Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Baked Camembert

Usually my cheese posts are concerned with the cheese as its own entity but this post is a little bit different. I'm going to take a rather commercial cheese, in this case the South Cape Mini Camembert

south cape mini camembert© by Haalo


and turn it into a molten case of cheesy goodness!

baked camembert© by Haalo


There's nothing wrong with South Cape Camembert - it isn't in the league of say a Jindi Triple cream but not everyone can afford that cheese - but you can turn it into something that is a little bit nicer.

south cape mini camembert© by Haalo


The first step to slice off the top - ideally you'll cut it fine enough to just remove the rind.

south cape mini camembert© by Haalo


The second step - sprinkle the surface with fresh herbs - here I've used rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, finely sliced garlic and the Chilean spice called Merken - smoked paprika or chilli powder would work quite nicely too.

Place the top back onto the cheese and then wrap the whole lot tightly in baking paper - then wrap this parcel in foil. Place in an oven-proof dish that will snugly hold it and bake in a low oven until the cheese has softened - anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.

baked camembert© by Haalo


At this stage it is quite fragile as the cheese is molten - let it rest for a minute or two before removing.

baked camembert© by Haalo


Slide it carefully onto your cheese board - remove the lid and voilà you are done.

baked camembert© by Haalo


To serve, I've matched it with fresh olive bread - sourdough would also work as its slightly acidic nature would complement the rich cheese.

8 comments

  1. awesome idea. so French! :-)

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  2. wow, how well executed, looks very delicate and beautifully done.

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  3. I have a South Cape Camembert in the fridge - I'll try this tonight. Wonderful idea. Merry Christmas. :)

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  4. whats your take on king island dairys brie? is it any good taste wise?

    Simsy

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  5. Wow, that cheese looks delicious!

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  6. Wow this is so cool. It is not quite the weather for this at the moment but I will remember it in the winter months. Yum Yum

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  7. Thanks Simon!

    Thanks Priya!

    Thanks Food Journeys - hope you enjoy it!

    Hi Simsy - I don't mind the king island brie - in fact just had the limited release double brie which is excellent

    Thanks Lisa!

    Thanks Mark!

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  8. that looks so good and what a great idea to transform a not so special cheese into something magical!

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