Restaurant-tested recipes, made for home cooks

Browse recipes

Ernie's Kitchen

Warm Brie with Garlic & Olives

Written by

Ernie Crawford

·

A whole wheel of warm baked brie with a soft white rind, topped with glossy olive oil, golden sliced garlic, whole kalamata olives, whole and sliced green olives, a sprig of rosemary, thyme sprigs and a few red pepper flakes, with oil pooling around it. It sits on a white square rimmed plate with toasted baguette slices tucked behind it, placed toward the right near the front edge of a speckled brown, gold and black granite kitchen island, with a softly blurred living room behind: glowing table lamps, armchairs and a brick fireplace, in warm evening light.
Image generated with AI, styled after my own kitchen.

Chef’s note

A small wheel of brie baked until soft and spoonable, topped with warm olive oil, sliced garlic, two kinds of olives, rosemary, thyme and lemon zest, with toasted baguette for spreading. From my restaurant days we warmed it in 40 seconds; at home, 10 minutes in the oven makes it even better.

Jump to recipe

Warm Brie with Garlic & Olives

Serves
4

Prep time
10 minutes

Cook time
15 minutes

Total time
25 minutes

Ingredients

Garlic & olive mix

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
  • ⅓ cup pitted green olives (Castelvetrano or picholine), halved
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Pinch of salt

Brie

  • 1 small (8-ounce) wheel of brie
  • 1 baguette, sliced into ½-inch rounds

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Make the garlic-olive mix. Warm the olive oil and sliced garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the garlic barely starts to color. Don’t let it brown.
  3. Season it. Add the olives, rosemary, thyme, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, pepper and salt. Cook 2 minutes more, then take it off the heat.
  4. Score the brie. Set the wheel in a small ovenproof dish or cast-iron skillet just bigger than the cheese. Score the top rind in a crosshatch, cutting just through the rind.
  5. Top and bake. Spoon half the garlic-olive mix over the brie and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until it’s soft to the touch and just starting to slump in the center.
  6. Toast the baguette while the brie bakes: under the broiler 60 to 90 seconds, flipping once.
  7. Finish. Move the brie to a plate or board, spoon the rest of the warm garlic-olive mix over the top and surround it with the toasted baguette.
  8. Serve right away with a small spreading knife.

Chef’s Tips

  • Score the rind so the heat gets in and the inside is easy to spread.
  • Don’t overbake. You want soft and warm, not a puddle. Pull it when the center just starts to give.
  • Keep the garlic pale. Browned garlic turns bitter; gentle heat keeps it sweet.
  • Variations: spoon on fig jam or hot honey instead of (or with) the olive mix, or top with toasted pecans or walnuts.
  • Pair with champagne or a chilled rosé.
  • For a crowd, bake two wheels side by side and double the mix.

Storage & Make-Ahead

  • The garlic-olive mix keeps up to 1 week in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature and warm gently before using.
  • Bake the brie just before serving; it doesn’t reheat well.

From Ernie’s Kitchen

Leave a Reply

You might also like