Baked Camembert with Thyme & Drizzled Honey

December 16, 2013 by Laura Haugen 15 Comments

This  is best enjoyed by the flickering light & warmth of a fireplace among friends after a day playing in the snow. Open up some wine, slice up some apples, toast up some crunchy baguette slices, toss a bunch of grapes onto the platter, and let the reveling begin.

Baked Camembert with Thyme & Drizzled Honey

(Adapted from this Epicurious recipe. Each round of camembert serves 2-3 as a snack or appetizer)

• 1 9-oz. package of camembert in its wooden box
• 1 bunch of fresh thyme branches
• 1 drizzle of honey (I used an orange-blossom-infused one, but any honey will do)
• 1/2 baguette, plus apples and grapes to accompany; wine optional
• supplies: parchment paper and/or aluminum foil

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Line a large baking sheet with foil and slice a baguette into 1/4- to 1/2-inch slices. Brush both sides of the slices with olive oil and lay flat on the baking sheet.

Now for the cheese: Take the camembert out of its packaging, discarding the plastic but keeping the wooden case — we’ll use this to hold the cheese as it bakes so it keeps its shape. Carefully slice off the white top of the camembert and discard.

I use both parchment paper and foil to tent the cheese — the parchment paper keeps the oozing cheese from sticking to anything, and the foil makes it easy to seal it all tight to let the herbs and honey infuse the cheese. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a circle, leaving an extra 2 inches or so of extra space all around the camembert round, and put the cheese in its center. Place a larger rectangle of foil over the wooden box and gently stuff the foil down into the edges of the box without tearing it. Place the parchment paper & camembert into the foil-lined box (you may need to stretch the box out and adjust foil to make space).

Sprinkle some loose thyme leaves on top, drizzle with honey, place extra thyme branches over it and wrap up the camembert, loosely tenting the foil over the top but with a tight seal. Place this box onto the baking sheet with the baguette slices.

Bake for about 8 minutes, then check the baguette slices and remove them if browned enough. Put the cheese back in and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until bubbly and oozing. When cheese is ready, remove from box and foil and serve on the parchment paper (you can remove the thyme sprigs or keep as garnish). Present it on a platter with a knife for scooping, alongside the toasted baguette slices, apples, grapes and wine if desired. Enjoy!

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