Easy Baked Brie with Figs and Honey ~ this elegant baked cheese is your ultimate Fall and holiday appetizer, but it’s so rich and decadent you could even serve it for dessert!
Famously successful hosts, last minute party-throwers, and those neighbors with an open door policy have a closely guarded secret ~ baked Brie. It’s the world’s easiest and most glamorous appetizer and it makes your guests feel welcome and well fed, all for a couple of minutes work on your part. Pretty smart, huh? This baked Brie with figs is the ultimate version!
There aren’t too many people on this planet who don’t appreciate the charms of molten cheese and a dribble of honey. This is the genius of this kind of app ~ it plays on everybody’s weakness. All you’re gonna need is a wheel of Brie, some figs, a few pistachios, and some good honey. You’ve got this.
you’ll need just 4 ingredients
- Brie cheese, in whole wheel form
- fresh figs, any variety
- pistachios
- honey
Figs are one of the oldest, and most luscious fruits. There are a few different varieties that you may come across, depending on the season, but I used the purple skinned Mission (or California) fig for this recipe. It has the softest, sweetest, most flavorful flesh. You can use any of them for this baked Brie, and it helps if they are ripe. But beware, figs are very perishable once ripe, so use them right away. Unripe figs will continue to ripen on the counter, like bananas.
- Mission, they’re the most common (purple skinned, syrupy sweet flesh)
- Adriatic (pale green with bright pink flesh, great for eating raw)
- Brown Turkey (elongated, with brownish skin)
- Calimyrna (green skin, brilliant pink interior)
- Kadota, the original ‘Fig Newton’ fig (yellowish skin, amber flesh)
Photo © Kenneth A. Wilson/Getty Images
Photo © Kenneth A. Wilson/Getty Imageshow to keep figs from spoiling too quickly
Figs are incredibly delicate, so careful handling is in order. To preserve ripe figs for a few days, dunk them in a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Pat dry and store in a single layer the refrigerator on a paper towel, loosely covered. This works with delicate berries, too.
TIP: Unopened wheels of Brie will last a long time in the fridge, so stock up on a few at the beginning of the holiday season.
what type of Brie is best for baking?
When you’re baking Brie you don’t need to go for the expensive stuff, so don’t splurge. Your cheese is going to be runny and delicious no matter what, so I suggest going for a moderately priced brand.
This baked Brie with figs appetizer is stunning, and really fun to present to a crowd. And like I said up top, don’t be afraid to serve it for dessert, either! If you do decide to try it as dessert, I think it would be amazing with Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers ~ they’re slightly sweet, kind of like an adult version of a graham cracker.
Wine pairings for Baked Brie with Figs and Honey
Whatever wine you choose, go for a dry variety to balance out the sweetness of the figs and honey.
- Champagne, if you’re in the mood to splurge
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Voignier (one of my favorite wines)
- Pinot Noir
Fresh figs are an exotic treat, even in this era when foods regularly travel across the globe, so when you see them, pick them up, a quick Internet search will give you tons of ways to use them. On my blog alone I’ve got everything from a ROASTED FIG GELATO recipe to an amazing FIG AND FRIED GOAT CHEESE SALAD. And don’t fret if yours go from perfectly ripe to ‘mature’ before you can use them, my CARDAMOM FIG JAM is a delicious solution.
make this baked Brie with figs your own
- You could use maple syrup or agave syrup instead of honey.
- You can slice the figs into round slices instead of wedges.
- Brush the figs liberally with melted jam (apricot works well) instead of the honey.
- If you love the combination of figs with Brie, try this recipe for Brie stuffed figs. But figs also go well with goat cheese, and this galette makes a gorgeous appetizer or vegetarian main course. If you want a simple decadent dessert, I love these Amaretto Soaked Figs, I’d serve them with a little whipped cream, yum. And did you know that you can make Homemade Fig Newtons? Let’s hear it for FIGS!
Easy Bake Brie with Figs and Honey
Ingredients
- 16 ounce wheel of Brie cheese
- 1/2 lb fresh figs
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts
- 1/3 cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Unwrap the Brie and place it in a shallow baking dish that you can also serve the cheese in. I like to use a pretty pie plate.
- Slice the figs into quarters. Arrange the quarters in a circular pattern on top of the Brie.
- Scatter with the pistachio nuts. Drizzle liberally with honey.
- Cover the cheese loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. The cheese should feel soft when you touch the side of the rind.
- Drizzle with more honey and serve immediately with crackers or thinly sliced bread and plenty of napkins.
Can I use frozen figs in this recipe?
I assume you could, Debby, but I haven’t tried that.
No idea how old this comment is – but did you try making this with frozen figs? I have a GIANT fig tree that yields me almost 1000 figs a year, so I freeze a lot. Looking for excellent recipes like this – otherwise it’s just fig bread all the time during the off season
I am 62 years old and just had fresh figs for the first time in France! To die for. What have I been missing all my life?? Can’t wait to try this!
Oh gosh Barb, you’ve got a lot of time to make up for, hope you love this!