Recipe of the Quarter: Fairview Caramelized Brie - Cape Winelands, South Africa
2/18/2011
Fairview is a working wine farm in the Cape Winelands that produces excellent vintages, as well as a wide variety of dairy and goat's milk cheeses. This is one of their signature recipes.
Ingredients
- Fairview Grand Brie or Vintner's Brie (or other high quality brie)
- Slivered Almonds
- Finely chopped Walnuts / Pecan nuts
- Sesame seeds
- Preserved or glacé figs (chopped)
- Dried Apricots / Peaches or Berries
- ¼ cup White Sugar
Method
Brie
- Carefully slice the white rind off the top of the Brie and dispose of it
- Place the cheese on an serving dish and mark 8 to 10 wedge shapes by scoring the top of the cheese very lightly with a knife
- Carefully arrange the different toppings onto each wedge, alternating among them
- Gently press the fruit and nuts down into the Brie, cover the cheese with its foil wrapper and refrigerate until ready to serve
Sugar Syrup
- Place the sugar in a pot with 1/8 cup of water and gently stir, but do not dissolve the sugar. Place the pot on the stove on a high setting.
- Do not stir while boiling, allowing the syrup to turn golden brown - this will only take a few minutes.
- Remove the cheese from the fridge a few minutes prior to serving.
- Pour the syrup evenly over the cheese and toppings. It should set almost immediately. Slice and serve with Fairview Viognier Special Late Harvest or La Beryl Blanc straw wine.