An “Ahhh Hahhh” moment with a naked wheel of brie…

About a month ago I was in my local grocery store and like most of my shopping excursions; I had a nice wheel of Brie in my carriage. What would I create with this smooth & buttery embalmed bundle of cheese this time? As I roamed the aisles contemplating my choices; pesto, fruit preserves and the like, I happened to spot the cans of Apple Pie Filling on a shelf in the baking aisle… needless to say the sparks started flying around in my head!!! Now, I never use canned filling to make apple pie (there are some things that are simply just unspoken rules) but it seemed like an effortless way to make a warm & gooey appetizer.
My dad and his girlfriend, Holly came to visit my husband, Dominic & I the next day. After adding just a handful of spices, butter and maple syrup to the pie filling, I heated the concoction, smothered the brie with it and popped it in the oven. In about 30 minutes my house smelled like an apple pie baking on a crisp autumn day. When it started to bubble I took it out of the oven and generously sprinkled crushed walnuts on the top. When I placed it on the table with a basket of buttery crackers… no one knew what to do with it! It smelled awesome but it looked like a big, gooey glob of something foreign. Dominic finally stuck a knife in the center and the warm creamy cheese flowed out, married the apple topping and practically danced onto his cracker! Yes… it was a marriage made in Heaven!

When I finally finish the book, you will see the recipe for this and also many more suggestions of how to cover a naked wheel of brie!