With Thanksgiving coming up fast, I’m sure a lot of us are thinking menus. In my family, the menu is pretty traditional from year to year. It probably looks a lot like yours. I like to try one new thing every year though, whether it’s a new appetizer, dessert, or side. This year, our perfect Thanksgiving appetizer is going to be Maple Pecan Baked Brie.
This appetizer has the perfect balance of flavors and textures–sweet, salty, creamy, crispy, tart, mellow…oh my, it’s heavenly. It looks absolutely beautiful and impressive, but it couldn’t be more simple to make. Wrapping the brie in store bought filo dough provides the crispy, golden exterior. Add some red pear slices and a handful of pomegranate arils and you have the perfect compliments to the creamy, sharp brie.
When preparing the brie, you can either leave the rind on or not. Personally I love brie, but I think the rind is pretty nasty. So I always cut it off whenever I work with brie. Your choice! Also, you can substitute walnuts for pecans if you so desire.
Ingredients
- 1 small wheel of brie
- 6 sheets frozen filo dough
- melted butter for brushing
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1 TBS cold butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- If desired, cut the rind off the brie. Set aside.
- Lay one sheet of filo dough down on a clean surface. Brush lightly with butter. Lay another sheet down on top and brush with butter. Repeat with each sheet of filo dough until all are brushed with butter.
- Place the brie in the center and wrap the filo dough around it. Flip the wrapped brie over and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until filo is golden brown and crispy.
- While the brie is baking, add the chopped pecans to a medium sized non stick skillet. Toast the pecans over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. Nuts are toasted when they are fragrant and a golden color. Add the cold butter, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Stir until butter is melted. Continue to toast the pecans with the butter for another minute. Add the maple syrup and stir constantly. The syrup will thicken around the pecans. Remove from the heat.
- To serve: place the baked brie on a serving platter and top with the maple pecans. Drizzle additional maple syrup over the top for an extra touch of sweetness, if desired. Eat alone or with fruit such as pears, apples, pomegranates, grapes, and figs.
This week, My Cooking Spot and its fab contributors are joining up with Meghan from Cake ‘n’ Knife and Susannah from Feast + West who are hosting the Blogsgiving Dinner. There are 20 awesome blogs sharing 52 recipes over the course of this week! It’s basically one giant progressive dinner that we can all enjoy.
Be sure to check out the rest of today’s menu, including cocktails, appetizers and soups!
Cocktails
Carolina Apple Sidecar from Think Fruitful
Bourbon Cranberry Lemonade Fizz from bethcakes
Krupnikas Ginger from I Cook. I Eat. It’s Life.
Appetizers
Cured Meat Platter from Wit Wisdom and Food
Baked Camembert with Cranberry Walnut Crust from Cake ‘n’ Knife
Ginger Cran Apple Chutney from Love & Flour
Brandied Grapes with Cheese from Glamour Girl Gourmet
Shrimp Sweet Potato Mousseline from Home at Six
Cranberry Goat Cheese and Butternut Squash Crostini from The Wetherills Say I Do
Maple Pecan Baked Brie from My Cooking Spot
Sassy Salmon Dip from Betty Becca
Baked Brie with Cranberry Chutney from The Speckled Palate
Butternut Squash Crostini from Chez CateyLou
Gluten Free Holiday Cheese Board from Twin Stripe
Soups
Butternut Squash Soup with Cornbread Croutons from Club Narwhal
Creamy Wild Rice Soup from Hello Little Home
Pumpkin Soup with Bacon Roasted Chickpeas from Feast + West
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Oh man, I can never get enough of baked brie when it’s on a party table! What a great appetizer to serve all season long, but especially on turkey day 🙂
Oh! Look how gooey and flaky this is. Maple and pecans take it to the next level. I am usually that person who hangs out by the baked brie at any party, so I might not share when I make this! Thanks for being a part of Blogsgiving!
Can I have some of this right now please? It might be before 9am in Denver, but I could totally go for this melted cheese heaven! Thanks for joining in on the blogsgiving fun with us!!
This looks amazing!!! I’m pinning it to use for my next event in our home 🙂
I am dying over that pecan topping – it looks so delicious! What a gorgeous appetizer for Thanksgiving!
Jana, this looks amazing! We’ve done baked bries before but never like this! YUM!
Yum! This looks amazing … so perfect for Thanksgiving!
Baked cheese!?!? Could there be anything better? This looks like an amazing version for Thanksgiving! Happy Blogsgiving!