Pear-Brie Sandwich w Thyme and a Weekend Visit

Every few months my best friend Zirka comes to visit me for a weekend. Zirka’s visits are usually filled with tons of silliness, laughter, boy talk and of course food adventures. My favourite time of the week are weekend mornings, so I decided that for brunch we should have something delightful. I opted to make us Pear and Brie Open Sandwiches with Walnuts, Thyme and Maple Syrup. The inspiration came to me when I found Triple Creme Brie on sale at the grocery store :). Yay!

I must admit that I would never think of putting brie and pear together, especially not with walnuts and maple syrup, but one summer afternoon, I visited the Olson Bakery in Port Dalhousie and decided to taste the combination. I can’t believe I have been missing out on this for so long! I loved it! Their version didn’t have walnuts or thyme, so I decided to add walnuts for crunch, and thyme has such intense aroma that I thought it went perfectly with brie. So, you could say that this version of the sandwich was my little creation :).

Zirka is an adventurous foodie, so she loved my variation of the sandwich 🙂

I used pumpernickel bread in this case, but you’re free to use any type of bread you like – I would think it would go great on a french baguette also!

Needless to say, these pretty sandwiches didn’t last long, especially because that was the first thing we ate that morning 🙂 I would highly recommend the triple creme brie if you can find it, as it adds lots of texture and creaminess to the sandwich. I also used 100% real maple syrup, as here in Canada, it’s abundant and beyond delicious! 🙂

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For high resolution images, please click on each photo.

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Recipe

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Pear-Brie Sandwich w Walnuts, Maple Syrup and Thyme

• French Baguette or any other kind of bread you like (I used pumpernickel in this case)

• Triple Creme Brie

• 1 Pear (any kind would do)

• A handful of walnuts

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• Thyme

Cut brie in fairly thick pieces and place on bread. Slice pear in slices and place on top of brie. Turn oven to 450 or 500 degrees. Bake bread with brie and pear for about 5-7 minutes or until brie melts. Alternatively you can put it under the broiler for 3-4 minutes. Add walnuts on top, cover with maple syrup and sprinke thyme. Enjoy!