Recipe suggestions anyone?
Hola! I know that a good number of you are quite keen on the world’s favourite pastime, cookery (citation needed), and I’ve shared some of my own recipes with you in the past. Today, however, I’m going to ask you all for some suggestions! I’ve just been chatting with one of my friends about the possibility of using baked camembert as a main course.
Now, usually I’ve found baked cheeses present as part of a sharing platter; with the sheer richness of camembert, it’s not difficult to see why. But would it be possible to have either a whole or a half a baked camembert as the central item in a main dish? I reckon so, if you got the rest of the dish right.
The solution I came up with was to serve the camembert with sundried tomatoes (or even maybe cherry tomatoes), thick slices of toasted wholewheat bread, and a rocket salad (possibly with vinaigrette dressing). My friend suggested serving it with redcurrants, crackerbread and black pudding.
Does anyone have any ideas for a dish with baked camembert as its central item? Post ’em up, and I might just try it!
Bon appetit!
M.
Living in a culinary wilderness…I’ve not seen, much less tasted a camembert in many years. on the subject of cheese my country is a bunch of sodding cowards.
Bring them the cheese, Keith. BRING THEM THE CHEESE!
If I ever made it back to Hong Kong to live, I would miss having a large variety of cheeses available… Then again, I’d have several hundred Chinese dishes, so I guess it all balances out a bit 😛
M.
It’s a funny coincidence that you’re asking for camembert-as-a-main-course suggestions; I recently got a really good deal on a wheel of brie and as a result have had that as the main course for dinner three of the last five nights.
In my case, though, we usually just eat it straight with slices of lightly-toasted baguette, some smoked oysters or clams if I have any on hand, and a salad–honestly, I’ve always thought that brie and camembert are good enough that baking or otherwise adulterating them are just unnecessary. Sure, it’s a bit rich, but it’s not an everyday dinner.
Y’know, I’ve never tried brie with seafood, I must try it with smoked clams! While I do enjoy a nice bit of camembert just with bread, I have to say baking it does give a little extra something. I had a small one in Cyprus (fantastic restaurant, I want to go back there at some point) that was served with deep-fried celery. Again, it was quite rich, but the flavours and texture were exquisite!
Once I have a house of my own, I’m definitely going to start purchasing cheeses by the wheel. It is a foodstuff that I adore!
Finally got caught up on all of the pages I missed, I’m loving this story line! Sadly, Texas is not well known for its choice in fine cheeses. Had you asked 10 or 15 years ago when I was in California or Nebraska, I could have had a few options for you (brie cheese is very good). They do have a nice pepper-jack cheese here, it’s very nice with saltines, and makes an excellent south western lasagne.