Baked Feta with Pepper Jelly
This Baked Feta with Pepper Jelly is wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden brown and flaky. Along with the vegan feta and jelly, there’s an ample amount of whole grain mustard offering some zip, in addition to toasted pecans for a crunch. Once sliced, the melted cheese oozes out and is scooped up with crackers. The sweet and spicy pepper jelly combined with the melted cheese and flaky crust is literal perfection. An easy and impressive appetizer that’s just perfect for the holidays. Who could resist?
THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS BAKED FETA WITH PEPPER JELLY
If I remember correctly, I first had this appetizer when I was a young teenager during a Thanksgiving. My aunt had made a baked brie in puff pastry with some apricot preserves and served it with crackers. I remember thinking, ‘Gosh, this is decadent! Puff pastry with melted cheese that is then placed on a cracker/more bread!?’ It almost seemed too over-the-top but after I took a bite I stopped asking questions and let my eyes roll into the back of my head. Truth be told, this dish is over-the-top, and that’s precisely why everyone will love you for making it.
MY VEGAN TRANSLATION
When it comes to vegan brie, that can be hard to find. That’s not to say that you might have a local artisanal vegan cheesemaker in town that offers such a thing, but here in New Orleans, that’s pretty difficult. Trader Joe’s used to make a vegan feta block that worked wonderfully. When that was discontinued, I didn’t know if people would be able to make this recipe. But then I learned that Violife makes a vegan feta– phew!
If you can’t find this Violife feta, I’m sorry to say that I don’t think this recipe will turn out quite as good. If you try using other vegan cheeses, go with your favorite block-shaped variety and see what happens! I’m sure it will still be delicious but I just can’t say for certain. Please let me know in the comments if you do!
A BIG THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR
For today’s sponsor, I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to the makers of Ball® home canning products! This post wraps up two years of working with them as an ambassador and it has been truly incredible. They are a dream client to work with because their products have been a part of my everyday life for as long as I can remember. Way before I even dreamed of starting a blog!
Using high quality and reusable glass jars is a great way to increase sustainability in the kitchen and home. I also find that it’s way more beautiful to use glass jars for storage than plastic. Their products encourage preserving food which is another sustainable practice that is pretty amazing if you ask me! Having the knowledge and tools to harvest fresh vegetables and fruit and then to be able to preserve them for the pantry is incredibly empowering. Ball® home canning products makes this possible for us all.
Today we are celebrating Ball® Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars! This is one of my favorite designs not only for storage and canning, but also as drinkware. Here we have the tall 12 oz version which I adore. You can purchase your very own 12 pack here!
APRICOT HABANERO PEPPER JELLY
For this recipe, I suggest using the Habanero Apricot Jelly that is already on the blog. Lucky for you, it is easy to make and yields a couple of jars. If you don’t have time to make some from scratch, you can use any pepper jelly that you’d like or can find. You can also use other kinds of jams or preserves. On the blog, I have a Fig Rosemary & Red Wine Jam that works beautifully here, as well. Lastly, I have seen similar recipes use raspberry jam which also sounds lovely.
ASSEMBLING THE BAKED FETA AND PEPPER JELLY
For the puff pastry, I like to use Aussie Bakery. The trick with this dough is defrosting it enough to where you can roll it out just a bit so you have a nice rectangle to place everything on. When you unfold the dough, you will notice 2 seams. These need to be pressed together and rolled out so that the dough becomes one cohesive sheet. If the seams are not closed, the fillings will ooze out of the puff pastry while baking and burn. In addition to rolling the dough, we will also be brushing a cornstarch and water mixture on the edges before folding. This will help seal the folded dough so that it bakes nicely and stays closed!
Below are the steps for assembly. I like the order of pepper jelly, mustard, pecans, feta and then repeat. Next, fold and drizzle with olive oil (to encourage browning) and a sprinkling of flaky salt. After that, transfer to a baking sheet and cook until golden and flaky.
BAKE, TRANSFER, AND SERVE
You’ll want to bake this in the center of a 400°F oven for about 40 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden all around. Once it is removed from the oven, use a thin spatula to transfer it to a serving plate or platter. You will want to serve this with a sharp knife to slice and some long crackers to scoop it all up. This is very messy to eat but that’s part of the fun! When shopping for crackers, I find that stores will put the fancy varieties by the olives and cheeses. The sturdier the cracker the better, as they work best to hold the filling.
ENJOY THIS BAKED FETA WITH PEPPER JELLY
And there you have my Baked Feta with Pepper Jelly! I cannot wait to hear what y’all think. If you do make this, please leave a comment and a rating below as this greatly helps the blog. Lastly, if you share it on social media, please tag me. I love to see it. Happy cooking, y’all!
–Timothy
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Baked Feta with Pepper Jelly
Ingredients
- ¼ cup raw pecans
- 1 pre-rolled puff pastry sheet, 9 x 9 inches
- 4 tablespoons Habanero-Apricot Jelly or desired jelly
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 8 ounce block vegan feta*
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- Drizzle olive oil
- Sprinkle flaky salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small skillet, toast the pecans over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring every so often, until fragrant and toasted. Let them cool and roughly chop. Set aside.
- Lightly dust a large cutting board or surface with flour and spread out the sheet of pastry. If it’s still hard, let it rest until it becomes soft and pliable. Once soft, use your fingers to gently press together any seams to prevent the filling from running out. Sprinkle a dusting of flour over top, and using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is slightly larger (about 1 inch) than its original shape.
- To assemble, spread 2 tablespoons of the jelly, 1 tablespoon of the mustard, and half of the pecans in the center of the puff pastry sheet. Place the block of feta over top and repeat the layers with the remaining mustard, jelly and pecans.
- To fold, first combine the cornstarch and water, whisking until smooth. This will help seal the dough to prevent leaking. Dip a pastry brush into the cornstarch mixture and brush it along the edges of the puff pastry, creating an inch-wide border. Using your hands, carefully fold the dough up and over the filling, like wrapping a present. Press and gently pinch the folds to seal the dough. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Transfer the puff pastry onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Using a thin spatula, transfer the baked feta onto a plate and serve with crackers. Enjoy!
Notes
*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.
Timmy….. This is a SINGLE, MAIN COURSE thank you very much. Y=U-U-U-U-U-MMMMO!!!
I think it would go nicely over a big, green salad, minimally dressed.
What a great recipe!!!
Ayy! This makes me so happy to read. Thank you, thank you!
This looks fantastic Tim! Can you freeze this premade and then bake it out of the freezer? If yes, would you defrost it or let it thaw before baking? Baking time different for frozen pastry?
Good luck with your book and happy holidays!
Hi there! So I haven’t tried this so I can’t say for certain but my main concern would be freezing the vegan feta. I am not sure if this would change the texture in an undesirable way. I would say you could make this in advance and keep it tightly wrapped in the fridge a few days early to get a head start! I don’t say any issues happening with that. Hope this helps and thank you!