Witty in the City

A few years ago, Trader Joe’s sold frozen packages of raspberry and brie rolled in phyllo dough. I was obsessed with them. I’d pop a few out of the freezer and bake them until they were crispy and gooey. I’d eat them as a bedtime snack with some hot tea. Side note: Are bedtime snacks normal? David doesn’t think so, but bedtime snacks are the best! Anyway, as with many of the products I come to love, Trader Joe’s stopped carrying the raspberry brie rolls. I waited years for them to come back. I tried making my own a year or two ago, and have finally come up with a suitable substitute. Snacks away!

To make these rolls, defrost a package of frozen phyllo dough. Preheat your oven to 350ºF, and then cut the phyllo dough into 3 by 6 inch rectangles. Set one piece of the dough out to work on, and cover the rest of the stack with a damp towel. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, and brush some onto the sheet of dough. I didn’t have the time or patience to melt and brush butter when I made these (I had an antitrust class to attend), so I lightly misted the dough with cooking spray. It worked just fine and was faster, but my rolls didn’t have that buttery flavor.

Towards the bottom and center of the dough, pile 1/2 tablespoon of brie cheese, rind excluded, and 2 raspberries. My raspberries were a little tart, which I loved, but you can use raspberry jam if you prefer a sweeter filling. I don’t like using jam because it can get a little too runny once the rolls are baked.

Start rolling the dough up around the filling, and then fold the excess dough in from the sides. Your fillings will be completely encased in an egg roll-like wrapper.

Continue rolling until all of the dough is used up, and then position the raspberry brie roll so that the loose edge of the phyllo dough is on the bottom. Brush the top of the roll with more melted butter, or give it another misting of oil.

Set the roll on an ungreased baking sheet, and continue rolling the rest of your raspberries and brie with phyllo dough. If you like, you can freeze the rolls at this point, however, the phyllo dough might start to crack once the rolls have been in the freezer for more than a few days. They are still delicious though!

Bake the rolls for about 10 minutes until the dough is crispy and brown and the brie starts to ooze. Pretty! Picking that melty brie off of the pan makes me happier than you can imagine.

Let the rolls cool for a minute or two, and then dig in. I love the crispiness of the delicate phyllo dough, the creamy brie, and the sweet-tart raspberries. I could seriously eat these all day long. I love knowing that there are more in my freezer waiting to be baked when a craving strikes. Even if it’s right before bed.

Shopping list:

• Phyllo dough
• Brie- 1 wedge
• Rasperries- 6 ounces
• Butter or cooking spray