Focaccia with Caramelized Onions, Cranberries, and Brie

A few years back, my dad arrived at my house a few days before Thanksgiving suggesting we make focaccia topped with caramelized onions, cranberries, and brie. He’d gotten the idea from a footnote in a King Arthur Flour recipe and couldn’t get it out of his head.

We made it -- a recipe meant to be an appetizer for a crowd -- and devoured so much of it that neither of us was very hungry for the main course. There was something about the pops of tart cranberry with chewy, buttery cubes of brie and the rich caramelized onions piled on fluffy focaccia that made us keep going back for “just one more slice.”

This recipe has now become a holiday staple in our family, often requested and happily made.

A New Holiday Family Favorite

My dad runs a bakery and I am a recipe writer, so of course we couldn’t help but give King Arthur Flour’s original recipe our own tweaks and adaptations.

The dough is a riff on our recipe for No-Knead Pizza Dough made with slightly more water and some olive oil for richness and flavor. (It’s the holidays after all!)

We also trimmed down and streamlined the toppings. Three caramelized onions is more than plenty, and I like to finish them with a little balsamic vinegar. I also skip King Arthur’s suggestion to toss the cranberries in sugar; after trying it both ways, I don’t think it makes enough of a difference to justify the extra step.

The Best Brie for This Recipe

When I explained what I was making to the person at the Whole Foods cheese counter, he pointed to a specific wedge called Brie de Paris. “You want that one,” he said, “It holds its shape better in the oven.” It worked like a charm and held its shape in chewy little cubes on top of my focaccia.

This said, I think gooey puddles of brie would also be wonderful for this recipe. You really can’t go wrong, so if you don’t have a handy cheesemonger around who can point you to the melty or less-melty varieties, just grab what’s there.

Cheese Rind On or Off?

I also leave the rind on my brie. It’s fussy to cut it off and I always feel like I end up losing too much of the cheese itself along with the rind. However, if you’re really not a fan of cheese rinds, use a butter knife to scrape off as much of the rind as you can without losing the cheese below.

Ways To Adapt this Recipe

• If you don’t feel up to making the dough yourself, substitute two pounds of store-bought pizza dough.
• Instead of the brie, try any other soft cheese, like camembert.
• Swap out the cranberries for any other tart berry. Raspberries would be delicious!
• A sprinkle of chopped walnuts or pecans over the top of this would add some nice crunch!

Storing the Leftovers

Let any leftovers cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. They make a great cold breakfast or afternoon snack, or briefly reheat in the toaster oven.

More Favorite Holiday Appetizers

• Rosemary Focaccia
• Easy Baked Brie in Puff Pastry
• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Classic Cheese Ball
• Herb-Spiced Mixed Nuts