A Baked Camembert in Paris

My daughter and I shared a unique baked Camembert at the fantastically quirky Paris restaurant called Le Sens Unique back in June. It was out of this world. And while we were oohing and aahing over our appetizer, my 11-year old grand daughter enjoyed les escargots, also shown in the photo!

This was my grand daughter’s first time in Europe; at her birth I’d chosen Paris for her first trip abroad. I booked many traditional bistros for our visit, restaurants with the classic woven chairs, and lots of red leather, and of course busy sidewalks. This restaurant looked a bit different but sounded wonderful, which it was. You know I spent weeks looking at menus, because our meals were very important to me.

So this Camembert was baked or warmed in the oven and served on a dressed green salad, topped with honey, cumin, and Aleppo pepper. Cumin on Camembert?! It was spectacular. Served with a baguette, of course.

A French Baked Camembert, or Camembert Rôti

Handful of greens
Olive oil, about 2 teaspoons
White balsamic vinegar, about a teaspoon
Salt
Freshly crushed black pepper
1 – 8 ounce French Camembert at room temperature (not pasteurized)
Honey
Cumin seeds
Ground cumin
Aleppo pepper, lightly crushed
Baguette slices

If you are using the oven, preheat it to 350 degrees F. Here is my beautiful Camembert. Don’t buy one that is pasteurized.

Lightly dress the greens with olive oil and a little white balsamic. Season with salt and pepper and place in a shallow bowl.

Place the Camembert on a small cookie sheet without sides and place in the oven. Heat for approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Check to see if it’s almost molten inside and don’t wait too long. Do not BAKE the cheese. Using a thin spatula or bench scraper, push the Camembert onto the dressed greens in the bowl. Drizzle on honey, sprinkle on the cumin seeds, the ground cumin, and the Aleppo pepper and serve immediately with baguette slices.

Alternatively, if you have a good microwave that offers various power levels, use 50% or 60% and start slow, testing the Camembert every 30 seconds or so until it is warm and melty inside. Do not COOK the cheese. Carefully place the Camembert on the dressed greens. Follow through with the seasoning.

If you don’t have Aleppo pepper, you can substitute Espelette pepper or use crushed cayenne pepper flakes.

This baked Camembert really is spectacular! Does it taste the same in my kitchen as it did at the cool Parisian restaurant? No, but it’s still spectacular.

C’est tout!

Just in case you’re interested, this was the rest of my meal. Spectacular food and service. I enjoyed the Parmentier de canard, Sancerre, and the best crème brûlée ever. I really wish I’d had room for the creamy garlic mussels casserole.