Chilli & pecan baked Camembert
Spice up your standard baked camerbert dish with this divine recipe. The chilli adds a real festive kick and combined with the peacans it's a special dish for your party guests.
Serves 4-6Prep: 5 minutesCook: 15 minutes
Baked Camembert:
1-2 green chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped3-4 tbsp apricot jam1 whole Camembert (make sure it has been refrigerated)25g pecan nuts, chopped, plus 25g whole nutsGround black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.
For the baked Camembert: Mix chopped chillies and jam together.
Cut the Camembert in half horizontally. If using a baked cheese oven-proof dish place in the dish.
Spread half the jam mixture on the cut cheese side, and top with chopped nuts. Then sandwich the other half of the Camembert skin side up, and spread the rest of the jam and whole nuts on top of the cheese.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, keep watching the cheese you want it to still hold its shape and not fully melt.
Serve with Chilli Jam Cheese Twists (see recipe below) or crusty bread if liked.
TIPS
If you have around small oven-proof dish that holds the cheese snugly use that otherwise make a bowl out of tin foil.
Chilli Jam Cheese Twists
Makes 20Prep: 15 minutesCook: 20 minutes
Ingredients
2 x 320g sheets ready-rolled puff pastry3 tbsp sweet chilli jam75g extra mature Cheddar, gratedGround black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6 and line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
Unroll one of the sheets of pastry, leaving it on the paper from the packet.
Spread the chilli jam over in an even layer, leaving a 1cm clear border along each of the long sides.
Sprinkle Cheddar and a grind of pepper on top. Pat the cheese down.
Cut the rectangle widthways into 2cm wide strips (making them as long or short as you like) then twist each strip several times into a tight coil. If the pastry starts to get too soft, just pop everything into the fridge for 10 minutes then continue. Dip the knife in flour if the pastry starts to become too sticky.
Lay the twists on the lined baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes until crisp (some of the chilli jam and cheese will leak out slightly during cooking, but it will turn crisp, sticky and delicious.
Serve warm with the Chill and Pecan Baked Camembert.
TIPS
Twist it up - try spreading the pastry with chocolate and nut spread or peanut butter, or for something savoury Vegemite or Marmite topped with cheese before twisting.
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