This Persimmon Bacon Baked Brie Appetizer recipe is warm, smoky, sweet and absolutely scrumptious! There's nothing quite like baked brie with fruit, and it's the most scrumptious holiday appetizer your guests could hope for!
This is a show stopper!
Your Thanksgiving and/or Christmas guests will be wowed before they even sit down to the main course.
Believe me, I've seen it happen.
Oozing, warm brie cheese, blended with the smoky flavor of bacon and sweet onion and persimmon -- all laced with the scent of cinnamon is mind-blowing.
Just look at these stunning ingredients . . . how could they not result in perfection?
What You'll Need
- Fuyu or Cinnamon persimmon - Choose persimmons that are a deep red-orange color, and that are fairly firm.
- firm wedge of brie - Soft Brie cheese won't work for this.
- bacon - I love applewood smoked bacon for this recipe.
- onion - Try to choose onions that are firm, heavy for their size and without bruises.
- fresh thyme - Look for perky bunches and avoid any brown, bruised or yellow leaves.
- ground cinnamon
- honey
- salt - I cook and bake with Kosher salt. It’s coarse and salts foods in a subtle way that enhances their flavors without making them taste salty.
- pepper - Preferably freshly ground.
How to Make it
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over until it's golden and crispy, a few minutes per side. Set it aside on a double layer of paper towels to drain.
- Add the onion to the pan with the bacon grease. Sauté, stirring frequently, until they’re soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme and then mix in the persimmons.
- Crumble or finely chop the bacon and add it to the pan along with the cinnamon. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir and let it cool a bit.
- Slice the brie in half horizontally from the tip to the rind, being sure not to cut all the way through, and place it on the parchment lined baking sheet.
- Gently lift the top half of the brie and add about ½ to ¾ of the persimmon mixture, in an even layer. Then add the rest on top.
- Drizzle with the honey and place in the preheated oven just until the cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes.
- Serve with crackers or a sliced, toasted baguette.
(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)
What Variety of Persimmon to Use
You can use Cinnamon persimmons or Fuyu persimmons for this baked brie recipe. Both can be eaten out of hand and are fantastic for slicing and chopping.
Do not attempt to use Hachiyas, which are best for baking.
Serving Suggestions
Right out of the oven, this can be spread over thin slices of a baguette, and the baking time is only seven minutes.
If you happen to let it go too long, no worries! It'll then be like a dip, which is also fantastic -- though not quite as lovely a presentation. 😉
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- It's very important to use a firm brie for this recipe. This makes it easy to slice through the center to add the fruit mixture.
- Vegetarian? Just skip the bacon. It'll be a little bit different, but still amazingly delicious.
- You can also make this with firm pears or apples.
- While you can prepare most of this ahead (see below), do not bake it until just before you're ready to serve.
Can you make this ahead?
Absolutely! Believe it or not, you can get this appetizer assembled and oven-ready the day before you're serving it.
- Once you've added the persimmon-bacon mixture to it (inside and out), place it on parchment paper on a plate and gently cover it with plastic wrap.
- Just before you want to serve it, remove it from the refrigerator, remove plastic and transfer the parchment with the brie to a baking sheet.
- Drizzle with the honey and place in the preheated 350°F oven just until the cheese begins to melt, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve!
Enjoy every bite of this Persimmon Bacon Baked Brie Appetizer!
Here are a handful more scrumptious show-stopping Thanksgiving appetizers.
More recipes with persimmons:
- Spiced Apple Persimmon Cake
- Ginger Persimmon Bread
- Spicy Persimmon Preserves
- Persimmon Prosciutto Pork Tenderloin
- Persimmon Salad with Honey Pistachios
Persimmon Bacon Baked Brie Recipe
This recipe is warm, smoky, sweet and over-the-top delicious! There's nothing quite like baked brie with fruit, and it's the most scrumptious holiday appetizer your guests could hope for!
- 2 strips bacon
- ¾ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme, (washed and dried)
- ¾ cup diced Cinnamon or Fuyu persimmon
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (approximately ¾ pound) firm brie wedge
- 2 tablespoons honey
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Set the oven and prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F, adjust a rack to the center and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
-
Cook the bacon. Add the bacon strips to a medium-sized sauté pan and place it over medium heat. Cook until it's golden and crispy, a few minutes per side. Set it aside on a double layer of paper towels to drain.
-
Cook onions with thyme and persimmons. Add the onion to the pan. (If there isn't a thin layer of bacon grease in the pan, add a bit of olive oil.) Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and golden, about 10 minutes.
Add the thyme and cook until it's aromatic, about 30 seconds. Turn the heat to low-medium and mix in the persimmons.
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Add bacon and cinnamon to onions and season. Crumble or finely chop the bacon and add it to the pan. Add the cinnamon and season to taste with salt and pepper, stir and let it cool to room temperature.
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Assemble. Slice the brie in half horizontally from the tip to the rind, being sure not to cut all the way through, and place it on the parchment lined baking sheet.
Gently lift the top half of the brie and add about ½ to ¾ of the persimmon mixture, in an even layer. Then add the rest on top.
-
Add honey and bake. Drizzle with the honey and place in the preheated 350°F oven just until the cheese begins to melt, 5 to 7 minutes.
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Serve. Serve with crackers or a sliced, toasted baguette.
Calorie count is only an estimate.
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carine claudepierre
This is a great idea (not the healthiest I reckon) but as a French girl I love cheese and brie! So I love the idea of this for Christmas 🙂
valentina
Thanks! It's okay (in my book) to indulge over the holiday's -- and really in moderation all the time. 😉 Enjoy!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan
Oh wow - THIS is a show stopper indeed! I love persimmons but never would have thought to enjoy them with brie - such a delightfully delicious pairing!
valentina
Thank you so much! Hope you try it and love it as much as I do! 🙂
Claire @foodiequine
This looks amazing - I LOVE baked cheese! I remember at the start of 2016 seeing that Persimmon were going to be a food trend. Still haven't tried one!!
valentina
Oh you must try a persimmon. I've always liked them, but I LOVE the Cinnamon Persimmons. They're super sweet and delicious even on their own. Enjoy and thank you! 🙂
Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery
I love love love baked brie and all the delicious fall flavors that pair with it so well - but I've never thought about using permsimmon before! This looks amazing and would certainly be the highlight of a holiday dinner.
valentina
Thank you, Juli! The flavors and color were just perfect for this. Enjoy! 🙂
Veena
Brie in one of my favorite cheeses.. and I do love it melting.. This is now on my list of 'To Try Recipes' Thanks
valentina
Thank you, for checking out my recipe. Hope you love it! 🙂
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
Sheer genius.
valentina
Thank you, Dorothy! XOXO
Coley | Coley Cooks
What a unique combination of flavors! I can so see this working. Cannot wait to try!
valentina
Thanks so much, Coley! Hope you do. 🙂
David
Wow, this looks amazing! Trader Joe has had some really nice persimmons lately, so maybe I can pull this together for the weekend! Do you know what I'm finding so difficult? Making other people's food while I'm trying to make enough to blog about myself! Do you ever have that problem? ?
valentina
Yes, I do find it difficult! I always have a running list of recipes I want to try, and I can never get all the way through it. And it keeps growing! 😉
David
And can you believe that to the state, five years later, I still never tried a persimmon? I should have my blogging credentials revoked! this recipe with the bacon and brie sounds unbelievable. Maybe you need to come over to Tucson and force me into persimmon world.
valentina
So funny, David. I think your blogging/chef credentials are VERY well deserved. xoxo 🙂 ~Valentina
David
You are so sweet! Happy Thanksgiving!
Chie Lee
I just made this over the weekend and it was fabulous! My sister came for a visit and brought fuyu persimmon from her garden, so the next receipe I will try is the pork loin with fuyu persimmon. Love "cooking on the weekends".
Chie Lee
valentina
Hi Chie! I'm so happy you made this -- it's one of my favorite appetizers to serve this time of year. And I hope you love the pork, too. Thank you for always checking out my recipes. ~Valentina
Gerlinde@ Sunnycovechef.com
I love this recipe and pinned it.
valentina
Thanks for pinning! Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Cathy
That flavor combination is amazing! I am looking forward to the weekend to try it...if I can wait that long.
valentina
Thanks, Cathy! I hope you love it. It's definitely one of my favorite fall recipes. 🙂 ~Valentina
Chef Mimi
Oh my goodness. This is incredible. I haven’t had persimmons since I was a kid in California, and we’d just pick them off of the tree. I thought I’d paired brie with just about all fruits, but obviously I was wrong. I love what you did here!
valentina
Thank you so much, Mimi! You made my day and it's still morning. 😉 I hope you try and love this! 🙂 ~Valentina
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
How interesting! I love baked Brie / Camembert, and I've tried many toppings, but I never would have thought using persimmons. Loving it - such a lovely combination of flavours. Will definitely be trying this one day!
valentina
Hope you love it, Ben. Thanks. (And oh my Camembert! SO delicious!) 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn
I freaking adore brie so this is totally calling my name right now!! And with the warm flavour of cinnamon, the persimmon and savoury bacon, this must be so so good! Perfect for holiday entertaining.
valentina
Thanks so much, Dawn. Hope you try and love it! 🙂 Valentina