste or pesto, onion jam, cream cheese – basically anything that can be easily spread over the puff pastry in a thin layer.
- Replace the filling with cranberry conserve for a Christmassy version of this recipe!
- If you are making this recipe on a hot day you might need to chill the tart after slicing the pastry so that it is firm enough to twist.
- You can use camembert instead of brie.
Nutritional Info
Sylvia says
It was wonderful