Baked Brie with Caramelized Onions

Last night we had some friends over for appetizers and wine before we headed out to dinner at Flemings' for a big juicy steak. Mmmm. I didn't want to have too many snacks or anything too heavy and filling, so I choose a simple but elegant baked brie. Yes, creamy cheese wrapped in a flaky buttery crust is divine, but I wanted to jazz it up slightly. Many recipes call for slathering jelly on the cheese and baking it, but I wanted something a little more unique, so I choose to top mine with yummy caramelized onions. The sweet onion flavor pairs well the cheese. I used my brothers' method for getting nicely browned, sweet onions.

First, make sure you slice your onions really thin. This will allow them to get nice and caramelized, quickly.

Second, all you need is a little olive oil and some brown sugar. Drizzle some olive oil in a pan, add onion and sprinkle with brown(not white) sugar. Cook on low, stirring occasionally and sprinkling with brown sugar periodically.

Alongside my Baked Brie, I served caramelized garlic and...

juicy slices of red Asian pear, grapes, wheat crackers...

And of course, a little raspberry jam.

This caramelized onion baked brie turned out amazing! I wish I took a picture of the creamy hot cheese as it oozed out of the pastry when I cut it. The sweet onion was perfect with the gooey cheese and the buttery flaky dough!

Our friends (and myself) just gobbled everything right up. The grapes and pear were really tasty and the wheat crackers were a yummy vehicle to transport all the breaded, creamy goodness to your mouth.

I would definitely make this again. It was easy to assemble, bakes up quickly, tastes wonderful and looks so pretty.

Baked Brie with Caramelized Onions
1 (8 oz) round of brie
1 onion, caramelized
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400'. Cut onion thinly and caramelize as stated above. Unroll thawed puff pastry and place brie in center (I cut the rind off of mine). Top with the caramelized onions. Wrap dough around cheese and onions and pinch to seal. Brush with melted butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pastry is puffed and golden brown. I checked mine at 20 minutes and brushed it with more butter, then let it brown for the last five minutes.

You can pair the Brie with whatever you like. Sliced fruit, jam, crackers, caramelized garlic, candied pecans, grapes, red wine...are all tasty options.