BAKED CAMEMBERT 3 WAYS
The first time I baked a camembert I didn’t realise it had to stay in its box and I popped it in the oven directly on the shelf. My friend Vanessa and I watched through the oven door as melting cheese dripped through the rack. I have never made the same mistake again. Serve the baked cheese with crudités, sliced baguette or ciabatta, breadsticks and crackers, if you like.
EACH BAKED CHEESE SERVES 6-8
CAMEMBERT TOPPED WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE
1 whole camembert, with the wooden box
3 tbsp cranberry sauce, homemade (there’s a recipe in the book) or from a jar
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.
- Remove the camembert from the box and remove any paper or plastic wrapping. Place it back in the bottom half of the box and pierce the top of the cheese several times with a knife, not going all the way through.
- Spoon the cranberry sauce over top and cover the cheese very loosely with foil. Place the cheese in its box on a baking tray and bake it in the oven for 12 minutes, then remove the foil and pop it back in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the cranberry sauce is bubbly and hot. Serve hot.
CAMEMBERT STUDDED WITH ROSEMARY AND GARLIC
1 whole camembert, with the wooden box
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
leaves stripped from 1 big sprig of rosemary
1 tbsp olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.
- Remove the camembert from the box and remove any paper or plastic wrapping. Place it back in the bottom half of the box and pierce the top of the cheese several times with a knife, not going all the way through.
- Carefully wedge some garlic slices and rosemary leaves into each hole on top of the cheese, pressing them in with your fingertips. Drizzle the olive oil over the top. Place the cheese in its box on a baking tray and bake it in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve hot.
CAMEMBERT WRAPPED IN PUFF PASTRY WITH A BOW
1 ready-rolled sheet of puff pastry (320g)
plain flour, for dusting
1 whole camembert
1 egg, beaten
- Take the sheet of pastry out of the fridge 20 minutes before you start cooking, and preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
- Dust the work surface with flour and lay the sheet of pastry on top. Cut out two circles of pastry that are 2cm larger than the cheese (you can use the lid of the box as a template). Also cut out two long 2cm-wide strips.
- Remove the camembert from its box and remove any paper or plastic wrapping. Place the cheese on one of the rounds, and tuck the edges of pastry up the sides of the cheese. Place the second circle of pastry on top of the cheese and tuck the top edges down around the sides. Seal and brush with some beaten egg.
- Wrap one of the long pastry strips around the cheese and seal the edge with some more beaten egg. Make your second strip of pastry into a bow and place it on top. Brush the whole thing with egg and pop it on the lined baking sheet.
- Pop the pastry-wrapped cheese in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown. Serve hot.