Baked Puff Pastry with Brie, Honey, Walnuts & Rosemary

Most people tend to have strong feelings about Brie Cheese... I've heard the flavor referred to as something akin to dirty feet! However, I strongly disagree and I fall in the camp of "I-love-it-and-will-eat-it-any-day-of-the-week"! Unfortunately, I can't eat it every day of the week without a serious all-out protest staged by my stomach (and my budget). Therefore, despite many a longing glance when I pass it in the deli section at the store, it has been relegated to rare and special occasions.

Just such an occasion rolled around last Friday night when I went to an engagement party for some friends and was asked to bring one of those puff pastry/brie appetizer-type dishes. Despite the fact that I love Brie and love to eat Puff Pastry and Brie that other people have prepared, I have always been strangely intimidated by Puff Pastry and have never attempted a dish that requires it.

After a little internal pep-talk, I conjured up some bravery, marched over to the grocery store freezer section and returned with a package of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry, an 8 oz wheel of Brie cheese and some walnuts. A little Rosemary from the garden and some honey from my bathroom cupboard (you'll have to scrounge through my older posts if you don't remember why I keep honey in the bathroom) all combined together into something that was really yummy. This recipe came right off of the Pepperidge Farm website:

Baked Puff Pastry with Brie, Honey, Walnuts & Rosemary

1 sheet of thawed puff pastry (pkg come with 2, pull out one and defrost on the counter top for 1/2 hour and return the other to the freezer until you are ready to use it)
1 8oz wheel of Brie cheese
1/4 walnuts, chopped
2 T honey
1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 egg
1 T water

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix egg and water in a bowl.
- Mix honey, walnuts & rosemary in another bowl.
- Roll puff pastry sheet out into a 12 inch square. Trim off ends to make a circle.
- Cut the Brie wheel in 1/2 horizontally so that you have two matching discs.
- Place one piece of Brie on the pastry dough, cut side up. Spread the walnut/honey/rosemary mixture over cheese. Top with the other piece of Brie, cut side down.
- Dampen the edges of the pastry dough with the egg/water and fold the edges over the cheese, pressing to seal.
- Turn bundle over and place in a baking dish, folded side down. Decorate the top with pastry scraps, if desired. Brush with more egg mixture.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20 or until the pastry turns golden brown.
(**The website said to bake for 20 minutes and after 30 minutes, I was starting to fear that my pastry was never going to puff and that I had somehow killed it. However, around the 35 minute mark, it began to puff and brown beautifully. So just go with your oven and take the dish out when it looks nicely browned and "puffed.")

I really liked the combination of sweet honey, rich walnuts and hints of rosemary in this appetizer! Despite what looks like kind of a lot of steps, it was pretty quick to throw together and I will definitely make it again.

Now I have a remaining puff pastry sheet in my freezer. Any ideas on something brilliant to do with it??