Brown Sugar Pecan Maple Baked Brie

My fellow wine lovers and I in the wine pairing weekend group are featuring rose wines this month hosted by Lori of Dracaena Wines. This rose event was the perfect opportunity to satisfy my recent craving for a baked brie appetizer. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you brie is my favorite cheese. Enter brown sugar maple pecan baked brie. If I do say so myself, this is one of the best appetizers I’ve made and I say that for a few reasons. One…it’s just plain delicious. Two…it’s super easy to make and three…it’s a pretty impressive dish. It looks nice and, well, who doesn’t love gooey cheese?! Plus, it not only pairs nicely with Harvey River Estate 2016 Rose but would work with other wines as well.

If you’re not familiar with Harvey River Estate Wines, they are a collection of wines from the Western Australia region. Grapes are sourced from the Geographe and Margaret River region. Cabernet Sauvignon was blended with small and equal portions of merlot and grenache grapes to produce a light dry and delicate Rose. It’s a clean but not too fruity fragrance with vanilla bean and rhubarb notes, balanced acid leading to a dry finish on the palate. It’s this dry finish that pairs nicely with the sweetness of the baked brie.

It used to be, many years ago, that when you thought of a blush wine, the first that came to mind were White Zinfandel and White Grenache. White Zin, as it’s sometimes affectionately called, is more sweet and fruity than rose. The predominate grape variety is Zinfandel. White Grenache, on the other hand has more citrus notes and tends to be a bit higher in alcohol and lower in acidity. The predominate variety is Grenache. Knowing I’m not a big fan of either of these wines I was hesitant to try a rose. There is no rose grape variety and as I mentioned above, the Harvey River Estate 2016 Rose is a blend of a few varieties. That’s probably why I liked it so much.

Brown Sugar Pecan Maple Baked Brie

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Brown Sugar Pecan Maple Baked Brie pairs nicely with Harvey River Rose from Australia. A nice Sunday appetizer.

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Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) round brie cheese
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Sliced baguette, crostini, apple slices (for serving)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place brie on a small baking sheet lined with parchment, in a brie baker or a small oven proof dish such as a pyrex dish. Bake 15 - 20 minutes until softened. Remove and let cool about 5 minutes.
3. While the brie cools, heat the brown sugar and maple syrup over low heat in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in pecans until coated with mixture.
4. Spoon over the brie and serve immediately.

• Martin of enofylzwineblog will be recommending Two Easy Summer Meals And Two California Rosés. 
•  Lauren of The Swirling Dervish declares it is Dinner Time and Wine: Three Pairings for Sparkling Rosé. 
•  Jill of L’Occasion will be showing us how to use Rosé and Sea Salt. 
•  Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla will be posting about Kobza Rosé with a Summery Grilled Haloumi Salad. 
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm shares her story, I heard an Angel Whispering in my ear. 
• Gwendolyn of WinePredator proclaims Hooray for Central Coast Rose for #WinePW. 
• David of Cooking Chat is pairing Mediterranean Grilled Chicken with a Bandol Rosé. 
• Ellen of Family Around the Table will make us all drool with her Brown Sugar Pecan Maple Baked Brie. 
• Lori of Dracaena Wines will be pairing Rosé and Thai Grilled Pizza. 
• Cindy of Grape Experiences  knows the KISS rule and will Pair Rosé with…(Keep it Simple) 
• Nancy from Pull That Cork will be Grazing, Rosé in Hand. 
• Jane of Always Ravenous will be discussing A Season of Rosé Paired with Mediterranean Flavors.