’70s classic baked brie gets an update

Put this fresh and gooey baked cheese infused with the flavors of fresh herbs on your 2023 table

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” came out in 1994. I have a strong hunch that baked brie was established around the same time. I say hunch, because after several research attempts, its provenance is about as firm as the tender flaky pastry and gooey cheese itself.

The articles I’ve read mostly reference it as a ’90s, sometimes ’70s, party dish, and a search of its alias, “brie en croute” brings up about as much information. French friends have told me they’ve never seen it there, so the French-sounding name seems to be a purely American invention.

Baked brie is basically the definition of “jazzing” something up. It’s about taking a mild wheel of brie, slicing it in half, slathering it with a fruity jam or honey, maybe crunchy walnuts, wrapping it neatly in pastry and baking until the pastry is golden and flaky, and the savory cheese and sweet jam are molten. It’s an incredibly comforting lump of adorableness. All you need is some fresh or toasted bread or sturdy leaves of endive to help transfer the cheesy pretty mess.

The combination of being a throwback comfort dish that’s also just objectively good is why I’m so into this appetizer — as well as the zillion ways to make the dish feel like my own versus what people did in the ’90s, the ’70s or whenever it was invented. (You might have enjoyed a version just this past holiday season.)

For my version, I take a whole wheel of brie or even Camembert and season it with salt and pepper, because more often than not, it’s too mild and needs seasoning.

Then I stuff with chopped herbs, like a mix of dill, tarragon and parsley, between my two wheel halves. As the brie bakes, the herbs soften and infuse the cheese, so each bite is a mix of suave, fresh and rich.

Because it’s so rich and savory, it makes sense to pair it with a simple jam. Small, sweet tangerines, which are in season now, are delicious when cooked down into a simple yet super bright and tangy orange jam. I cook the individual segments down with a little sugar and thyme until they are mostly broken down with a few intact pieces.

Christian Reynoso/Special to The Chronicle Baked brie, a staple of festive get-togethers, gets a refresh with fresh herbs and a tangy jam made of fresh tangerines cooked with a little sugar and water.