How To Bake Camembert Cheese

There’s nothing that says ‘Normandy’ quite like camembert cheese. It’s produced throughout Normandy and takes its name from the town of Camembert which is in the Calvados region. Many producers in Normandy still make camembert by hand and pour the milk mixture into moulds using ladles. The moulds are regular turned until the liquid has disappeared. The cheeses are then left to mature so that the skin forms and the cheese improves with age.

Camembert can be eaten as part of a cheese course or used to cook with. If you’ve never had baked camembert, it’s a wonderful treat for a light lunch or a supper dish. It’s also really quick and easy to make.

The Perfect Baked Camembert Cheese

Your essential ingredient is a whole camembert cheese and then you can add flavourings. This Camembert recipe includes vermouth, thyme and chilli flakes. My favourite is slivers of garlic and sprigs of rosemary tucked into the slits on top of the camembert. Bacon also makes a tasty addition. You can experiment by adding different ingredients to find the combination you prefer.

This short video shows just how easy it is to make.

Make sure your cheese is wrapped up well while it’s in the oven – you don’t want all that lovely cheese escaping! Once it’s cooked, serve with some crusty French bread and scoop out the gooey warm camembert cheese.

To drink with it you can rely on another Normandy product – cider. The acidity of the apples compliments the creaminess of the cheese. Dry or sparkling cider is best and even Pommeau (cider and Calvados mixed) or champagne work well. If you prefer wine then a chenin blanc (with a hint of apples) or a soft fruit red are your best bets.

Baked camembert makes a wonderful sharing dish but I can guarantee there won’t be any left. You’ll be fighting over the last delicious mouthful.