Baked Camembert with Rosemary

“You have to be romantic to invest yourself, your money, and your time in cheese.” - Anthony Bourdain

Baked Camembert with Rosemary - this is a cheese like no other that I've ever tasted. It's a joy to dip a hunk of bread into this melty, gooey, bubbly and immensely flavourful goodness!

It was in July this year, while we were visiting our friends in Minsk, that we were introduced to Baked Camembert. We sat around our friend's kitchen table, while she poured some chilled white wine, brought out some beautiful berries and put a wheel of Camembert in her oven. It was a meal and an evening to remember; filled with endless chatter, non-stop laughter, and the loveliest bread dipped in the creamiest melting Camembert.

I just HAD to get this cheese home. Whether I could recreate that evening here or not, but the cheese just had to happen! And so we made a trip to the local market with my friend, just a day before we left. All the fresh local produce left me gaping! There were vegetables and fruits straight from the farms, freshly made, local cheeses, cured meats, flowers, and amazing fresh baked goodies. I bought 2 wheels of Camembert for a princely sum of 280 rupees! Hard to believe, right?

I've realized, visiting local markets and purchasing local foods really pays off. Not only is it cheaper, but you get a whiff of the culture, people, language, local foods...for me that's what travel is about. You can see some highlights of my Minsk trip on my travelogue highlights.

Back to this beauty of a cheese. Camembert is a soft, moist French cheese made with cow's milk. It's similar to Brie texture-wise. But it is a bit stronger in taste than Brie, which is more buttery. So you can easily substitute one for the other if you prefer.

Now adding some rosemary and a small splash of olive oil just made this cheese a lot more flavourful. I wish I could make you smell my kitchen when this was in the oven. I am very partial to the assertive woody aroma of rosemary in my cooking and baking. It adds so much oomph to any dish.

This Baked Camembert with Rosemary is a perfect fit for your cheese boards. Serve with some bread, olives, fruits, and nuts and you have the easiest and fanciest party appetizer that your guests will be raving about!

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