Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Baked Brie with Plum Preserves and Spiced Pecans

Walkers Shortbread sent me the most amazing box full of goodies. This time not only did they send me a large selection of their fantasic cookies, for this shipment Walkers Shortbread partnered with Bonne Maman. Bonne Maman is the creator of gourmet, all-natural, preserves and jellies produced in France. Their preserves and jellies are made without the use of preservatives, artificial coloring, or high fructose corn syrup. I have been a long time fan of Bonne Maman's wonderful products. I adore the little jars, with their iconic red gingham lids that the preserves come in almost as much as I love the preserves and jellies themselves. So cute and delicious!! Anyway I was so excited about all the great products Walkers sent in this box. 

The theme for this shipment is Festive Recipes for Autumn and Holiday Entertaining. Walkers Shortbread included their Highland Oatcakes in this box. The oatcakes are a savory oat cracker, and like all Walkers products are made from all-natural ingredients. I had never tried Walkers oatcakes before. They have now become my go-to cracker for any cheese platter. The oatcakes have a wonderful nutty flavor from the oats that pairs beautifully with cheeses. 

The holiday season is busy so I decided to share this really simple but beautiful and delicious baked brie recipe. It takes very few ingredients and can be put together in matter of minutes. Perfect for the busy holiday season! 
Make the spiced pecans ahead of time and store them in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks. Try not to eat all of the spiced pecans beforehand (it will be really tempting!) and you can throw this baked brie together in under 15 minutes! 

Baked Brie with Plum Preserves and Spiced Pecans

1 small (8 ounce) brie wheel
1/2 cup Bonne Maman Golden Plum Mirabella Preserves
1/3 cup rosemary spiced pecans, roughly chopped (recipe below)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Carefully cut brie in half horizontally. Place rind side down on baking sheet or shallow baking dish. Spoon half of the preserves onto bottom half of brie, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of chopped pecans. Top with the other brie half and spoon remaining preserves and remaining chopped pecans over the top.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until cheese is soft and just begins to melt. Let brie cool for about 5 minutes. Move to serving platter with a large spatula. Sprinkle the chopped rosemary over the top and decorate with a few of the rosemary spiced pecan halves, if desired. Serve with Walkers Highland Oatcakes and the rest of the rosemary spiced pecan halves.

Rosemary Spiced Pecans
2 cups pecan halves
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 1/2 Tbs. dark brown sugar
1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
pinch of cayenne
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (omit if using salted nuts)
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Scatter the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, shaking the sheet a couple of times during baking, until the nuts are nicely toasted, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, set a small heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the coriander and cumin and toast until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, brown sugar, rosemary, and cayenne. Return the skillet to low heat and stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, 2 to 2-1/2 minutes. Keep warm.
Put the nuts into a large bowl, pour the warm spiced butter over the nuts, and add the salt. Stir until the nuts are well coated. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Let the nuts cool completely.
Walkers has provided me with a special promo code for my readers to save 20% off your next purchase from, www.walkersus.com. Go to the site, place your order for any of their regular priced products and when you check out enter the code HBBFALL. Hurry offer ends November 4th!

1 comment:

grace said...

the rosemary seals this deal for me--great touch!