Baked Brie with Pears Prosciutto and Walnuts

This is a great showstopper holiday appetizer. The flavour combination is classic delicious. Phyllo dough, crispy prosciutto, baked Brie, caramelized pears and walnut oat crumble is nothing short of special.

20 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
12 thin slices prosciutto
1/3 cup pure honey
2 pears, thinly sliced
¾ cups old-fashioned oats
¾ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. butter
2 wheels Brie, cut into 24 equal wedges

Garnish:
8 arils pomegranate

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C, Gas Mark 5). Lightly grease 2 (12 cup) muffin or cupcake tins.

Take a sheet of phyllo and brush with melted butter. Lay another sheet on top and repeat until you have five phyllo sheets stacked up. Cut the sheets into 6 equal squares and push into the prepared cupcake tins, fitting the phyllo snugly into the tin. Repeat with the remaining sheets of phyllo dough.

Now take the prosciutto and cut each piece in half lengthwise. Fit the prosciutto in a single layer inside the cups.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden just set. Watch carefully and don't let them burn. Remove the cups from the molds and place on a baking sheet.

Meanwhile, add the honey to a skillet with sides and bring to a boil, boil 3-5 minutes or until the honey just starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and add the pear slices. Let the pears sit in the syrup for a few minutes, but no longer. You don't want the pears to become too soft to work with. Remove the pears from the honey.

In a bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, brown sugar and flour. Use your hands to mix in the butter until the mixture is moist and crumbly.

Place a few pears inside each phyllo cup. Add 1 wedge of Brie and top with a Tbsp. of the walnut-oat mixture.

Place back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the crumble is golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving plate.

Garnish with pomegranate arils and drizzle with honey. Serve warm.

Makes 24.

Cook's Notes: These can be fully assembled and then baked right before serving. Just follow the instructions as directed, only do not complete the final bake step. Instead, cover the tray and store in the fridge until ready to bake. Then when ready, bake and serve as directed in the final step.