Our friends arrived yesterday and we spent the (very) rainy Saturday on a mini pub crawl, showing them a few of our favorite neighborhood haunts. Today we are off to the British Museum, a quick walk by Buckingham Palace, and then the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. I have been told there is an “authentic” German Beer Garden set up among all the festivities, so I’m looking forward to an afternoon Brat, hopefully served by someone in lederhosen.

I’m in a bit of a rush to get out the door, so I’ll make today’s post quick. But I’ve been keeping a secret from you. I was actually helping to plan a surprise party all week for two of Chris’ coworkers, who happen to share the same birthday. I was asked to provide the food – yay! It’s been a great opportunity to stock up on party food recipes to share (i.e. the spinach bites).

I make this baked brie every year, and knew it would be perfect with my party menu. This year I’ll be making it twice, as it has been requested for Christmas day. Note that the store was sold out of “normal” sized brie wheels, so I had to use extremely large ones (1 kg, or basically 2 lbs) which needed two sheets of puff pastry. I recommend finding one a bit smaller. If you have a Costco membership, I have found that the Presidents Brie wheel that they sell works perfectly.

Mix together chopped walnuts, brown sugar, and Kaluha. Let this sit for a few hours to marinate.

Roll out your puff pastry, and pour the nuts into the center, forming a circle the size of the brie wheel.

Top the nuts with the cheese then fold the pastry around to seal. Cut off any excess pastry as you go. I like to use the extra pastry to make a decorative topping.

Brush with an egg wash, then bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Baked Brie with Walnuts & Kaluha

12 oz brie wheel

1 sheet puff pastry

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

3 Tbs. Kaluha

3 Tbs. brown sugar

Mix together the nuts, Kaluha, and brown sugar. Let sit for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375˚F.

Roll out the pastry sheet. Form a circle with the nuts the size of the brie wheel. Place brie on top of nuts. Fold pastry sheets up to seal from the top, cutting off any excess pastry.

Flip over and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.