5 min., baking 15 min.
Grilled camembert cheese with pickled blueberries is a perfect, light and savoury snack. This time I baked the cheese with fresh thyme and lavender and garnished it with blueberries marinated in balsamic vinegar.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 camembert cheeses
- a few fresh lavender sprigs
- a few fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 tablespoons quality olive oil
- ground peppercorns
- foil wrap
For pickled blueberries:
- 4 tablespoons fresh blueberries
- 2 tablespoons quality balsamic vinegar
- ground cinnamon
PREPARATION
I cooked the camembert cheese in a Cobb grill, which even women and girls who have never built a campfire can easily light. I am glad that now I can set it up by myself, without the help of my husband, whenever I want, without any hassle. The Cobb grill only needs ten charcoal briquettes (so a standard bag of charcoal briquettes can be used up to ten times), and it can cook for more than an hour. Since the cheese does not require a very hot fire, eight charcoal briquettes were sufficient. I cooked the camembert on a raised grill with the lid on to allow the heat to dissipate and create an oven effect. The cheese baked perfectly and I garnished it with blueberries pickled in chocolate balsamic vinegar.
First, I covered the fresh blueberries with balsamic vinegar and a light sprinkling of cinnamon and set them aside to marinate for a few hours.
I unwrapped the cheeses and placed them on pieces of unwrapped foil. I cut a circle around the top of the cheese to leave a centimetre at the edges. I stuffed the cavities with thyme sprigs, sprinkled grated lavender flowers and ground pepper on top and drizzled with olive oil.
I baked the cheeses in the oven with the lid on for about 15-20 minutes until they were browned and soft.
When the cheeses were baked, I removed the trimmed rind and sprinkled the melted blueberries on top of the melted cheese (it is better not to add the vinegar in which the berries were pickled). The cheese was stuck on with bread sticks, but fresh white bread would have worked just as well.
Delicious!
P.S. The taste of the baked cheese depends very much on the quality of the cheese itself. The first time I baked President cheese, it tasted really good, but the second time I baked Turek cheese, it didn't taste as good. You can also cook cheeses in this way in any grill with a lid on an indirect heat. Marinate the blueberries in the best quality balsamic vinegar possible; if it is not so good, season it with additional sugar or honey.
Recipe source: Seasonal Kitchen
