• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking dish or pie plate with nonstick spray. I suggest using the dish you’d like to serve this in so you don’t have to transfer it.
• Take both wheels of brie and on one side, gently slice a shallot 2-inch wide hole in the center of both. You are going to place the fruit in one of the openings and then cover it with the other wheel of brie!
• Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Stir in the apples, pears and cranberries. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Cook, stirring often, until the fruit is soft and golden and the sugar is bubbly, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the fruit from the heat.
• Scoop as much of the fruit into the opening of the brie that can comfortably fit. Top it with the other wheel of brie, placing the cut-open side down on the fruit. Your fruit should now be inside of two brie wheels! Save the remaining fruit for topping.
• Bake the brie for 10 to 15 minutes, just until it almost bursts and the cheese is melty. Gently top the brie with the remaining fruit (if there is a lot, you can place it on the sides of the brie), the poached pear and a rosemary spring. Serve immediately with tons of crackers, breadsticks, crostini or whatever you’d like.

pinot poached pear

• Heat the pinot and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan over medium heat. Once simmering, add the pear(s). Keep it at a light simmer and cook the pear, tossing occasionally, for 10 minutes or so. Just until it’s fork tender, but still holds together. Remove the pear with a slotted spoon and place it on a plate.
• If desired, you can turn the pinot poaching liquid into syrup! Remove the cinnamon sticks. Add about 1 cup of sugar (you want the same amount of sugar that you have to liquid, so it will be quite a bit. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Once simmering, remove from the heat and let sit until it cools to room temperature. You can drizzle it over the pear and the brie, or just store it in the fridge for other delicious uses. Keep it sealed in the fruit for about a week or two.