Brie Quesadillas with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon and Beer-Glazed Onions

Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan (preferably a cast iron skillet) over medium heat. When hot, add the onions. Sauté for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and soft. Add the beer and continue cooking until all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions are beautifully glazed. This should take about 4 minutes. Remove onions from the pan and set them aside until ready to use.

In the same pan, cook the bacon until it’s brown and crispy. When cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon from the pan to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Leave that awesome bacon grease in the pan!

Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan with the bacon grease and sauté for about 4 minutes until they are lightly browned and tender. Add the maple syrup and cook for one more minute. Remove from the heat.

Now it’s time to assemble your quesadillas, friends. Lay out your tortillas on a work surface. On one half of each tortilla, add about 2 ounces of Brie in as even a layer as possible. Don’t worry about it being perfect, it’s all going to melt together. (I like to remove the rind because I don’t like it. But you can leave it on if you like.) Top the Brie with 1/3 each of the beer-glazed onions, bacon and Brussels sprouts. Add another 2 ounces of cheese over the top and fold the tortillas over.

Heat a griddle, pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. When hot add your quesadillas (you may have to do them one by one, depending on the size of your pan). Cook for about three minutes on each side until the tortilla is lightly browned and crisp and the cheese has fully melted. Remove the quesadillas from the pan and place them on a cutting board. If you are cooking them in batches start cooking another. Allow them to sit on the cutting board and continue to cook for a minute or two before slicing each quesadilla into three triangles. Serve immediately. Fanciest quesadillas ever.