Chili-Pecan Baked Camembert

I cooked this at Claire's Pampered Chef Cooking Show last Friday. It went down a treat!

This is such an easy snack to put together and with lots of different variation you'll never tire of it.

It is made on the pampered chef medium round stone, which looks great, but also has the added bonus of holding its heat, which in turn keeps the cheese oozy and gooey for ages. (remember pampered chef stoneware stays hot for 30-40minutes after cooking) To make it IPD friendly, pop the cheese into the mini baker to cook for 10 minutes then serve with a selection of crudities!

Chili-Pecan Baked Camembert

50 g pecan halves, coarsely chopped
1 fresh jalapeño chilli (or other fresh green chilli), seeded and finely chopped
70 g apricot jam
1 round (250 g) Camembert cheese (about 10-11 cm in diameter)
1/2 large French baguette (about 200-225 g total weight)
Olive oil, for spraying
Preheat oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/Gas 5. Coarsely chop pecans on Cutting Board using Chef's Knife. Finely chop jalapeño using Food Chopper. In Small Batter Bowl, combine jalapeño and jam; mix well using Skinny Scraper.
Cut Camembert in half horizontally using Utility Knife. Place one half of Camembert, cut-side up, onto Medium Round Stone. Spread half of the apricot jam mixture evenly over bottom half of Camembert using Small Spreader. Top with half of the pecans and the remaining half of Camembert, cut-side up. Spread remaining apricot jam mixture over Camembert; sprinkle with remaining pecans.
Using Bread Knife, cut baguette on a bias into twenty-four 5 mm-thick slices. Arrange baguette slices, slightly overlapping, around Camembert; lightly spray with olive oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until baguette slices are crisp and golden on top and Camembert begins to soften. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Yield: Serves 12

Per serving: Energy 674kJ/161kcal; Protein 6.2g; Carbohydrate 13.8g; Fat 9.4g; Saturated Fat 4.1g; Fibre 0.6g; Salt 0.6g

The melted cheese, spread of slices of garlic bread - Delicious!

Cook's Tip: When preparing fresh chillies, wear disposable gloves, or wash your hands thoroughly after handling chillies, as the oil in chillies can irritate skin and eyes. For a simple garnish, slice a jalapeño (or other fresh green chilli) in half lengthways using Petite Paring Knife. Brush cut surface with apricot jam. Place next to Camembert before baking. Small rounds of Brie cheese can be substituted for the Camembert, if desired.

Tool Tip: Variations: Brown Sugar Dijon Camembert Substitute 55 g light soft brown sugar for the apricot jam, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard for the jalapeño chilli and 40 g flaked almonds for the pecans. Reserve 20 g of the almonds. Chop remaining almonds; combine brown sugar, chopped almonds and mustard. Assemble as directed in Step 2; top with reserved almonds. Proceed as recipe directs. Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Camembert Substitute 70 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained weight), drained, patted dry and chopped for the apricot jam. Substitute 1-1 1/2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto for the jalapeño chilli and 35 g pine nuts for the pecans. Proceed as recipe directs.

© The Pampered Chef—United Kingdom, Ltd.