Late last Fall I was invited to attend an exclusive event put on by London Drugs (LD) at the new Molson Coors Tasting Room here in Calgary, aligning with LD tweet ups occurring at the same time in both Edmonton and Vancouver. Treats were provided by Dinner With Julie, special holiday cocktails prepared by Molson’s and London Drugs showcased their compact kitchen appliances. Bloggers were able to tweet about the event and by doing so get entered into the contest to win a T-Fal Optigrill. I didn’t win, but I sure had fun trying!
The beverages were delightful and inspiring. We tried beer cocktails called the Skinny Sour, Red Reindeer, Skinny Grinch and a White Christmas.
Snacks by Julie consisted of Spiced Nuts, Alfajores, Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Orange Maple Butter, Grilled Asparagus with Queso Fresco & Prosciutto, and a brie baked with a cranberry compote to name a few. I believe all of these recipes are available on her website.
Last year I started reviewing events, and adventures and pairing a recipe with each outing I posted to the blog. In creating a recipe for this particular evening, I wanted it to be a snacky bite. Since Julie did a baked brie, and it’s one of my favourite bites to make, I opted to create a new baked brie. So many ways to make a baked brie and initially I wanted to do it with beer. But in the end I just didn’t have time in the lead up to Christmas to get a baked brie with beer recipe perfected. I did recall however, my father in laws girlfriend Paulette, making a brown sugar baked brie for us once upon a time. It was that memorable. So I went for it. Since I already had sweet from the sugar and the liquor, I wanted to add a salty element to the brie and as such experimented with Candied Bacon. And so was born my Candied Bacon & Brown Sugar Baked Brie.
It was good, but the real test was getting feedback from the ladies. Over Christmas we got together one evening for a glass of wine and some bites. I picked up a large brie wheel and doubled the recipe for them to test. I think they liked it since every last crumb was devoured. Awesome!
Here’s how I did it.

Ingredients
- 1 tbsp brown sugar packed
- 2 tbsp pecans chopped
- 1 tsp brandy
- 1 tsp amaretto
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 tbsp candied bacon chopped
- 1 pkg brie small
- Supporting Cast of crackers apples, pears
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Remove brie from package and place on pie plate/dish or oven proof fry pan. Skor top a couple of times. Place in oven and bake for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile mix together brown sugar, pecans, brandy, amaretto and salt.
- After 5 minutes remove brie from oven. Pour brown sugar mixture on top and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes.
- Sprinkle with candied bacon and serve with pear slices, apple slices or crackers.
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