A Little Personal History:

As we started having and going to more and more parties. Serving or bringing great appetizers became a must. Here’s one of our favorites, always bringing compliments 🙂

Description:

Ingredients:

• 1 long French bread baguette loaf
• 6 tablespoon. melted butter
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 24 pecan halves
• 2 tablespoon. peanut oil
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup soft cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 apple, cut into 24 slices (Red Delicious or other sweet apple variety)
• 8 oz. chilled Brie cheese
• Drizzled Honey (optional)

Procedure:

1. Trim skin off chilled Brie cheese, slice into 24 pieces and set aside or back to refrigerator.
2. Slice french bread baguette into 24 ¼ inch slices.
3. Place baguette slices on cookie sheet and brush with melted butter.
4. Bake 8 minutes or until golden brown in 400° F oven. Remove and allow croûtons to cool.
5. Blend chopped pecans and oil in processor or blender to smooth paste. Season with salt to taste, a pinch at a time. Transfer pecan butter to side dish.
6. Spread cream cheese on each croûton (see tips and notes).
7. Spread or drizzle pecan butter over top of each one.
8. Core and cut apple into 8 rings, cut each ring into thirds (or 12 rings and then into halves).
9. Top each cream cheese & pecan butter croûton with apple slice, then Brie slice. Optionally drizzle with honey.
10. Top each with pecan half.
11. Place back on cookie sheet and bake at 400° F until cheese is melted (2-3 minutes depending on thickness of Brie slices).
12. Remove from oven, transfer baked croûtons to seving dish and enjoy.

Advanced Preparation:

Steps 1 – 7 can be done in advance, covered & refrigerated. 

Tips, Notes, and Variations:

• If you’re feeling decorative, you can adjust the order. Put the pecan butter in a pastry decorating bag with spiral nozzle and zig-zag the butter on top of each croûtons/cream cheese/apple slice/brie cheese.
• The baked croûtons can crumble is too much pressure is applied when spreading cream cheese on top. If your cream cheese is not soft enough you can zap cheese in microwave for 20-30 seconds.
• The first time I did this appetizer, I ran just short of pecan butter. I’ve intentionally modified the recipe to ensure there’s always a little left over. Goes great with many things.