Warm gooey Brie topped with sweet onions that have been caramelized with a little added butter, white wine and thyme, resulting in a contrast of taste and texture that is intense and wonderfully flavorful.
Serving - Platter large enough to hold cheese and baguette slices
Serving - 2 small knives or spoons
Ingredients
2Tbsp.Butter1/4 stick
8CSliced Onionsabout 4 large, sliced 1/8" thick
1tbsp.Minced fresh thyme
4eaGarlic Cloveschopped
½CDry white wine
1teaSugar
1ea8-inch-diameter 32 to 36 oz French Briepacked in wooden box (reserve box) A different size of Brie may be used, adjust for number of servings
2eaFrench bread baguettessliced
Instructions
To Caramelize the Onions
Melt butter in a heavy very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until just tender, about 6 minutes. Add minced thyme, reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are golden, stirring often about 25 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup wine; stir until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle sugar over onions and sauté until soft and brown, about 10 minutes. Add remaining ¼ cup wine; stir just until liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cool (can be prepared 2 days ahead.) Cover and refrigerate. The color of the onion can be from light brown to dark brown, depending on the sugar content.
On Site Prep
On the day of the event, preheat oven to 350º F. Remove the Brie from the box; reserving the bottom of the box. Cut away only the top rind of cheese, leaving the rind on sides and bottom intact. Return the Brie to the box, rind side down. Place box on a baking sheet. Spread onion mixture evenly over Brie. Bake until cheese just melts, about 30 minutes. Transfer Brie in the box to a platter. Surround with baguette slices
Notes
Crudites may be substituted for the bread.This recipe has been adjusted for approximately 60 servings of cheese on small rounds of bread.It is suggested that you print the original recipe for preparation and cooking instructions.Increase the recipe quantity, if needed, to generate your shopping list.Since the recipe has already been adjusted consider using the original ingredient quantities when preparing the recipe. Standard kitchen utensils i.e.; bowls, skillets, etc., and kitchen space might not accommodate the preparation, cooking and cooling of the food for increased recipe servings prepared in one batch. Hint, use a slicing blade set 1/8" with your food processor to slice large volumes of onions quickly. I cut the onions in the largest size that will fit the feeder tube and then shoot them through. They are going to cook down so they don't have to be in perfect rounds. One final note: I have prepared the onions in a crockpot on low for several hours with the thyme and garlic. I drain off any liquid and then transfer to a skillet to finish the caramelization process with the wine. Another option is to put the onions in a microwave safe container and cook on 90% power until onions begin to soften. Cook in 5-minute intervals. Then drain any liquid and complete the process in a skillet as described above.Write the name of this recipe on Post-It notes and tape them to the containers/baggies etc. for each item you are serving. It makes organizing the food at the site much easier and will be greatly appreciated by your helpers.When you assemble the serving pieces write the recipe names on Post-It notes and tape them to each serving piece to make the on-site set-up easier.Recipe Key AStorage Key RSchedule Key 2Utensil Key Small Spoons