Baked Brie Author: A View from Great Island

This dish gathers together so many fall favorites – gooey molten cheese and maple syrup, caramelized apples and crunchy roasted pecans – it’s no wonder people just want to hang out by this appetizer all night!

Ingredients
about 45 pecan halves
1 SweeTango apple, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
16 ounce wheel of Brie cheese
pure maple syrup (about 1 cup)

Instructions
Set oven to 350F

Spread out the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes, stirring once or twice, until fragrant. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the brown sugar, stir until dissolved. Add the apples and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Put the wheel of Brie in the center of your baking dish. Chop a few of the pecans for garnish, and arrange the others around the outer edge of the cheese, in 2 layers. Spoon the apples into the center, and arrange a few around the perimeter of the cheese. Top the apples with the chopped pecans.

Heat the maple syrup in a small sauce pan until boiling and boil for 5 minutes.

Drizzle the maple syrup over the apples, it will spill down the baked brie and onto the sides.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until everything is hot and the cheese is molten.

Serve immediately with crackers or bread.

Notes:
The exact baking time will depend on whether your Brie is cold or at room temperature to begin with. You can poke the cheese to test it, it will feel soft when it’s done.

You could also use candied or spiced pecans for this recipe.

You’ll need a broad, shallow ovenproof dish that you can also serve out of.  Make sure there’s a little space all around for the extra apples, pecans, and maple syrup to collect. A pie plate works well.