Bacon? Brie? Yes!
Why? Why not?
It's Bacon for Pete's sake!
A few weeks ago my good pal Holly and I were crafting and kibitzing over cheese and crackers when suddenly our brie was under attack by my eldest daughter who has a habit of extracting the creamy middle from a slice of brie with vampiric speed and accuracy, leaving only a flopping shell of white rind in her wake. This is the same child who swears off all meat, but would (if allowed) devour an entire pound of bacon in one sitting. So, Holly and I joked that the perfect food for my daughter would be a dish that combines both bacon and brie. We laughed about it momentarily, but then the gears started turning and the room went deadly quiet. "What if...?" we pondered. There's already bacon popcorn, bacon candy, bacon pancakes, and my favorite -- Holly's Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe HERE). Why not a brie with bacon then?
And that is how the Bacon and Caramelized Onion brie was born. I caramelized some onions over low heat, combined them with crispy bacon, and added the mixture to a wedge of brie. I brought the new concoction to my in-laws' Christmas Eve celebration and it was a huge hit.
This delicious fancy brie is so easy to make and can be prepared days in advance. I've already made one to take to share with friends for New Year's Eve.
What is the wildest Baconized food you've ever tried?
BACON AND CARAMELIZED ONION BRIE
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Ingredients
1 wedge Double Creme Brie (1/2 - 3/4 pound)
1 large Sweet Onion, peeled and diced
1/3 cup cooked crumbled bacon
1/2 Tablespoon butter
Pinch of salt
Place brie in the freezer before starting the onions. This will make it easier to cut in half.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter.
Add diced onion and a pinch of salt
Cook over medium heat until onion begins to brown
Cover and continue to cook over low heat for 30 minutes, checking periodically to make sure onions aren't burning. Stir occasionally and re-cover.
Remove lid from pan. Onions should be a rich caramel color. If they haven't browned enough, increase heat to medium and cook until onions have caramelized.
Remove from heat. Transfer caramelized onions to a small bowl.
Stir crumbled bacon in to the caramelized onions to form a relish.
Remove brie from freezer and cut in half horizontally.
Spread half of the onion mixture on the bottom half of the brie.
Put the top half of the brie back on and lightly press.
Spread the remaining half of the onion mixture on the top of the brie.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Enjoy at room temperature with water crackers or French Bread
