How To Cook Camembert – Camembert is a soft cheese with a creamy texture and bloomy rind; it is made from cow’s milk. Why is it now in vogue, mainly at Christmas time? Usually eaten warm after heating by itself right in its wooden box or baked correctly and then used as a rich in gooey liquid cheese dip in a special ceramic camembert baker.
Do see our easy-to-follow recipe for baked Camembert and also have a look at recipes on different ways to serve Camembert. Saving up money to share for more great festive sharing dish, read the tips that we have given on how to cook camembert.
Buy Camembert
Camembert is from Normandy, and there are rules about its manufacture. That is really Camembert de Normandie, and if made with raw milk, it will bear the words appellation d’ origine protege on its pack. However, if it is from the same area and made with pasteurized milk, it will be labelled ‘fabrique en Normandie’. Others also make Camembert, for example, in Britain.
The rind of good quality camembert must be bumpy or rippled looking, white with little flecks of red, downy. They are sold in boxes of poplar wood, some glued and stapled. While cheaper, they are usually packaged in cardboard boxes, but we do not recommend baking the cheese in such. Below are our tips on alternative cooking vessels.
How much time does it take to bake Camembert?
For oven baking camembert, first, follow the instructions given, and it should take about 20 minutes at 200C (180C fan or gas 6). When the cheese is liquid in the middle, take it out and sprinkle it on Camembert. Do not over-bake, as dried cheese cannot be restored.
How to cook Camembert
Remove the Camembert from its wrapping and examine it carefully for stickers, etc. Unwrap the cheese and place it back in the box’s bottom half. If the box is not stapled, tie string around it in case the glue securing it together disappears and the whole thing opens up. Cut slits in the cheese at the top and add your favourite toppings.
Boxless Camembert: How to cook Camembert?
If the Camembert comes in a less expensive cardboard instead, or not even in any box at all, you can still bake it. Then, wrap the cheese in foil and set it into a shallow, small oven-proof dish or a special ceramic camembert baker.
Or you can use one of our recipes but wrap them in bread to prevent them from crumbling. Otherwise, if you don’t put the Camembert in any container, then it will simply slice open and spread over the oven or baking sheet.
How to bake Camembert?
Here are the steps to bake Camembert:
- Completely unwrap the Camembert and look it over carefully for stickers, etc.
- Unwrap the cheese and slide it into the bottom half of a box. If the box is not stapled closed, tie a string around it so it will not open up if the glue loosens.
- Slice off the cheese and add your own toppings.
- Cook at 20 C for 2O mins, or until the cheese is melted in the middle.
How to serve Camembert?
Toast any kind of bread (baguette to pitta) and dip in Camembert. Cut the bread into bite-sized fingers and make dipping more manageable.
Other dipping foodstuffs include breadsticks, cheese crackers and raw veggies (the more health-conscious choice). Just place your cooked Camembert on a platter, then surround the cheese with the dippers. Also, enclose your Camembert in bread or brioche and bake it instead. Serve with cranberry sauce or chutney in little bowls or dry dips.
Questions
For how long do you bake Camembert?
Set the oven to 190 ° C (fan assisted) or Gas Mark 5. Take the lid and wrappings off of the Camembert. Then, set the cheese in its foundation on a baking tray and carve several holes in the top of the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.
Do you eat the skin on baked Camembert?
Yes, you can eat the rind of Camembert cheese. Eating the rind or not, it is really just a matter of personal taste. It is perfectly acceptable to eat the rind and some people even like its taste and texture.
My baked Camembert is not runny, so why not?
Of course, there are cases when Camembert does not melt, but this is due more to the aging process than whether raw or pasteurized milk is used. However, the older the Camembert is, the more easily it will melt. Chalkier, fresh, young cheese will not melt as it should.
Can you bake Camembert in a wooden box?
The Camembert can be baked in a wooden box, and there is no need to remove the paper sheet. The point is that you cannot make Camembert cheese in cardboard boxes. However, you needed to find a way to lay out a piece of camembert cheese on an empty baking pan.
Why is my baked Camembert hard on the inside?
On the other hand, you can certainly spoil the cheese by not baking it long enough. Or you can overcook it, and then you have passed the soft gooey stage, and it goes hard, but then the drive is gone. When you touch it, you will know it is cooked.
