This melty and creamy baked camembert makes a delicious appetiser, a favourite party snack or casual lunch served with a crusty french loaf, crudites and crackers.
This really is too simple to be called a recipe but it is so good and a versatile dish to pull out for parties, the big game or a fun shared plate appetiser.
It’s ideal to serve with a basket of crusty french bread, a selection of crackers, fruit and crudites. Most vegetables are a good match with molten cheese but some popular options are cherry tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, zucchini and celery sticks.
Table of Contents
Camembert or brie?
I’ve been asked if it can be done with another soft cheese such as brie in place of the camambert and it definitely can.
The two kinds of cheese are very similar but for this dish, I prefer the earthly and slightly stronger flavour of camembert. Brie has a similar flavour but is slightly milder and more buttery.
The main consideration is that you are looking for a complete wheel where the white rind fully encases the soft cheese to hold it together, otherwise, it will melt everywhere in the oven.
Camembert usually comes in small wheels which are ideal for baking but brie typically is prepared in large rounds and then sold as cut wedges. If you are planning to bake the brie you need to look for the mini wheels that can now be found in many markets and delis.
Preparing the baked camembert
Start by heating the oven to 180 Celcius, the preparations will take only a minute or two.
Unwrap the cheese and if it came in a bamboo box you can place it back inside that to bake it, otherwise place it into a similarly sized oven proof dish. With a sharp knive cut a grid through the rind and into the top of the cheese wheel. Scatter with chilli flakes and rosemary leaves pressing them gently into the cuts to infuse the flavour.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, the cheese will be molten. If it’s difficult to tell visually whether it’s done touch the rind lightly and it should give easily.
Serve with crackers, crusty french bread, fruit such as cherry tomatoes or sticks of celery, carrot, cucumber and zucchini.
Creamy baked camembert
Ingredients
- 250 g wheel of camembert
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 spring rosemary
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to bake at 180 Celcius
- Unwrap the cheese and place it into a similarly sized ovenproof dish.
- Cut a grid through the rind and into the top of the cheese, this will make it easier and more inviting to dig into once it is baked.
- Scatter with the salt and chilli flakes. Remove leaves from the sprig of rosemary pushing the tips and leaves into the slits in the top of the cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the inside is soft and molten.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
If the cheese came in a bamboo box you can place it back in that and onto an oven tray to bake it, alternatively, if you want to place it onto a well packed grazing board crinkle up a sheet of baking paper, flatten it out and form it up around the cheese to bake, the other goodies on the board can be used to keep the paper in place and contain the oozing cheese.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per ServingCalories 127Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 30mgSodium 354mgCarbohydrates 0gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 8g
I'm neither a nutritionist nor a mathematician so I use a service to calculate this nutrition information. Please use it as a guide only.
Other party food ideas you might like
- These roasted edamame make a delicious spicy snack
- Try these beef sausage rolls in a mini size for an easy finger food
- A platter of Baileys chocolate truffles make an easy sweet finish
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