Phyllo Baked Camembert with Red wine and Onion Jam!
Posted on April 16, 2010 by Nina Timm in cheese
Phyllo Baked Camembert. Camembert is one of the most famous French Cheeses and it is definitely my favorite cheese. Finding empty cheese wrappers every time I open the cheese compartment in my fridge, is enough reason to believe that I am not the only one in this family that likes Camembert Cheese.
Phyllo Baked Camembert. Camembert Cheese is a soft, thick gooey cheese and it is best serve warm or at room temperature, making this a perfect cheese to take along on a picnic. This cheese pairs beautifully with bread and fruit, but is as good on its own with just a few crackers.
Camembert originated in the Normandy region in France and is the creation of Marie Harel . Normandy has even erected a statue in honor of Marie Harel. History has it that in 1855 Napoleon tasted this cheese in a little town called Camembert and enjoyed it so much that this cheese became known as Camembert from that moment. In short, Camembert cheese is made with cow’s milk that is curdled and inoculated with bacteria. The curds are packed into cheese molds, yielding a crumbly cheese which softens as it ripens, eventually forming a cheese with a velvety white rind and a slowly oozing center.This process takes 2-3 weeks.
How to choose your cheese when buying!
When choosing Camembert cheese in the store, look for a plump cheese which is soft to the touch. If the rind is hard or cracked it is an indication that the cheese has not aged well, and it should be avoided. A Camembert cheese should ooze slowly from the middle. An extremely runny cheese is not considered fit for consumption, and may be unsafe as well as inedible, although some French might debate this point.
The Persistence of Memory is one of the most famous paintings of Salvador Dali.
The painting has also been popularly known as “Soft Watches” or “Melting Clocks”. The idea of this painting came to Dalí on a very hot summer’s day. He was at home with a headache while Gala, his wife, was out shopping. After lunch, he saw some half-eaten Camembertcheese and how runny it had become because of the heat of the day. That night he had a dream of clocks melting on a landscape. He went back to the unfinished piece he had been working on, which had a plain landscape with rocky cliffs in the background and a tree on a platform. Over two or three hours, he added in the melting pocket watches which made this the iconic image it is today.
I can understand that Salvador Dali was inspired by this cheese, because I although my artistic abilities are somewhat limited, I too get inspired by this delicious cheese. Here are a few of my creations with Camembert.
Now for today’s recipe!
Phyllo Baked Camembert with Red wine and Onion jam
Make the Jam first, it even keeps for days in the fridge.
Ingredients
( Serves 4)
1 round Camembert
3 sheets phyllo pastry
melted butter
freshly ground pepper
fresh thyme
Preheat oven to 160C. Butter all three sheets of phyllo with the melted butter and place on top of each other. Now cut it in 4. In other words, you will have 4 smaller squares, each 3 layers thick. Cut the camembert in 4 and place a piece of cheese on each phyllo square. Take the 4 points of the square and make a small parcel.Tie with a piece of string. Repeat with the other 3 “parcels”. Bake for about 15 min or until phyllo has browned and the cheese bundle feel soft to the touch.
Red Wine and Onion Jam
2 big onions – finely sliced
about 1 cup red wine
2 heaped Tbsp sugar
1 piece cinnamon
1 star anise
1 piece of lemon rind
a knob of butter
Heat the butter in a pan and saute the onions slightly, but do not let it brown. Add all the other ingredients and cook it down to a syrup consistency. Serve the Phyllo Baked Camembert with some jam and chunks of fresh bread.
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Lovely, Nina! I've also got molten camembert on my mind – just finished shooting my pix (but served in a different way!). Have a great weekend. x
I love runny cheese, always check the date to make sure it's ready for eating.
perfect, just perfect! Enjoyed reading all the info about the cheese~this is a great way to serve it! Cheers!
I love making beggar's purses and surprising guests too! Try some blanched chives to tie them up…save your string. 😉
Camembert is my fav cheese as well.. I really love it especially when it is mature enough to melt in the mouth!!
Didn't know that camembert was the inspiration behind Salvador's painting – great bit of food trivia!
Phyllo parcels always look so pretty and how can it not taste divine when there's creamy cheese oozing out.
LOVE warm gooey camembert. There is a great local one as good as the expensive French ones called La Petite France. Onion jam is another favourite – I make mine with balsamic vinegar. XX
Oooh yummy yum yum! I could eat this right now – Looks fantastic!
That looks so good with all of the melted cheese spilling out!
There's definitely a melty, runny cheese vibe going on in the SA blogosphere 😉 Looks divine and I love the Dali story!