Sweet Onion Camembert

You may well have had this in one already! If you have been to one of my Bread Making Classes, I just can't resist baking a cheese when we're making bread! A baked cheese in the centre of the table with some homemade bread makes a super impressive starter for your dinner guests at home.

The humble onion has its own sweetness when cooked down slowly and gently, a beautiful flavour that really doesn’t need much else. A pinch of salt at the beginning of cooking will help draw out the moisture, softening the onions faster, and season them too. Then, just a pinch of chopped rosemary to finish.

A tiny drizzle of honey over the finished cheese is a nice touch, as well as the toasty pine nuts. Give this one a go and serve with a bread that is simple in flavour, a baguette perhaps, or a ciabatta. OR complement the rosemary with my Rosemary and Potato Ring.

I’ll be putting up plenty more of my favourite baked cheese recipes in future so do check back, and if you like this one consider subscribing if you haven’t already.

Sweet Onion Camembert

Difficulty: Easy

45 minutes

Ingredients

1              Camembert

4 tbsp   Olive oil

2              Medium onions

Pinch     Sea salt

A sprig of rosemary

A few pine nuts

1 tsp      Honey

Method

  1. Top and tail both of your onions, then cut them in half root to tip. Peel and discard the remaining brown skin and slice the onions thinly.

  2. Place a small saucepan on a high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions when the pan is hot and follow them in with a good pinch of salt.

  3. Give the onions a good stir, they should be sizzling nicely. Cook for 2-3 minutes on this high heat, then turn the heat down low.

  4. Allow the onions to sizzle gently, this time for 15-20 minutes stirring every now and again, until soft and sweet. While they are cooking strip the rosemary leaves from the stalk, chop them roughly and add them to the pan at the end, stirring through.

  5. Remove the Camembert from its packaging and score the top with a knife. When scoring go about half way down into the cheese, but be careful not to cut the edges otherwise the cheese will spill out as it bakes!

  6. Place in a snug oven proof dish (or frying pan with an ovenproof handle!) and tuck all the onions around the edge.

  7. Give a sprinkle of pine nuts over the top and bake in the oven at 180°C Fan/Gas Mark 6 for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is soft and wobbly.

  8. Remove it from the oven and drizzle (runny) or spread (set) honey over the top.