Baked Camembert

Disclaimer: I didn't grow up with cheese. In fact when first introduced, the strong, pungent, stinky cheese was almost offensive to my senses - who eats this stuff? The more I tried it, the more I was hooked! Now as much as I'm trying to go vegan, milk certainly is no longer necessary (the wide variety of soy, almond, cashew, or coconut milks do just fine), but cheese continue to be an item that's just.... so hard to give up or replace. I personally prefer the hard, sharp cheeses that go well with a crunchy cracker, which is why I was puzzled by this wheel of Camembert (and eff'd it up quite royally on my first go). A bit smelly, kind of bitter, a soft shell and even softer center.. the Camembert was not the most exciting on my booked until it got baked.. what an absolutely delightful treat it was!

Camembert (looks like Brie), was named after the city it was made/invented (also just like Brie). It's a less fatty cheese and very pungent and smelly (hello ammonia). My first attempt of using this cheese was so terrible, I made the mistake of adding a few chunks of Camembert in an omelette. Eh.. how bad can it be? It's cheese! Let me tell you.. DON'T DO IT. It ruined the dish and reduced it into a runny, bitter, smelly weird mess. Clearly something is amiss here, if it's horrible like this why would any reasonable sane person buy this stuff? I feel this is a good time to insert this PSA: when encountering a new ingredient, the best bet is to look it up and follow a tried and true recipe so you can fully appreciate the ingredient. There are flavors (sometimes unlikely and seemingly strange combinations) that compliment each other to enhance it. Only when you have done that and feel confident enough with the ingredient, add it into other foods, use it as substitutes to invent new flavors. I got the order backwards here, because I was cocky. Don't be like me. 

Original recipe inspiration: https://www.thepetitecook.com/how-to-make-baked-camembert/

What you need:

- a wheel of Camembert

- 1 tsp of rosemary

- 1 tbsp of honey to drizzle

- 1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced

- salt and pepper to taste

- pinch of red chili flakes

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tbsp of Parmesan cheese

- 4 slices of rye bread

Recipe:

- Heat up the oven (or bbq in my case) to about 350F

- Cut and place pieces of Camembert in 2 baking ramekins, drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper, rosemary, red chili, and Parm cheese.

- Rub sliced garlic pieces on bread and drizzle olive oil. Leave garlic slides on the bread. 

- bake the bread and ramekins in a bake ware, or directly on the racks. I did it initially in the bakeware but finishing it on the racks made the bread so crunchy, and flame kissed. Yum!

- Bake for about 15min, put the garlic pieces in to the ramekin and mix it up a bit. 

- Serve by pouring the cheese mixture onto the bread, or simply dip the bread in. So good!

I enjoy using the BBQ as much as possible instead of the oven. In the summer time, the BBQ is being used for every meal of the day when I could. Meat or meatless, the BBQ is fast, doesn't heat up the house, and the char is simply incomparable. The only downside, the baking temperature is a bit inaccurate. So the recipes are not always as consistent as the oven. You may just have to check it frequently and be ok with making some adjustments.

More about Camembert:

- Camembert sometimes come in a dish (wooden container). There's recommendation to bake the cheese in the container but.. maybe don't do that on the BBQ. Wood + open flame = big fire. Not a good call unless you are a pyromaniac and have a fire extinguisher handy... 

- If you don't like the rind you can cut it off. I kept it in the dish and ate it as it added some texture so the creamy dish. It is the stronger smelling and tasting part of the cheese, toss as you wish. 

- The rosemary, honey, and garlic is quite a perfect trio of addition to this cheese. I was a bit skeptical but everything went very well together. This was actually finger-licking good. 

Try the Baked Camembert, give it a chance. Don't let the ammonia stink deter you. With just the right amount of love and care (with rosemary, honey, and garlic), it really is a delicious treat!