Vegan Baked Brie and Chutney en Croute (in Phyllo Dough) with Vegan Sweet and Spicy Curried Pecans

Yield: 1 wheel of vegan "brie"

Since my recipe for vegan "brie" makes two wheels, I had one left over to experiment with. This time, I decided to use phyllo dough for the "croute"--though you could use puff pastry instead--and enclose a hint of fruity and spicy chutney inside. For contrast, I topped it with sweet and spicy toasted pecans. Yum! The perfect winter appetizer.

12-14 ounces extra firm tofu, drained
3/4 cup cashews (raw or, because I never have raw, I use roasted and lightly salted)
6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2-2 1/4 onion powder
1 teaspoon salt (less if using lightly salted cashews)
generous 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
approximately 2 tablespoons olive oil (use more as needed)
approximately 2 tablespoon vegan butter (I like Earth Balance--use more as needed)
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed in refrigerator according to package directions
approximately 3 tablespoons prepared chutney (I used Major Gray's mango chutney)
Vegan Sweet and Spicy Curried Pecans (recipe follows)
Sidecar: seedless grapes

Place first nine ingredients into a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until smooth. Line two soup bowls, approximately 5 inches in diameter, with plastic wrap and scrape half of mixture into each one. Smooth tops, fold edges of plastic wrap down to cover the tops, and weight (I just used a flat-bottomed bowl, nested inside, with a heavy jar of peanut butter in it.) Refrigerate for 4 or more hours.

To assemble and bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil and vegan butter together until butter is melted. Remove phyllo dough from refrigerator, carefully unfold and cover with plastic wrap followed by a damp towel. Peel off one sheet of the dough and lie it on a flat surface like a cutting board and brush generously with the oil-vegan butter mixture. Repeat with remaining phyllo, lying each sheet on top of the previous one to make a stack. Spread the chutney into a thin circle the same diameter as your cheese mold in the center of the stack. Remove one "cheese" mold from the refrigerator (save the other for another purpose), and pull back plastic wrap from the top. Invert the "cheese" on top of the chutney and remove plastic. Bring corners of phyllo to the center of the disk of cheese, pleating and folding to cover "cheese" completely and so that it will lie fairly flat. Brush lightly with more of the oil-vegan butter mixture. Carefully flip over and place on an oiled or Silpat lined baking sheet. Brush top and sides with a tiny bit more of the oil mixture, coxing down any protruding corners of dough as you go. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove baking sheet from oven, place on a wire rack and cool just a couple of minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the "cheese" to a serving platter and cover with Vegan Sweet and Spicy Pecans. Using a serrated knife, slice "cheese" into small wedges and serve with seedless grapes if desired.


Vegan Sweet and Spicy Curried Pecans

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
3/4 cup pecan halves or pieces
coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
generous 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
scant 1/4 teaspoon coriander
pinch garlic powder
pinch chili powder
red pepper flakes to taste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon water

In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat oil to shimmering. Add pecans and a bit of salt and begin to toast, stirring continuously to coat with oil and to prevent scorching. Lower heat if needed. Once pecans are very lightly toasted, add remaining spices, stir, and toast for another minute or two. When almost done, add brown sugar and water and stir and cook to thicken and coat. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to stop cooking if not using immediately.

Source: Vegan brie base is adapted from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak.