Rosemary Baked Brie with Candied Walnuts

This amazing recipe comes from Will Cook For Friends and was suggested to me by Hooray magazine as one of the best entrees for a Bastille Day celebration. I was so taken with the beauty of this simple recipe that I just had to try it out – and what better occasion that having all my girls come round for a first ever Book Club meeting? (Stay tuned in a couple of days for that one to hit the blog!) Here is how you can host your very own deliciously baked Brie at your next event:

Ingredients:

For the walnuts:
1 1/2 cups walnut halves
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (the real Canadian maple syrup)
pinch of salt

For the Brie:
1 wheel of Brie Cheese
2-3 tbsp honey
a few sprigs fresh rosemary
Crackers or crusty bread for serving
maple candied walnuts, for serving

Method:
For the walnuts:
1.   Line a cookie sheet with baking paper and set aside, ready to go.
2.  Heat up a pot or skillet on the stove over medium – high heat for a couple of minutes. Don’t use any oil or butter because it won’t be necessary. Add the walnuts, maple syrup and salt to the pot and stir constantly until the maple syrup has started to thicken and now attaches itself to the walnuts. Keep going until the walnuts have caramelised and make sure not to burn it.
3.   Pour the caramelised nuts onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread so that they are thin. Put the cookie sheet in the fridge to set and remove shortly before serving to allow them to come to room temperature.

For the Brie:
1.   Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius.
2.   Remove cheese from its packaging and put it in the centre of a cookie sheet. Place a sprig or two of rosemary on top and drizzle with a lot of honey!
3.   Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the honey is bubbling and the cheese is soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before digging in.
4.   Top with additional honey and bits of rosemary and serve with crackers or crusty bread and candied walnuts.

Sounds delicious right? You can never really go wrong with a baked Brie, or even rosemary or candied walnuts for that matter. And put it all together? Why, you will be in Heaven!