Baked Brie, Fig Jam and Sweet and Spicy Pecans Platter

I love spending time in the kitchen and spending hours cooking complicated, delicious meals. Let’s admit it though, we don’t always have that kind of time available. When unexpected guests make an appearance or on those lazy weekends when I’d rather spend my time watching TV in my pajamas, I’d rather not cook.

Recipes like this Baked Brie platter are a life saver in such situations. They involve minimal cooking and look like a million bucks. All you need to do is to keep a few basic ingredients stocked up at home and you’ll be able to put it together in no time at all.

If you’ve got a round of brie, fig jam and some pecans on hand you’ll have a fabulous platter ready at a moment’s notice. Another great thing about this is that you can change up things based on what you have at home. Here are some ideas for baked brie toppings:

• berry compote
• roasted almonds and maple syrup
• pesto
• tomatoes and basil
• cranberry chutney
• pistachios

There are so many things you can do with brie it’s crazy! Once you put it in the oven, the oozing, gooey brie is insanely good. For this platter I served up some baked brie with sweet and spicy roasted pecans, fig jam, baguette, baby red grapes, apples, pears and roasted whole head of garlic. The only things on this platter I had to cook (if you can call it that) were the pecans, garlic and the brie. Everything else was just arranged beautifully on the platter.

Baked Brie Ingredients:

1 small round of brie

• This one is pretty straightforward and simple. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the brie on top and place it in the oven for 10-15 minutes until gooey and warm.

Roasted Garlic Ingredients:

1 whole head of garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

• Again, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and keep a sheet of aluminum foil ready. Slice off the top of a head of garlic so that all the cloves are exposed. Place the garlic on the foil and drizzle olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic to make a small parcel and bake it in the oven for about 45 minutes till the garlic is soft and fragrant.

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Pecans Ingredients:

1 cup pecans

2 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp cayenne powder

salt to taste

• In a small sauce pan, mix all the ingredients. Place over medium heat and cook for 5-7 minutes until the pecans are sticky and coated well with the honey.