Chili Crisp Baked Brie & La Crescent Bubbles
Bubbles & Brie S03 E04 - Gooey, crunchy, sweet, spicy, salty deliciousness with a beautifully bubbly (and unique) Canadian wine pairing.
I tend to create some pretty elaborate baked brie recipes. They end up tasting incredible, but an hour + in the kitchen for a baked brie that will be devoured in minutes can be a lot. But this one is different. This one is ready in under 20 minutes, and it’s wonderfully unexpected. A total standout that will catch everyone’s eye and be devoured in minutes at your Christmas party this weekend!
The Wine: La Crescent Sparkling Wine
What is La Crescent?
GOOD QUESTION. lolol but seriously. I was originally looking for an off-dry Sekt (either German or Austrian Sparkling Riesling) but couldn’t find one at the stores I visited. I came across the wine below (Monte Creek Living Land Sparkling) and saw that it was highly rated, likely off-dry based on the residual sugar of 12.9 g/L (I had to do some research to find this number) and it was a grape variety I had never heard of.
So I bought it, tasted it, researched it, and here’s the verdict:
It’s a “cold-hardy” hybrid grape that was developed in Minnesota (named after the city “La Crescent” in Minnesota), meant to withstand temperatures as low as -38°C (-36°F). Sooo obviously it makes sense that we would see it in Canada!
When I first tasted it I thought of both Riesling and Muscat (kind of a hybrid of the two). And when I looked up the grapes used to make the hybrid, this is what I found:
Parent Grapes
St. Pepin: A hybrid variety (Seyval Blanc x Minnesota 78) developed by Elmer Swenson. It contributes sugar/acid balance and characteristics similar to Riesling.
ES 6-8-25: An unnamed breeding selection that is itself a cross between Vitis riparia (a native North American grape) and Muscat Hamburg (also known as Black Muscat).
SO Riesling and Muscat made sense! (I felt very proud of myself for this. Just sayin.)
Monte Creek 2022 Living Land Sparkling
Monte Creek: The producer (Monte Creek Winery in Thompson Valley, BC)
2022: The Vintage (or the year the grapes were harvested)
Living Land: The wine’s name (part of the Monte Creek Living Land Series)
Sparkling: She gots bubbles baby
The specific wine is sealed with a screw cap, so it won’t look like a sparkling wine at first glance. BUT as soon as you pour that first glass, you’ll see just how bubbly it is! The pressure in the bottle is definitely lower than Champagne (this one’s made in the same style as Prosecco), so it’s more of a Frizzante, but it’s bubbly!!
The texture is light (but also creamy?) with super high acidity — so much so that it kind of masks the sweetness from the residual sugar. That being said, I would definitely still consider this one off-dry (aka slightly sweet). The bright, ripe fruit flavours (think lemon curd, green apple, pineapple and sweet passionfruit) all contribute to that perception of sweetness and work beautifully with the bubbles and acidity.
Why the Pairing Works:
Acidity and bubbles vs. richness: As with all bubbles & brie, the magic is really in the texture contrast. Baked brie is super oily, rich, and mouth-coating, so those lovely mouthwatering bubbles are key to keeping your mouth refreshed!
Sweet matches sweet (and tempers spice): This wine is considered off-dry or semi-sweet at 12.9 g/L of residual sugar (>10 is typically considered off-dry), and the ripe fruit flavours make it seem even sweeter. This sweetness matches the sweetness from the honey (ensuring the sweet honey doesn’t dull the wine’s flavours and helps temper some of that chili spice! Bonus that the alcohol isn’t very high at11.7% ABV, so it doesn’t fan the flame.
Flavour contrast: Umami-rich chili crisp and chili bits vs. the wine’s intensely tropical, rich fruit flavours. The contrast is so key to keeping everything balanced!
Alternative:
If you’re in Calgary, I found this wine at Highlander Wine & Spirits in Marda Loop, but of course, this one will be hard for most of you to find! Here’s my top recommendation as an alternative (+ a NA version):
Dr. Loosen Sparkling Riesling (off-dry German Sparkling Wine that’s easy to find and would be perfect with this recipe!)
RECIPE: Chili Crisp Baked Brie Recipe
Serves: 4–8 | Time: 15-20 minutes | Difficulty: Easy
What You’ll Need
Cheese baking dish
Small paring knife
Ramekin
Ingredients
Large (550g) double-crème brie, room temperature
1–2 tbsp creamed honey
2 tbsp chili crisp oil (mainly the chili crisp part — leave most of the oil behind)
1 tbsp liquid honey
1/4 cup dry chili bits
2 tbsp chives, chopped
Drizzle of honey
Serve with:
Crostini
Crackers
Sourdough
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and allow brie to come to room temperature.
Place brie wheel in a cheese baking dish (or your oven-safe baking dish of choice) and score the brie using a small paring knife. I scored mine in a star/asterisk pattern, and it was cute, but lines or a checkered pattern work as well.
Spread a layer of creamed honey on top of the brie (or just brush with regular liquid honey if that’s what you have available).
Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes (10 minutes if using a smaller brie) or until the top is starting to brown from the honey and the brie is melted inside the rind (it should be soft/squishy to touch in the middle).
While the brie is in the oven, prepare toppings so you can quickly top the brie and serve. Combine the chili crisp oil (mainly the crisp, minimal oil) and honey in a ramekin and finely chop chives.
Remove the brie from the oven, top with chili crisp honey mixture, dry chili bits, chopped chives, and a drizzle of honey to finish it off.
Serve immediately with crackers, crostini, fresh bread/sourdough, and a chilled bottle of bubbles!
Notes & Stuff
Make sure the brie is at room temp before baking, especially if using a thicker/larger one! I used the Kirkland Signature Double-Crème Brie from Costco, and they’re huge, so if it’s cold, it won’t bake as evenly, and you might end up with a firm centre. If you have a large brie and don’t have time to let it come to room temp, bake it at 375°F instead (just watch it closely so the top doesn’t burn).
The honey sitch: I used creamed honey and liquid honey because I happen to have both, but you can make do with one or the other! If you only have creamed honey, just microwave it for 15 seconds or so first before combining it with the chili crisp.
ENJOY and let me know what you think!!
Trying this tonight with the Dr. Loosen since I forgot the bottle of Monte Creek at home 😢
I should have actually read the directions through all the way first, added the chili crisp oil before it went in the BBQ (too hot to turn on the oven). Here’s hoping it works out anyway!