Baked Brie with Roasted Garlic and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Bake time: 63 minutes        Yields: 24 servings

Ingredients

1 whole head garlic

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 (12 ounce) round of brie cheese

3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and cut into thin strips

1/3 cup pine nuts

3 tablespoons finely shredded fresh basil

Crostini* or apple slices

Sprigs of fresh basil or rosemary, green and black olives, optional (for garnish)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Cut off 1/4" of pointed end of head of garlic. (Save small pieces for another recipe.) Place cut side up in a piece of aluminum foil. Place rosemary on top. Bring sides of foil up to make a deep bowl, but do not enclose garlic completely. Pour olive oil over top of garlic. Bake 40-45 minuntes in preheated oven. Cool

Squeeze garlic so that the cloves pop out of their papery jackets. They should be creamy. Smash them and spread on top of brie (including some of the rosemary). Place brie in ovenproof dish. Top with tomatoes and pine nuts. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

Bake brie until warm and softened, 13-18 minutes. If topping is getting too browned, cover loosely with aluminum foil during last portion of baking.

Sprinkle slivers of fresh basil on top. Surround with crostini and/or apple slices. Garnish with sprigs of fresh herbs and, if using, drained olives. Provide a spreading knife.

*Crostini - toasted slices of good bread that have been brushed with a little olive oil before toasting.

Note: If you can only find small, 4-ounce disks of brie, push 3 small wheels next to one another.

Advance Preparation: Garlic can be roasted several days in advance and stored, airtight, in the refrigerator. You can assemble the brie with the garlic, tomatoes, and pine nuts a day in advance and store, airtight, in the refrigerator.