Baked Camembert

Switzerland is almost synonymous with cheese and, with the vast array of different cheeses produced in this tiny country, it’s pretty perfect for a cheese lover like myself.

It would probably take a whole blog post for me to talk about my favourite Swiss cheeses, but it is suffice to say that we always have a fully stocked cheese container in our fridge.

I still recall a funny incident which happened soon after I moved to Zurich almost 11 years ago. I was at the supermarket, loading up my shopping basket with milk, butter, yoghurt and an assortment of cheeses. A Swiss man rushed over to me and exclaimed that I should not eat any dairy because it would make me very sick. I looked at him puzzled, and he mistook my expression to mean that I didn’t understand German. “Das da”, he pointed to my basket, “no good! No good for Asian!” It’s true that many Asians are lactose-intolerant, but he obviously had no idea that I grew up drinking 3 glasses of milk a day and ate Vegemite and cheese sandwiches throughout most of my childhood! 😉

baked camembert honey raspberries with crackers

Cheese Course

In my husband’s family, they always serve a cheese platter after the main meal and before the dessert.

There is typically a selection of 3 to 4 cheeses, often comprising of a soft cheese like Pont L’Évêque or Camembert, some goats cheese, a hard cheese like Comté or Gruyère, and a strong blue cheese (I love Bleu d’Auvergne).

We don’t quite have this ritual in our own family, not least because I cook Asian-style meals most evenings, and a cheese course just doesn’t quite fit.

But I sometimes make up for this by serving a cheese platter as a main dish, together with hot boiled potatoes and a green salad dressed with a sharp vinaigrette.

baked camembert honey raspberries on wooden board

On my cheese board, you will always find a small wheel of Camembert or Brie, and while these are French-style cheeses, they are not always made in France.

I only became aware of this fact when I moved to Switzerland and discovered Swiss-made Camembert and other cheese varieties.

And one such Swiss producer is Baer, who’s founder successfully made and introduced soft cheese to a country which traditionally produced and consumed hard cheese (think Gruyère and Emmental cheese).

baked camembert honey raspberries with copper saucepan of warm honey

Cheese Made with Hay Milk

Most recently, Baer introduced a new variety of their three popular soft cheeses – Camembert, Brie and Tomme – using 100% Swiss hay milk.

Hay milk is produced from a very traditional form of dairy farming in some parts of Europe, namely France, Austria and Switzerland. These happy cows live on a natural diet of luscious green grass during the summer and sun-dried hay during the winter. As a result, the milk produced from these cows is much higher quality and contains a higher concentration of Omega 3 and 6 fats. Hay milk itself does not taste of hay, but it is a cleaner, better-tasting milk.

As we all know, good-quality ingredients make for good-quality products, and the new hay milk cheese selection from Baer is no exception.

Baked Camembert Recipe

When Baer asked me to share a recipe using their products for a brunch or appetiser, my mind quickly turned to a baked camembert.

I absolutely adore cheese fondue (so it’s a good thing I live in Switzerland!), and a baked camembert is much like a mini cheese fondue.

One of my favourite quick and simple dinners is a baked camembert studded with garlic and drizzled in white wine. Served with a crusty baguette and jar of cornichons, it is simply heavenly.

baked camembert honey raspberries with glass of wine

Baked Camembert with Honey & Raspberries

For a sweeter option and something more suitable alongside a standard cheese platter, I like to make this Baked Camembert with Honey & Raspberries.

It’s a complete doddle to make, which is exactly the type of recipe you want when you have friends coming over, plus it also has a certain wow factor, especially for the first person who gets to cut into the warm, oozing cheese.

If you are a fan of cheese with jam or cheese with fruit (like most Australians, Brits and Americans), I think you will love this Baked Camembert with Honey & Raspberries.

baked camembert honey raspberries with crushed pistachios

How to Bake Camembert

If your camembert comes in a wooden box, simply unwrap the cheese from any plastic, place the cheese back in the wooden box, and place the box on a lined baking tray in the oven.

The advantage of baking camembert in its own wooden box is that, when you serve the cheese, all of the oozing cheese will be contained in the box. However, be forewarned that some wooden boxes sold with camembert cheese contain holes or they may not be suitable for use in the oven.

If you cannot find camembert in a wooden box, you can bake the cheese directly on a tray lined with baking paper. I would recommend that you serve the cheese on a small plate with a lip, so as to catch all of the oozing warm cheese.

You can also buy porcelain or ceramic brie or camembert cheese dishes, such as this Le Creuset Camembert Baker, which would be perfect for baked camembert recipes like this one.

baked camembert honey raspberries on cheese platter
baked camembert honey raspberries
5 stars (3 reviews)

Baked Camembert with Honey & Raspberries

Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
Prep5 minutes
Cook15 minutes
Total20 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6
Baked Camembert with Honey & Raspberries is a delicious addition to any cheese platter, and perfect as an appetiser for small parties.
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Ingredients

  • 1 whole camembert cheese
  • 60 ml (¼ cup) honey
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 handful raspberries
  • 1 handful pistachios, finely chopped
  • bread and crackers for serving

Instructions 

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (without fan).
  2. Place a sheet of baking paper onto a baking tray, and place the camembert on top. The camembert should be removed from any plastic packaging before baking.
  3. Bake the camembert for 12-15 minutes, or until the top and sides of the camembert feel soft to the touch. If it still feels a bit firm when you press gently with your finger, bake for a further 2-3 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, heat the honey and balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan until it has warmed through.
  5. Add the raspberries to the honey and gently coat them in the honey, taking care not to break the raspberries.
  6. Once the camembert is ready, use a spatula or pancake flipper to gently move the camembert to a small plate with a lip, or place it directly on a large cheeseboard.
  7. Top the camembert with the raspberries and drizzle over a bit of honey.
  8. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve immediately.
  9. The honey can be a bit sweet for some, so I prefer to drizzle only a bit on the camembert, and to leave a small pot of the warm honey alongside for others to help themselves to more.

Kitchen Notes

  • OVEN TEMPERATURES
    All recipes on this website state temperatures for a regular oven (i.e. a conventional oven without fan). If you have a convection oven with a fan, please consult the manufacturer’s handbook on how to adjust the temperature and baking time accordingly.
  • CONVERSIONS
    To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 6g, Calories: 180kcal, Carbohydrates: 8.1g, Protein: 9.5g, Fat: 12.5g, Cholesterol: 30.7mg, Sodium: 359.3mg, Fiber: 0.9g, Sugar: 6.7g

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