Oven-baked camembert with fruits & nuts

I've always been a big fan of soft, creamy cheeses, not so much Brie, but Camembert in particular. When I was studying in Vienna, real French Camembert was not something I could necessarily afford, but I had my way of indulgind in it every once in a while: the good thing about this cheese is that it's at its best when it has reached its "best by" date... the one time when this term actually means what it says! It is indeed at its most tasty at or by the date where most people would already chuck it in the bin and therefore difficult to sell in stores. So on my way back from uni, I would always pass this delicatessen and see if they had some Camembert on offer, still perfectly fine, but impossible to sell to most of their clientèle and got lucky once or twice a month, taking home a stinking piece of cheese, already salivating at the thought of relishing it with a piece of fresh and crusty baguette.
Nowadays, I find you can get decent Camembert even at the better supermarkets, but sometimes, it is hard to get it perfectly  à point - a good way of still enjoying it then is to serve it warm... a few minutes in the oven will usually do. I then top it with dried fruits and nuts and pour over a generous helping of honey, before either spooning it out through the top or cutting it into pieces (then scraping the gooey, melted cheese from the plate) - heaven!

Oven-baked camembert with fruits & nuts

1 Camembert
1 handful dried fruits & nuts
3 tbsp runny honey

Place Camembert on an oven-proof plate and transfer to the oven. At a temperature of 150 C, gently heat the cheese for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until soft in the centre.
Remover from oven, top with the fruits and nuts and drizzle with honey.

Serve with crusty bread on the side.

Comments

[Anali]

Beautiful!

[Scott at Realepicurean]

Wowowow! Your photos are driving me crazy as of late - beautiful!

[Elle]

Beautiful photo. Also belated congratulations on your new baby!Warm wishes for a long, happy life for him.

[Pille]

Looks lovely! I do miss my cheesemongers in Edinburgh (especially Iain Mellis Cheesemonger, remember:) - the selection of French cheese here is not particularly good..

[Michelle]

This looks and sounds wonderful! :)

[Trig]

Just makes you want to eat your screen. Simple, elegant and super.

[sandi @ whistlestop cafe]

This is beautiful~ if it tastes as good as it looks, Yummy!

[peabody]

I would love to be eating that right now.

[Christina]

Mmmm, almost as good as deep-fried cambembert and a lot easier to do! Lovely photo. :-)

[Christine]

Oh what a great idea! I usually just use crushed nuts and brown sugar. the fruits and honey sound even better. Thanks!

[valentina]

what a fantastic dish. I love the fact that you marry the cheese with nuts and honey.Ho great!!

[Nancy]

Hit of the party. I had a craving for camembert, baked like I had tried several years ago at a great restaurant. It's nice and easy, I only had raisins and mixed nuts to use, but it was still awesome. Thanks for the great recipe.