News flash: The best cheeses in the world have just been named.

What's that? You didn't know there were a bunch of people sitting around a table with nothing better to do than name the world's best cheeses?

What's that? You want that job? So do I.

Each fall, some 100 "cheese specialists" with the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association gather in a different European city and taste a few thousand cheeses with the goal of naming one the world champion. Tough life, isn't it?

I don't need to taste cheese after cheese to name the best in the world. My world champion cheese would be brie, that rich, creamy white cheese you often find at holiday parties.

Although I love brie, I had never cooked with it until now. Just plopping it down on a plate with a handful of crackers worked for me.

Then I found this recipe for sugar- and nut-glazed brie by Paula Deen. Leave it to the celebrity chef to make brie, already full of fat, even more over-the-top.

I picked this recipe because it seemed easy and the ingredients weren't expensive. Sure, brie costs more than cheddar, but at about $6 per round, it's a lot cheaper than crab or shrimp.

I substituted walnuts for the macadamia nuts or pecans the recipe called for. They're grown locally, so I like to use them when I can. All the ingredients are available at the grocery store — no special trips.

When I got the ingredients home one day after work, they all looked so good that I couldn't wait to make this dish. So I ignored the part of the recipe that says to chill the nut/sugar/ brandy mixture for at least 24 hours. I just piled it on the brie and stuck the whole thing in the oven. It didn't seem to hurt the dish.

The brie was perfect — oozy and creamy and flavorful. The spiked nut mixture added an adult flavor.

My husband and I gobbled up our brie with apple slices, but you could use anything as a brie vessel. Try pears, crackers or thin slices of crusty bread.

Oh, and if you are with the cheesemakers' association and need another judge for next year's competition, look no further.

SUGAR- AND NUT-GLAZED BRIE

This recipe is from Paula Deen.