Brie & Cranberry Cigars
with a hot honey dip
These cigars are crisp and flaky, with a molten centre of brie, cranberry and thyme. The dukkah adds warmth and crunch, and the hot-honey chilli dip brings a little sweetness and heat that balances the richness, but feel free to serve them with any dip you like, or have them on their own.
This pairs perfectly with this juicy Bulliat Beaujolais-Villages ‘Bibine’ from Domaine Bulliat. Use code ‘CCCWINES15’ for 15% off your order with Forest Wines.
Over 18s only - Please drink responsibly.
Serves 2-4, as a snack/starter
Tips & Tricks:
Air Fryer: These are so super-speedy in the air fryer, but if you don’t have one, you can also bake at 200°C fan / 430°F for 10–12 minutes (check they are golden and crisp - timings may vary)
Freeze the Cheese: Freeze the brie sticks for at least 30 minutes so they melt slowly and down burst out of the filo when cooking.
Brie or Camembert: Camembert works too but melts more quickly and becomes more liquid so beware of seepages! (They taste fantastic still though)
Herbs: Thyme can be used fresh or dried. Rosemary works well too — if using fresh rosemary then you’ll need 4–5 sprigs - finely chopped, so it doesn’t taste soapy.
Dukkah: dukkah is a middle eastern spice blend which works so well on this, but finely chopped nuts or sesame seeds work well too.
Ingredients.
5 sheets filo pastry
Approx. 200g / 7 oz brie wheel, or camembert
10 tsp cranberry sauce
10 thyme sprigs
3–4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp dukkah, or finely chopped nuts/sesame seeds
For the Hot Honey Chilli Dip:
60g / 3 tbsp honey, runny
1 tbsp crispy chilli oil, I love this one for it’s salty-savoury flavour
Equipment.
air fryer (can also use the oven)
pastry brush
freezer
sharp knife
Method.
Cut 5 long strips from the centre of the brie wheel (approx. 1cm wide) then cut each strip down the centre so you have 10 sticks. They should be roughly the same length - put 2 shorter sticks end-to-end if some are much shorter.
Freeze them for at least 30 minutes so they firm up.
Remove the filo pastry from the fridge about 30mins before you’re ready to use it. Don’t open the pack yet as it dries out quickly when uncovered.
Cut 5 filo sheets in half to create 10 rectangles.
Working 1 sheet at a time (fairly quickly so it doesn’t dry out), brush each one lightly with olive oil, then flip it over so the filling goes on the dry side.
Place a frozen stick of brie on top at one end, then spoon over 1 tsp cranberry sauce. Pull off the leaves from one sprig of thyme and sprinkle over it.
Roll tightly into a cigar shape, folding the sides in to enclose the filling. Be careful not to piece the pastry as the cheese will ooze out.
Place ‘seam-side’ down, then brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle the tops with dukkah or nuts/sesame seeds.
Air fry the cigars in a single layer for around 8 minutes, checking after 4 minutes as filo browns quickly. Do them in batches if necessary.
Meanwhile, mix the honey and crispy chilli oil together for the dip. Warm it a little to help combine if needed.
Let the cigars rest for at least 5 minutes before serving, as the cheese will be very hot.
Serve warm with the hot honey chilli dip.
