Baked Brie with Thyme-Infused Honey
This delightful Christmas baked Brie recipe is an easy starter, and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
In under 10 minutes, you can make this delectable canapé that pairs beautifully with the tangy thyme-infused honey, crunchy apples, and walnuts, all melded with the velvety warmth of Brie cheese. For a gluten-free alternative, serve it with gluten-free crackers or bread.
500g Brie in a wooden box or an oven-safe bowl of similar size
1 cup of honey
2 tablespoons of walnuts
8 sprigs of thyme (plus extra to serve)
3 small apples, such as Rockit apples
A couple of garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Crusty sourdough baguette
Olive oil
1 punnet of strawberries
1 bunch of asparagus with woody stem cut and discarded. Blanched in boiling water.
Place the honey in a small saucepan on the lowest heat.
Add the sprigs of thyme and a few garlic slices to the honey. Cook on low heat, stirring continuously and take off the heat momentarily if it starts to bubble. Hold-off from putting back on heat until the bubble subsides.
Set aside for an hour, or overnight if enough time allows, to infuse.
Discard thyme and garlic once the honey is ready to be served.
Cut baguettes in thin, diagonal slides, and brush generously with olive oil.
In a frypan, set to medium-high, place the oiled bread slices. Using tongs, flip the bread to toast on both sides (until golden brown). Set aside.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Take the cheese out of the wrapper and if not in a wooden box, place it in a low, round dish on an oven tray.
Score the top of the cheese in a diamond pattern.
Wedge garlic slices into the cut skin of the cheese and drizzle with olive oil.
Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until gooey and golden.
Then, take the hot cheese out and place on the serving board. Quickly decorate with walnuts and extra thyme leaves and drizzle generously with honey and cracked pepper.
Serve with crisped toast, strawberries, asparagus, crisp small apple slices and additional honey.
