There’s nothing like a baked cheese for sharing, and toast for dipping in it. This makes a baked cheese a perfect starter for Valentine’s day. This version is made a little more ‘chefy’ by adding smoked garlic to the cheese and topping the bread with basil pesto.
Prep time 5 minutes/Cook time 20 minutes/serves 4
Ingredients:
250g (1/2 lb) Camembert (preferably in a wood holder)
2 cloves Oak-smoked Garlic
1 sprig of thyme
270g (9 oz) Olive Ciabatta
Olive oil, for drizzling
130g (7 ½ oz) ready-made Basil Pesto
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C/360°F/gas mark 6). Unwrap your Camembert then put the cheese back in its wooden box; discarding the lid. Sit on a baking tray and use a small, sharp knife to cut a small cross on top (about 1cm [1/2 in] deep) then make 8 small incisions around the cross.
Finely slice 1 clove of oak-smoked garlic bulb and poke the slices into the cross and incisions in the top of the cheese. Sprinkle over the leaves from 1 thyme sprig, drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil and season with black pepper. Wrap loosely in foil, transfer to your oven and bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the olive ciabatta into 2cm (4/5 in) thick slices and arrange on a baking tray.
Remove the foil from the cheese and return to the top shelf of the oven. Put the ciabatta on the shelf below and bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is oozy and the ciabatta is lightly toasted. Cut a garlic clove in half and rub the cut side over the ciabatta. Transfer the cheese and toast to a serving board. Spread the toast with basil pesto, then serve to accompany and dip into the cheese.
