Baked Camembert

Do you drive yourself nuts trying to keep up with holiday entertaining?  In the past, I have found myself getting up at 4 am on a December Saturday morning to wash windows, scrub floors and making everything shine for my Christmas Open House party.  Craziness! Then there’s the food.  You want it to look gorgeous but who has the time?  Or energy?  Here’s an idea that is easy and quick and will make you look like a pro.

A little indulgence is ok during the holidays but it’s even better when you can it can be wee bit healthier.   I used camembert instead of brie because it has slightly less calories and fat and the cheese lovers of the world may have an uproar over this comment but honestly, I don’t think there is much of a difference in taste.  I love both so that’s my take on it  – don’t email me, lol.

I was talking to my cousin, Jane in Michigan just after I made these and when I told her that I had done a baked camembert with caramelized pears in 20 minutes, I was sure that she didn’t believe me.   The one with maple syrup is even quicker.  Be sure you pour off a little of that maple syrup before you serve and don’t let me catch you using anything other than pure maple syrup!  It’s much healthier for you and the taste is incomparable to those terrible pancake syrups they try to pass off as the real thing.   This appetizer is exquisite – creamy cheese with the tart berries, crunchy walnuts and sweet syrup!

If you’re entertaining, you can prepare all the ingredients ahead of time and just add them as your guests arrive and bake for 10 minutes.  You can even prepare the pears a day ahead!  Each round should serve 8 – 10 persons but I would make more than needed.  Have you ever noticed that there are certain people that park themselves around the cheese and before you know it the plate is empty?  I have a friend that could devour this all on her own and let’s hope she’s not reading this because I tease her about it all the time!  Sorry, Lucy! lol

Each time I use these crackers, I get emails about them.  They are Mary’s Organic Crackers.  They’re organic, gluten free, whole grain, non-gmo and vegan.  Deliciously crunchy and tasty but not sure if they’re available in the US yet or not.  You could always order them, I suppose.  People used to do that with Tim Horton’s coffee before they started opening more stores in the US, lol.  You can use sliced baguettes, crisp breads or flatbreads as well.

I love both these dishes because they make a lovely presentation and I have made them many times for holiday parties.    The caramelized pears are heavenly with the combination of sweet pears, shallots and creamy cheese.  It’s so hard not to dig into this dish as it comes out of the oven.  I recommend making extra – after all, you want to be sure you get to taste some too.  Cheers!