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



and turn it into a molten case of cheesy goodness!



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.



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



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.



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



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



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