Starter
Baked camembert with honey & walnut
A whole cheese into the oven — and at the table it oozes open, theatrically.
Few things are as easy and as impressive as a whole camembert from the oven. You score it, stud it with garlic and rosemary, and twenty minutes later you have a molten cheese fondue to dip into. Honey and toasted walnut make it luxurious.
Method
- Heat the oven to 180 °C. Unwrap the camembert, remove any plastic and put it back in its wooden box (or a small baking dish).
- Cut a cross in the top and tuck in the garlic slivers and little sprigs of rosemary. Drizzle over a little olive oil.
- Bake 15-18 min until the cheese is completely soft and molten inside.
- Toast the walnuts briefly in a dry pan.
- Spoon the honey over the warm cheese, scatter over the walnut and some pepper, and serve straight away with bread around it.
The bluff
Let it ooze at the table
The show is the moment itself: bring it to the table bubbling and cut or tear the rind open only then, so the cheese oozes out before everyone's eyes. Set the box on a wooden board with the bread around it like a little still life — that's what makes it feel luxurious.
Plating — how to make it look expensive
- Serve on a wooden board; cheese in the middle, bread and walnut around it in a circle.
- Honey glossy over the top, just before serving.
- A sprig of rosemary on top for scent and colour.
What you say at the table
“Careful, it's still hot — let it flow a moment.”
“Just a little cheese from the oven, nothing special.”
What to drink
A glass of white port or a fruity red.
Foto via Pexels