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Camembert en croute

Updated: Mon, 14 December, 2020

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Camembert en croute, soft cheese half-wrapped in homemade melting short pastry, baked with a sprinkling of thyme leaves - that's the ultimate in baked cheese.

Who doesn't love baked cheese?

Very weird people, that's who. I can't resist a melty, warm mass of cheese, preferably accompanied by some naughty carbs. Yes, a toasted cheese sandwich is simple bliss.

I’ve had quite a lot of baked, fried or grilled cheese when eating out too. It’s a popular starter after all; some restaurants offer it as a main – which is actually what I did with the dish below.

baked camembert in shortcrust pastry cuisinefiend.com

Brie, mozzarella or halloumi?

I’ve had some standard baked Camemberts with or without chutney. I’ve had great Brie baked in filo pastry somewhere in France. There was the deep fried mozzarella; mozzarella in carozza or supli, little cheese balls – you wouldn’t have it every day but once in a while, so good.

Halloumi is pretty run of the mill in Greek or Turkish places but I ate gorgeous battered halloumi in a local posh chippie. Then there was baked provolone in a little dish in Spain, all on its own, and indeed not needing company.

I’ve also had less fortunate cheese episodes: local Catalan cheese, grilled a good couple of hours before being offered to me: cold and greasy. Squeaky smoked sheep cheese in the Polish mountains, local specialty, that I wanted to enjoy so much but it was just TOO squeaky.

homemade camembert shortcrust pie cuisinefiend.com

Wrap your cheese in pastry

Cheese in foil, cheese in parchment, cheese in a stoneware dish, cheese in a bread loaf, in a squash and in a pumpkin, in filo or puff – but none of them a patch on this dish. It is so tasty, pastry made from scratch and all, that if you don’t try it once in your life, you won’t know you’ve lived.

The ultimate FOMO – to miss out on this Camembert en croute is unforgivable.

baked camembert or brie wrapped in short pastry cuisinefiend.com

How to make shortcrust pastry?

It is really easy, just takes a little time. Shortcrust pastry is basically butter rubbed into flour, gelled with a little egg, milk, or water. The pastry below is eggless, brought together with only icy water but enriched with - what else? - some grated cheese.

I strongly advise to make double the amount and keep half in your freezer for another feast.

How to prepare Camembert for baking?

Once the pastry has chilled and warmed up a little again (the chilling develops gluten binds in the pastry, the warming up again is so your can manage to roll it out), simply roll out circles larger than the Camembert wheels. Cut the cheese in two across, horizontally, so you get two discs out of each wheel.

Nest it on the pastry, cut side up, and wrap the overhanging pastry around the cheese. Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with thyme leaves before placing it in the oven and within minutes you'll be able to impatiently inhale the divine baking fragrance...



camembert en croute

Servings: 4Time: 1 hour 30 minutes plus chilling pastry

INGREDIENTS

  • 25g (about 1 cup) plain flour
  • 75g (½ cup) fine cornmeal
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • 140g (1 stick plus 2 tbsp.) cold butter, diced
  • 35g (½ cup) grated mature Cheddar or Gruyere
  • a few springs of thyme, leaves stripped
  • 6 tbsp. iced water
  • 2 x 150g (50 oz.) mini Camembert or similar amount of Brie, cold
  • 1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water


METHOD

1. To make the pastry, pulse the flours, salt, butter, cheese and half the thyme leaves in a food processor until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Add the water and pulse until the pastry just comes together. Divide it in four pieces, shape each into a ball, wrap it in foil and flatten to a disc. Chill for 2 hours.

2. Halve each Camembert horizontally with a sharp knife. If using Brie, halve it horizontally and then cut into pieces that can be put together to form a rough circle or a square; keep it cut side up.

Pastry and camembert cuisinefiend.com

3. Roll out each ball of pastry to a round about 18cm (7in) in diameter, dusting with flour if it sticks. Place them on a sheet of parchment lining a baking sheet and return to the fridge for 20 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas 7.

5. Place the cheese halves in the middle of each pastry crust or arrange the Brie pieces tightly in a round; rind side down, cut side up.

6. Fold the edge of the pastry over around the cheese forming an open parcel. Sprinkle the cheese with thyme. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese bubbling.

Baked camembert cuisinefiend.com

7. Remove from the oven and let it stand for a few minutes before serving. It goes very well with green salad, fig confit and grapes.


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Hello! I'm Anna Gaze, the Cuisine Fiend. Welcome to my recipe collection.

I have lots of recipes for you to choose from: healthy or indulgent, easy or more challenging, quick or involved - but always tasty.


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