Brie With Brown Sugar and Almonds

Leslulu's Note:

This is my signature dish. I adapted if from another recipe. To ensure the rind of the cheese doesn't burst, don't preheat the oven. Put the cheese in a cold oven then set the temperature so that it heats up slowly. When I am carmelizing the topping, I leave the door of my oven slightly open and I don't answer the phone. My favorite way to serve this is with french bread but water wafer crackers are a good choice too. I use a fresh strawberry on top for a garnish.

• Total Time: 22 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 17 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 16

• 1 (2 lb) brie round
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, unsalted
• 1/2 cup almonds, sliced

Directions:

1. Place Brie in lightly buttered 9-inch quiche dish.
2. Heat in 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
3. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and sugar together on low heat. Add almounds.
4. Pour this mixture over the warmed Brie, turn oven to broil and watch carefully so it doesn't burn.
5. Slice a strawberry so that it "fans" out and place on top of the Brie.

Reviews

[FLKeysJen]

Crowd pleaser! I saw that this is your signature dish and mine may be Mushroom Stuffed Brie En Croute. I wanted to try something girlier and sweeter for my "Girls' Night In" and everyone loved this! After I carmelized the topping, I took it out of the oven, reduced the heat to 200, then put it back in so it was ready for the perfect moment. I wish I took a photo with the strawberry because it did look beautiful - will get one for you next time.

[DreamoBway]

I made this for a Girl's Night recently. After a long (and particularly stressful) day at work, this was the perfect comfort food indulgence. It was absolutely decadent. It was just my friend and me so we used a 250g round but used the same amount of topping which worked out just fine because there were plenty of buttery sugared almonds to share! Never having warmed a brie before, we just gave it a gentle nudge after the 15 minutes, and it felt warm and soft under the rind so we went ahead and caramelized the topping. It tasted like cheesy apple pie as we served it with gluten free crackers and apple slices. I will definitely be making this again, for a larger crowd next time (if I'm up for sharing!) Made for PAC - Fall '08.