Recipe: Florence Verburg's Baked Brie with Caramelized Nuts

1 (5-inch) mini-wheel of Brie

1 ½ cups toasted (unsalted) almonds, walnuts, pecans

1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup honey

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla paste (Trader Joe's; extract is a little runny)

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

Beaten egg

1. Cut off top rind of Brie. Combine nuts with brown sugar, honey, cinnamon and vanilla into a thick paste. Mound mixture onto Brie, patting down to compress slightly.

2. Roll out pastry dough into a 13-inch-wide circle on floured board. Using the Brie box as a guide, cut out a large circle of puff pastry at least 3 inches in diameter larger than the Brie. Use scraps to cut out decorative shapes. Brush beaten egg around edges of the pastry. With egg side down, position pastry over Brie and wrap pastry completely over Brie, sealing edges on the underside. Brush entire pastry with egg, and position shapes on top of Brie.

3. Place on lightly greased pie plate and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Cover loosely with foil, and continue baking for 45 minutes longer till pastry is golden brown. Serve with sliced baguette or crackers.