Cranberry and Brie Bites (Butter Pastry)

Baked Brie is a perennially popular appetizer. Here, we complement the Brie with tart cranberry sauce and bake it in pretty individual tartlets using premade pie crust for an ultra-easy crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Cranberry Sauce:
1 (12 oz) bag fresh cranberries
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
2 (1x4") strips orange peel
1 pinch sea salt

Butter Pastry Dough:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
¾ tsp. sea salt
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
4-5 Tbsp. water, ice cold

Assembly:
1 (7-8 oz) prepared pie crust
½ cup cranberry sauce, divided
3 oz Brie cheese, cut into 24 pieces, divided
1 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped (optional)

Make the Cranberry Sauce:
Place cranberries, water, sugar, orange peel and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring often, until most of the cranberries have burst, 10-12 minutes. Remove the orange peel. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Make-Ahead: Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Make the Pastry:
Mix flour and salt in a large bowl or food processor. Cut in butter using a pastry blender, two knives or by pulsing in the food processor until the butter forms pebble-size pieces with the flour. Add water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until the dough is evenly moist (but not wet) and is just starting to clump together, being careful not to overmix. Divide dough into 2 pieces and pat each into a 5" disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Remove from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before rolling out.

Make-Ahead: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C/210°C fan, Gas Mark 8). Lightly coat a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

Unroll pie crust onto a cutting board or clean surface. Flatten dough to about 12" in diameter. Cut 24 (2") circles out of the dough with a biscuit cutter, rerolling scraps if needed. Place the dough circles in the muffin tin cups, gently pressing on the bottom and sides. Prick the dough with a fork.

Bake until lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Add 1 tsp. cranberry sauce to each cup, then top with a piece of Brie. Return to the oven and bake until the sauce is hot and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes more.

Let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chives, if desired, and serve warm.

Makes 24.