Soft cheeses: Camembert and Brie will be the best you've ever tasted. Camembert cheese - how to eat it correctly. Recipes for cooking with Camembert cheese with photos What to cook with Camembert cheese

Cheese is made from milk, but protein from cheese is even better absorbed. Moreover, the protein from cheese is similar in its amino acids to the protein in the human body, and this, of course, is only a plus. Cheese also contains amino acids that are not produced by the body on its own - lysine, methionine, tryptophan.

What can you find in cheese?

And where would we be without an endless list of Latin letters! In cheese you will find vitamins E, C, PP, D, A, and group B (B1, B2, B6, B9, B12). And also valuable minerals: calcium, copper, manganese, iron, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, sodium, magnesium.

But cheeses are not deprived of calories either. Depending on the type, of course, the number of calories can vary from 260 to 400 Kcal per 100 grams of cheese.

Soft cheese (since we are talking about them today) consists of:

• increased amount of moisture 50-65%
• salt 2.5-5%
• 85% complete, highly digestible proteins
• vitamins (about which above)

What other soft cheeses are there and how are they prepared?

Duo- processed German puff cheese with layers of nuts or salmon.

Liederkranz- soft brie-type cheese, the most expensive type of cheese in the United States.

Munster- one of the most noble soft French cheeses with a reddish rind, the recipe for which was invented by the Benedictine monks in the 7th century.

Reblochon or Reblochon- French soft cheese made from cow's milk (necessarily from cows of three different breeds), salty, with a nutty flavor. It comes in two varieties: peasant and fruit.

Rollot- soft cow cheese, heart-shaped or round, from France. If you suddenly thought about what would be romantic and not trivial to prepare for your loved one for breakfast, the cheese makers have already prepared everything for you.

Heroes of the day - Camembert and Brie

These varieties are covered with a characteristic white coating, which forms in special cellars, the walls of which are covered with fungi of the genus Penicillum. A few words about the guys.

Bree- This is French cheese. It was invented in the 7th century at the Abbey of Jouard. Brie was called the king of cheeses and a first-class dessert. This cheese was recognized as the winner among other cheeses, none of which could really compete with it.

Brie requires at least a month of rest - he needs time to mature. The edges of the present are white, with slight traces of yellow and red. The taste of this cheese ranges from fruity to mushroom.

Camembert. This cheese is named after its place of birth - the village of Camembert in Normandy (France). Costs of popularity: today many analogues of real Camembert are produced in the world, but only real Camembert is equipped with a special quality mark and special packaging - it is a round wooden box with a cheese wheel weighing 250 grams, 11 cm in diameter and 3 cm in height. The only traditional true Camembert is called AOC -Camembert de la Norman-die.

It takes at least two and a half liters to prepare one cheese weighing 250 g. Like Brie, Camembert takes at least 21 days to mature. Since real Camembert cannot be stored for long periods of time, it is often sold slightly unripe.

Your new favorite dish is baked camembert

This simple dish will spread its aroma throughout the city, provoke the production of liters of drool in the immediate area, and give true pleasure to the taster. And it’s indecently easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

• Camembert cheese - 1 circle
• garlic - 2 cloves
• fresh thyme - 4 stems
• olive oil - 1.5 tablespoons
• ciabatta - 1 piece (but it’s better to prepare the bread yourself)

How to cook:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Using a knife, pierce the top of the cheese in several places and stuff the holes with pieces of 1 clove of garlic and pieces of thyme sprigs.

Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and place in the oven for about 10 minutes until the center of the cheese is melted. Cut the ciabatta into pieces and drizzle with olive oil. Grill or toaster until golden brown, then grate with a clove of garlic.

Place garlic bread on a platter and place hot cheese in the center for dipping the bread pieces into.

Fettuccine with melted brie, cherry tomatoes and basil

Ingredients:

• Brie cheese - 300 g
• garlic - 2 cloves
• olive oil - 6 tablespoons
• cherry tomatoes - 300 g
• basil leaves - 7 tablespoons
• lemon - ½ piece
• fettuccine pasta - 400 gr

How to cook:

Cut the rind off the Brie and cut the cheese into cubes. Place in a bowl, add chopped garlic, olive oil, cherry tomatoes cut in half, finely chopped basil, grated zest and juice of 0.5 lemon. Add salt and pepper and mix everything well. Leave for 10 minutes.

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and return to pan. Add the brie mixture, stir and serve.

Hot sandwich with brie cheese and grapes

Ingredients:

• white bread (or again, homemade)
• butter
• Brie cheese
• grape

How to cook:

Brush the bread with butter. Place the cheese on the buttered side of one piece of bread and place the grapes, cut in half, on it. Top with a second piece of bread. Conventional convection oven: Place sandwiches under grill and keep there until done. Eat immediately, adding watercress and tomato. The peculiarity of the dish is in combination.

Crostini with mango, brie and mint

Ingredients:

• whole grain bread - 4 pieces
• mango - 8 slices
• Brie cheese - 50 g
• fresh mint
• walnuts

How to cook:

You will only need 10 minutes. Toast the bread on the grill in the oven (or in a grill pan without oil). Cut the brie into small pieces. Place the cheese on the warm pieces of bread, halve it and remove the pit. Place 0.5 teaspoon of cheese in each half and place on a plate. Melt the butter in a frying pan over low heat. Heat until the oil begins to darken.

Add nuts and stir for 1 minute. Then add maple syrup and cook for 1 more minute, stirring. Remove from heat. Place a few pieces of nuts on top of the cheese and press lightly. Drizzle with syrup and serve warm.

Camembert is another wonderful French cheese with a rind made from the delicate, fluffy white mold Penicillium camemberti (= Penicillium candidum). This cheese is a descendant of the famous Brie and, in fact, there are enough differences between them that the procedures for their preparation are similar, and these cheeses are often confused, especially when they are prepared in the same form factor (the Camembert standard is a low cylinder with a diameter of 11 cm). The taste of Camembert is an amazing combination of mushrooms and cream, the consistency is very delicate and runny in places, the color of the dough is soft cream, and the crust is white and fluffy. Camembert is a cheese that can inspire and spur imagination, which is worthy of songs and poems and which is almost impossible to be indifferent to. Let's learn how to make it at home!

French Camembert is traditionally made from unpasteurized milk, but we will use pasteurized milk as it is safer. Only if you are 125% sure of the quality of the milk you use, can you make Camembert from raw milk. In this case, reduce the amount of starter added by a third.

Ingredients

3.5 l.

whole cow's milk

not UHT

0.5 l.

cream 25% fat

not UHT

1/8 tsp

dry mesophilic starter

aroma-forming, Flora Danica type

1/16 tsp

mold Penicillium candidum

powder

1/64 tsp

mold Geotrichum candidum

powder

1/4 tsp.

liquid rennet (veal)

dissolve in 50ml water temperature 30-35ºС
or rennet in another form, in dosage, according to the directions on the package

4 ml.

calcium chloride, solution 10%

dissolve in 50ml water at room temperature

or follow the dosage indicated by the manufacturer of the drug on the packaging

maximum application dose - 2 g of dry calcium chloride per 10 liters of milk

2 tsp

medium sea salt

not iodized

After cooking you will receive: 2cheese weighing 300 g.

Equipment

5 l.

pot

enameled or stainless steel

8 l.

pot

for water bath

food thermometer

long knife

for slicing curds

skimmer

wooden or plastic

2 pcs. ∅11-12cm

cheese mold

cylindrical, open bottom, perforated

drainage mats

(plastic or bamboo), 2 pcs. for each form

wooden planks

1 piece each for each drainage mat

drain pan with grate

sized to fit all shapes

wax paper for storing cheese

plastic container with lid for ripening cheese

(2 times larger in volume than cheese), according to the number of heads of cheese

Sterilize all equipment and utensils and wipe them with vinegar to prevent wild mold from getting into the cheese. Do not neglect the issues of hygiene and sanitation; for blue cheeses, neglect will result in failure in 90% of cases.

Camembert cheese preparation schedule (from start to finish of preparation)

First day:

• 2 hours 20 minutes to prepare cheese grains
• 15 hours for molding (leave until next morning)

Second day:

• 8-12 hours for salting

The third day:

• 24 hours drying time

Subsequent days:

• 10-15 days for the first stage of ripening
• 20-30 days for the second stage of ripening

Step-by-step recipe for making Camembert cheese

1. In a water bath, heat the milk to 32°C, stirring it so that the temperature is distributed evenly. While heating, pour in dissolved calcium chloride and stir.
2. When the milk has reached 32°C, turn off the heat and add all the cultures (mesophilic and both molds). Sprinkle the crop powders onto the surface of the milk, let stand and absorb moisture for 3 minutes, then mix thoroughly throughout the entire volume of milk.
3. Cover the pan with a lid and wrap it in a towel, leave it alone for 30 minutes.
4. Stir the milk, then slowly pour in the diluted enzyme, constantly stirring the milk in a top-down motion to distribute it as much as possible throughout the milk.
5. Cover the pan with a lid and leave for 90 minutes for the milk to curdle.
   [optional] To accurately determine the required clotting time and obtain a clot of the desired consistency and calculate the clotting time using the formula K = F * M (multiplier = 6, F - flocculation time in minutes). After the calculation, cover the pan with a lid and leave the clot alone for the remaining number of minutes.
6. Swipe. If the clot is not dense enough, leave for another 10-15 minutes.
7. During coagulation, prepare the forms for moving the clot: sterilize the forms themselves, drainage mats and boards, and then place them on the prepared drainage tray in the following order: board, drainage mat on top, form on top.
8. When the curd is ready (about 90 minutes after adding the enzyme), cut it into cubes with a side of 1.5-2 cm.
   [optional] If you want to make the texture of your Camembert open - add some “eyes” to it, as in the title photo, then gently stir the resulting cheese grain for 20-30 minutes.
   Then use a slotted spoon to spread the curd into the molds. (If you don’t cut it, the curd has a chance to not fit completely into the small molds. In this case, just wait a while, the curd will settle in them and you can add the rest).
9. Leave the curd in the molds. The cheese will be pressed under its own weight, actively separating the whey (an additional tray is needed to collect it). Maintain the room temperature at 20-23° C; violation of the temperature can cause problems in further stages of cheese preparation.
10. During molding, to ensure even pressing, it is necessary to turn the cheese in the molds from top to bottom. The first revolution should be done 10-20 minutes after laying out the curd into the molds. To turn the mold over, place a drainage mat on top and a board on it. Then, holding the shape with both boards (bottom and lid), we turn it over. Thus, the bottom of the mold becomes the lid, and vice versa. The cheese will slide down from top to bottom and begin to press in a different direction.
11. The cheese should eventually shrink to about 1/3 of its original size. The process may take 12-15 hours (or even longer). During this time, turn the cheese in the molds about once an hour (except at night, of course) so that it forms evenly. Gradually you will notice that the cheese becomes denser and turns it easier. Also note the increase in acidity of the whey that separates from the cheese: the more time passes after pressing, the more acidic the whey will become.
12. When the whey begins to separate more slowly (this will happen on the second day of making the cheese), you need to salt the cheese. Salt as follows: divide the indicated dose of salt into 2 parts (on 2 sides of the cheese). Then divide each part according to the number of shapes. For example, if you have 2 molds, then we divide 2 tsp. in half, and then 1 tsp. divide by 2, it turns out 1/2 tsp. on the cheese side. Then evenly distribute the salt over the surface of the cheese in the mold and leave for 4-6 hours. Then turn the cheese over and repeat the operation with the 2nd side of the cheese (use the remaining half of the salt). When salting, the whey will begin to separate more abundantly, so it is too early to remove future camemberts from the drainage pan.
13. After the second salting, leave the Camembert to dry for another day until there is not a drop of moisture left on its surface. During this time, turn over several times. An under-dried crust will lead to problems at the stage of mold formation.
14. The cheese is now ready to move into the ripening chamber. A layer of white mold should form on the cheese. The best conditions for its formation are a temperature of 11-13° C and a humidity of 90-95%. Place the cheese on a bamboo mat and turn it twice daily. Watch out for the formation of condensation in the chamber: nothing should drip onto the cheese. To ensure the desired level of humidity, you can use a plastic container with a lid. At the early stages, the added culture of Geotrichum candidum (white fluff will begin to appear on the 3-4th day) will prevent the spread of “wild” mold on the surface of the cheese and prepare it for the growth of Penicillium candidum.
15. Within 10-15 days of being placed in the ripening chamber, you will see a crust of mold forming on the cheese. When turning the cheese, press down the white fluff a little every day (to make the crust more dense). If it has already formed well, it is time to slow down the mold growth somewhat. Wrap the cheese in special waxed paper for Camembert: on the one hand, it will allow the cheese to breathe, and, on the other hand, it will control the moisture level of its delicate crust. Move the cheese to a room with a temperature of 4-7° C and a humidity of 90-95% (you can put the container with the cheese in a regular refrigerator). The cheese will ripen at low temperatures, while its body will become increasingly soft. You can determine the readiness of Camembert by lightly pressing its crust: if the cheese gives in and squishes a little, then it is ready.
16. The entire ripening process usually takes 42 days. If in the second phase of ripening the temperature or humidity is too high, the cheese may “leak”: an environment that is too comfortable for bacterial activity will lead to excessive softening of the cheese dough. Overdoing the amount of starter in step 2 will lead to a similar effect, so the optimal amount of starter added for each milk is selected individually. No matter how attractive the spread cheese may look, it will be considered a defect in the cheese dough. However, small dense areas of cheese dough in the core are completely acceptable.
17. Shelf life after opening the cheese is ~2 weeks. As soon as even a small piece is cut off from Camembert (the integrity of the crust is broken), its ripening stops.

Camembert is a French soft cheese with white mold, characterized by a very delicate, even runny consistency and a sweetish-creamy taste with a hint of mushroom. The cheese rind is edible, white, dense, sometimes with brown streaks.

Despite the fact that it is a relatively young variety of cheese (it was invented in 1791), Camembert is now one of the most famous and best-selling French cheeses.

The head of Camembert has the shape of a low cylinder with a diameter of 11 cm and a height of 3.5 cm. Traditionally, this cheese is supplied in round wooden boxes, which allows you to keep its delicate crust intact and not crush the cheese.

Characteristics of Camembert cheese

Name: Camembert
Country of origin: France
Type: soft, white mold
Milk type: whole unpasteurized cow's milk
Fat content: 45%
Texture: smooth, elastic, open, creamy, flowy, buttery
Color: pale yellow
Peel: natural, white mold
Taste: creamy, milky, buttery, sweet, mushroom, spicy
Ripening time: 3-6 weeks

Camembert, like other white mold cheeses, ripens from the rind to the center. At the same time, a high-quality ripe Camembert should have a fairly uniform consistency, softer and more fluid in the center and dense around the edges. If the core of the cheese is hard and the edges are runny, this indicates that it has not ripened properly. According to modern standards, Camembert's crust should be an even white color, but previously a gray-blue tint of the crust with red-brown veins was allowed. The smell of Camembert is mushroomy and creamy. Overripe Camembert smells distinctly of ammonia and is not recommended for consumption.

The best Camembert in the world is produced in Normandy. It is always stamped Camembert de Normandie Appelation d’Origine Controlee au Lait Cru (made from the best, fresh milk obtained in strictly defined areas). Real Normandy Camembert is sold in wooden boxes with a diameter of 10-15 centimeters.

The production of Camembert is not limited to France alone: ​​this cheese is now made in Germany, Italy, the USA, Brazil, Japan and other countries.

In our stores you can most often find Camembert made from pasteurized milk. It's a little cheaper in price.

What a real Camembert should look like

Week-old Camembert has a white and fluffy crust, and in the middle there is a layer of unsoftened cheese. Over time, the unripe layer inside the cheese disappears. By the fifth week, the splendor disappears and the crust acquires a reddish tint mixed with white. This cheese is very soft to the touch, fatty and melts in the mouth, like cream with a slight moldy smell and a subtle, very special aroma. Well-ripened Camembert can be semi-liquid; this type is even especially appreciated by gourmets.

How to store

During the ripening process, the constituents of the cheese change significantly. Camembert reaches its peak after 4-5 weeks, and is best eaten in the last days of the fifth week.

When purchasing Camembert, pay attention to the “best before” label and consume within the last five days of this period. It is important not to let the cheese overripe, otherwise the pungent aroma of mold will turn into a disgusting stench and the product will be spoiled. And you absolutely should not consume Camembert that has expired. Some people believe that since blue cheese has mold, it means there is no way for it to spoil. - This is not true! In expired cheese (as in any other product), all kinds of bacteria begin to multiply, which interfere with healthy digestion.

Rules for serving Camembert

Camembert is one of the most popular dessert cheeses. Here are some tips to help you truly enjoy its great taste.

Before serving Camembert, it is cleared of mucus and kept for 2-3 hours at room temperature to allow the full aroma of the cheese to develop. Then cut into pieces. Semi-liquid Camembert is served with snack spoons.

The head of Camembert is cut like a pie: into small sections.

To prevent the knife from sticking to the cheese when slicing, moisten it with hot water.

Camembert is usually served with a crust, but some people prefer to remove it and eat only the tender, soft core. Clarify your guests' preferences in advance.

Bread and weak red wine go well with Camembert. It is important to follow the rule: cheese is washed down with wine, and not wine is eaten with cheese. Camembert is good with any bread, but gourmets recommend serving it with crispbread or crackers. According to the French, pears, grapes, nuts or apples can be an excellent addition to the taste of Camembert.

Camembert goes well with dessert wines, such as Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Chardonnay….

In France, they like to dissolve pieces of Camembert or Brie without a crust in coffee with milk, getting a hearty and very tasty drink.

Camembert is perfect for a holiday table, it can become a prominent element of a combined cheese plate, but it can also be used in everyday cuisine, adding it to soups and sauces.

On a cheese plate, serve Camembert with crackers, walnuts or almonds, sweet berries or grapes. Camembert goes well with fresh crispy French baguette and croissants. Camembert with honey or blueberry jam is also a very interesting combination.

"Father and Son": the differences between Brie and Camembert

Despite their apparent similarity, these two cheeses have the following differences:

Dough color: Brie has a creamy white dough, while Camembert has a pale yellow dough. Brie is the ancestor of Camembert, i.e. its history began much earlier;

Crust color: in Brie it is white with brown-red veins and the smell of ammonia, in Camembert it is simply white, velvety to the touch, with a mushroom smell;

Taste: Brie is more piquant with a hint of hazelnut, Camembert is sweeter and more delicate, mushroomy;

Circle size: for Brie it varies from 30 to 60 cm, 3-5 cm high, for Camembert it is fixed 11 cm in diameter, 3 cm in height;

Production period: Brie is made throughout the year, Camembert is not prepared in the hot summer;

Brie has less fat than Camembert;

Real Camembert is always supplied in small boxes made of birch bark or tin, which allow it to be transported over long distances without damaging the delicate velor crust. Brie is not packed in wooden boxes.

Camembert is not only a very tasty cheese, but also healthy. It contains a lot of proteins and mineral salts, as well as lactic bacteria, which help improve immunity.

Now Camembert is considered one of the symbols of France, along with the Eiffel Tower and baguette.

CULINARY RECIPES WITH CAMEMBERT CHEESE

Delicate, creamy, with a pronounced mushroom note and surrounded by legends... The famous blue cheese is No. 1 on the list of preferences of many fans of this French product. In the company of good wine, Camembert feels great on the table and on its own, and if you add it to a salad, soup or dessert, this is where a real flavor explosion occurs! For true fans, we have found some excellent recipes for dishes with Camembert.

Salad with camembert, figs and bacon

Ingredients for 2 servings:
2 large handfuls of salad mix, 30 g chopped walnuts, 3 figs, 6 slices of bacon (preferably smoked), several cherry tomatoes, 1 tbsp. l. honey, 1 head of camembert, 4 slices of bread (make toast out of it first), 1 cup of flour, 2-3 eggs, breadcrumbs.
For dressing: 1 tbsp. l. mustard, 2 tbsp. l. wine vinegar, 5 tbsp. l. olive oil, 1 shallot, salt and pepper.

Cooking process:
First, prepare the dressing: mix mustard, olive oil, vinegar and chopped shallots. Salt and pepper to taste and place in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place thin slices of bacon on a sheet of parchment and bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown.
Heat honey in a frying pan, add figs cut in half. Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the figs cool.
Pour the washed and dried greens into a salad plate, top with cherry tomatoes, bacon chips (crush the slices with culinary scissors) and figs, sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Now the most important thing is the cheese. Divide the camembert head into 8 pieces, dip each in flour, then in beaten egg and breadcrumbs (or bread crumbs) and place in deep fryer preheated to 170 degrees. When the cheese turns golden, place it on a paper napkin for a few seconds to remove excess fat, and then place it on a plate with salad. Add chilled dressing and hurry up with the appetizer to the table.

Camembert, pear and raisin pie

Ingredients for 4 servings:
2 heads of camembert, 150 g flour, 50 g butter, 3 eggs, 200 g liquid cream, 1 lettuce, ¼ frisee lettuce, 20 g raisins, 100 g nuts, 1 pear, 1 bunch of green onions, 1 shallot.

Cooking process:
Prepare a dough rim. Mix 3/4 of a head of Camembert into a smooth mass, add flour and eggs to the cheese. Form the dough, roll it out with a rolling pin to a thickness of 5 mm and wrap it around the round mold (you will get a ring of dough). Bake on a sheet of parchment for 15 minutes at 160 degrees. The oven must be preheated to the specified temperature in advance.

Camembert paste: Mix the rest of the first wheel of cheese with chopped shallots and green onions, season with salt and pepper.

Cheese filling: Melt the second head of Camembert until creamy and then blend in a blender. Make sure that the mass is not too dense. Pour the cheese into the siphon and set it aside for now (the siphon will require 2 cans).

Lettuce cream: Bring the cream to a boil, place the pre-washed and peeled onion in a saucepan. Boil over low heat for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, grind thoroughly in a blender, season with salt and pepper, and let cool.

Caramelized pear: Chop the nuts, cut the pear into small cubes (brunoise) and caramelize in a frying pan, add washed and dried raisins.

Assembling the pie: Place a rim of pastry on a shallow plate and fill the middle with an even layer of camembert paste. The next layer is an airy cheese mass from a siphon. Top with caramelized pear, nuts and raisins and garnish with lettuce leaves. The final touch is adding the creamy lettuce sauce.

Baked camembert with bacon and prunes

If you don’t have time to tinker in the kitchen for a long time, but want something tasty and unusual with the addition of Camembert, this recipe can be a real salvation. It is simple and will not appeal only to people who absolutely cannot stand the smell and taste of prunes.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
1 head of camembert, 4 slices of smoked bacon, 4 pitted prunes.

Cooking process:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees in advance. In a hot frying pan, fry the bacon until golden brown, remove the finished chips to a paper napkin.
Divide the cheese head into 8 equal parts. Insert 1 strip of bacon and half a prune into each cut. Place in the oven for 10 minutes and serve warm.
If you have very little time or there is no oven nearby, simply sprinkle the cheese with chopped prunes and nuts. It will also be very tasty!

Mini canelé with camembert

Ingredients for 4 servings: 1 head of Camembert, 330 ml of milk, 40 g of butter, 3 yolks, 125 g of flour, 1 bunch of green onions, paprika.

Cooking process:
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Heat the milk (but do not bring it to a boil) in a small saucepan, dissolve the butter in it. Remove the milk from the heat, add the egg yolks (be careful, the yolks may curdle - let the liquid cool slightly or add them in very small portions, stirring continuously), flour. Also add 3/4 of the cheese, cut into small pieces, as well as chopped green onions. Leave a couple of onion feathers to decorate the dish. Pour the batter into the canelé molds, leaving about 1cm to the edge. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool. Place a piece of cheese on top, sprinkle with chopped onion and paprika.

Rolls with Camembert

Ingredients for 4 servings: 1 head of Camembert, 2 zucchini, 1 pepper, 1 tbsp. l. olive oil, 1 tbsp. l. sesame seeds.

Cooking process:
Cut the zucchini into thin slices. The easiest way to do this is with a paring knife. Drizzle with olive oil. Cut the pepper into strips equal in height to Camembert. Fry the zucchini strips until golden brown. Remove them to a paper towel. Cut the cheese head into 12 squares. Place a piece of pepper in the center of each. Wrap the outside of each cheese cube with a slice of zucchini. Place the rolls on a plate and garnish with sesame seeds.

Fruit salad with camembert

Ingredients:
1 circle of camembert, 0.5 pineapple, 1 kiwi, 1 orange, 1 pear, lettuce, corn, chicory.
For dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, liquid honey.

Preparation:
Do not remove Camembert from the refrigerator until you need it, otherwise it will be impossible to cut it evenly. Wash the lettuce leaves, dry them, tear them with your hands and place on a plate. Place the diced fruit mixture on top. Finely zest the lemon, squeeze out the juice, mix with olive oil and honey. Cut the camembert into thin slices, place on top of the fruit and, just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad.

Camembert with apples in dough

Ingredients for 4 servings:
1 circle of camembert - 125 or 250 g, 2 sheets of puff pastry without yeast, 1-2 apples, 1 raw yolk

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Cut out 4 circles from the dough. Cut the cheese into 8 slices, peel and seed the apples and cut into thin slices. Place 2 pieces of cheese and several apple slices on half of each circle. Brush the edges of the dough with yolk, carefully glue the edges together to form semicircular pies (chebureks). Bake on a lined baking sheet for about 20 minutes.

Camembert cheese with canned peaches in dough

Wrap the cheese in pieces in puff pastry, brush with egg and bake until the dough is ready. Then put butter in a frying pan and heat canned, finely chopped peaches or apricots - whatever you have. At the end of the “frying” - red hot ground pepper (to taste, of course). And pour this sauce over the baked goods. You can use bananas instead of peaches.

Deep-fried Camembert cheese (fried)

Fried Camembert cheese seasoned with a variety of jams will be excellent options for a romantic dinner or a regular snack. An exquisite European appetizer will delight your guests.

Ingredients:
Camembert - 125 g., Breadcrumbs - 5 tbsp., Vegetable oil (sunflower) - 4 tbsp., Wheat flour - 2 tbsp., Chicken egg - 1 pc.

Cooking method:
In order to prepare fried Camembert, you need to cut a head of Camembert cheese into 6-8 pieces (do not remove the cheese from the refrigerator before cooking to make it easier to cut). In a separate bowl, using a fork or mixer, beat the egg until foamy. Dip Camembert on all sides first in the egg, and then in flour and breadcrumbs. Repeat the process exactly again. This way a double crust is formed on the cheese. In a heated frying pan with vegetable sunflower oil, fry the cheese on all sides until golden brown. Serve the prepared appetizer immediately to the table with currant or cranberry jam.

Delicate, creamy, with a pronounced mushroom note and surrounded by legends... The famous Normandy blue cheese is No. 1 on the list of preferences of many fans of this French product. In the company of good wine, Camembert feels great on the table and on its own, and if you add it to a salad, soup or dessert, this is where a real flavor explosion occurs! For true fans, we have found 5 excellent recipes for dishes with Camembert: from salads to pies and rolls!

Warm salad with camembert, figs and bacon

Cooking time: 20-30 minutes + 10 minutes for preparation

Products for 2 servings: 2 large handfuls of salad mix, 30 g chopped walnuts, 3 figs, 6 slices of bacon (preferably smoked), several cherry tomatoes, 1 tbsp. l. honey, 1 head of camembert, 4 slices of bread (make toast out of it first), 1 cup of flour, 2-3 eggs, breadcrumbs. For refueling you will need: 1 tbsp. l. mustard, 2 tbsp. l. wine vinegar, 5 tbsp. l. olive oil, 1 shallot, salt and pepper.

Photo: nowimacook.com

Cooking process:

First, prepare the dressing: mix mustard, olive oil, vinegar and chopped shallots. Salt and pepper to taste and place in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place thin slices of bacon on a sheet of parchment and bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown.

Heat honey in a frying pan, add figs cut in half. Fry on each side for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the figs cool.

Place washed and dried greens into a salad plate, top with cherry tomatoes, bacon chips and figs, and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Now the most important thing is the cheese. Divide the camembert head into 8 pieces, dip each in flour, then in beaten egg and breadcrumbs (or bread crumbs) and place in deep fryer preheated to 170 degrees. When the cheese turns golden, place it on a paper napkin for a few seconds to remove excess fat, and then place it on a plate with salad. Add chilled dressing and hurry up with the appetizer to the table.

Unusual pie with camembert, pear and raisins

Cooking time: 1 hour + 1 hour to prepare

Products for 4 servings: 2 heads of camembert, 150 g flour, 50 g butter, 3 eggs, 200 g liquid cream, 1 lettuce, ¼ frisee lettuce, 20 g raisins, 100 g nuts, 1 pear, 1 bunch of green onions, 1 shallot.

Photo: cuisineaz.com

Cooking process:

Prepare a dough rim. Mix 3/4 of a head of Camembert into a smooth mass, add flour and eggs to the cheese. Form the dough, roll it out with a rolling pin to a thickness of 5 mm and wrap it around the round mold (you will get a ring of dough). Bake on a sheet of parchment for 15 minutes at 160 degrees. The oven must be preheated to the specified temperature in advance.

Camembert paste. Mix the rest of the first wheel of cheese with chopped shallots and green onions, season with salt and pepper.

Cheese filling. Melt the second head of Camembert until creamy and then blend in a blender. Make sure that the mass is not too dense. Pour the cheese into the siphon and set it aside for now (the siphon will require 2 cans).

Lettuce cream. Bring the cream to a boil, place the onion, previously washed and cleared of dried leaves, into the pan. Boil over low heat for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, grind thoroughly in a blender, season with salt and pepper, and let cool.

Caramelized pear. Chop the nuts, cut the pear into small cubes (brunoise) and caramelize in a frying pan, add washed and dried raisins.

Assembling the pie. Place the rim of dough on a shallow plate and fill the middle with an even layer of Camembert paste. The next layer is an airy cheese mass from a siphon. Top with caramelized pear, nuts and raisins and garnish with lettuce leaves. The final touch is adding the creamy lettuce sauce.

With a hint of smoke: baked Camembert with bacon and prunes

Cooking time: 20 minutes + 15 minutes for preparation

Products for 4 servings: 1 head of camembert, 4 slices of smoked bacon, 4 pitted prunes.

Photo: cuisineaz.com
Photo: clementinecuisine.net

Cooking process:

If you don’t have time to tinker in the kitchen for a long time, but want something tasty and unusual with the addition of Camembert, this recipe can be a real salvation. It is simple and will not appeal only to people who absolutely cannot stand the smell and taste of prunes. So let's get started.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees in advance. In a hot frying pan, fry the bacon until golden brown, remove the finished chips to a paper napkin. Divide the cheese head into 8 equal parts. Insert 1 strip of bacon and half a prune into each cut. Place in the oven for 10 minutes and serve warm.

If you have very little time or there is no oven nearby, simply sprinkle the cheese with chopped prunes and nuts. It will also be very tasty!

Mini canelé with camembert

Cooking time: 20 minutes + 15 minutes to prepare

Products for 4 servings: 1 head of Camembert, 330 ml milk, 40 g butter, 3 yolks, 125 g flour, 1 bunch of green onions, paprika.

Photo: cuisineaz.com

Cooking process:

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Heat the milk (but do not bring it to a boil) in a small saucepan, dissolve the butter in it. Remove the milk from the heat, add the egg yolks (be careful, the yolks may curdle - let the liquid cool slightly or add them in very small portions, stirring continuously), flour. Also add 3/4 of the cheese, cut into small pieces, as well as chopped green onions. Leave a couple of onion feathers to decorate the dish. Pour the batter into the canelé molds, leaving about 1cm to the edge. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool. Place a piece of cheese on top, sprinkle with chopped onion and paprika.

For sushi lovers: maki with camembert

Cooking time: 10 minutes + 15 minutes to prepare

Products for 4 servings: 1 head of Camembert, 2 zucchini, 1 pepper, 1 tbsp. l. olive oil, 1 tbsp. l. sesame seeds.

Photo: cuisineaz.com

Cooking process:

Cut the zucchini into thin slices. The easiest way to do this is with a paring knife. Drizzle with olive oil. Cut the pepper into strips equal in height to Camembert. Fry the zucchini strips until they are soft and golden brown with oil. Remove them to a paper towel. Cut the cheese head into 12 squares. Place a piece of pepper in the center of each. Wrap the outside of each cheese cube with a slice of zucchini. Place the maki on a plate and garnish with sesame seeds.

See recipes for the most delicious and popular French desserts.

One of the varieties of soft, fatty cheese, for the preparation of which whole cow's milk is used, is called Camembert. The birthplace of cheese is the historical region in northwestern France - Normandy.

Camembert varies from white to light creamy in color, has a delicate, slightly mushroom flavor, and is covered on the outside with a special cheese mold (penicillium camemberti or penicillium candidum), forming a fluffy white crust.

In France, there is a legend that Camembert was first prepared in 1791 by the peasant woman Marie Harel, a native of the village of the same name. The Camembert recipe was revealed to her during the French Revolution by a monk hiding from persecution.

In 1928, a large monument was erected in honor of the cheese in the square of Vimoutiers in France. This event is due to the fact that one of the doctors had previously treated seriously ill patients with Norman cheese. Since the results of the therapy exceeded all expectations, grateful patients erected a small monument near the village of Camembert, and after 20 years the monument was erected in Vimoutiers.

Making camembert cheese

When making cheese, unpasteurized cow's milk is poured into tubs with lids, the best Camembert is obtained from two proportions - half of the curd is poured into molds in the evening, and the rest is added the next morning.

According to the recipe of the best producers of Camembert cheese, 0.5 ml of rennet is added to 4.5 liters of milk at a temperature of 27°C. The curdling process begins after 2 hours, the milk is stirred from time to time so that the cream does not separate. Since the manufacturer does not always have the mold necessary for this type of cheese, it can be obtained from a piece of quality Camembert and added to the milk before the rennet coagulation process begins.

The resulting mixture is poured into vats and left overnight; in the morning the cheese becomes approximately 1/3 smaller than its original size. The next morning the whole process is repeated, but before pouring a new clot, the surface of the old one in the vats is carefully destroyed. After 24 hours of this step, the Camembert should be firm enough to turn over.

After the cheese has hardened and begins to pull away from the side walls of the mold, it can be salted and placed on shelves, where it is important to turn it from one side to the other every day. Only after waiting for pronounced white mold to appear, it is transferred to drying rooms with humid air and a temperature of 13°C.

If the temperature and humidity are set correctly, the mold begins to grow rapidly and becomes blue in color; in general, Camembert takes on a bluish-gray tint. Then it is moved to a room with high humidity, in which the air temperature is 10°C. Under such conditions, mold growth begins to slow down, the cheese turns reddish-brown in color, its consistency becomes viscous and it is considered ripe.

When cutting into ripe Camembert, you should feel a firm texture; if there is a semi-liquid mass in the middle of the piece, the cheese is poorly cooked. Since the shelf life of cheese is limited, immediately after this stage it is transported in wooden boxes or packed in straw and tried to be sold as quickly as possible.

Camembert cheese: composition, benefits, contraindications

Gourmets around the world prefer to consume Camembert cheese in combination with neutral wines: rose, white Sancerre or cider from Pays d'Auge. In French cuisine, cheese is used in the preparation of soups, sauces and desserts. 100 g of Camembert cheese contains:

• 51.8 g of water and 3.68 g of ash;
• 24.26 g fat, 19.8 g protein and 0.46 g carbohydrates;
• 240 mcg vitamin A, 0.488 mg vitamin B2, 0.63 mg vitamin B3, 1.364 mg vitamin B5, 62 mcg vitamin B9 and 1.3 mcg vitamin B12;
• 0.4 mcg calciferol, 0.21 mcg tocopherol, 2 mcg phylloquinone and 15.4 mg choline;
• 187 mg potassium, 388 mg calcium, 20 mg magnesium, 824 mg sodium and 247 mg phosphorus;
• 0.33 mg iron, 38 mcg manganese, 21 mcg copper, 2.38 mg zinc and 14.5 mcg selenium.

The calorie content of 100 g of Camembert cheese is 300 kcal. Properly prepared, taking into account all the nuances of the recipe, Camembert is very healthy. It is completely digestible, contains a lot of vitamins, macro- and microelements, bacteria and essential amino acids. The mold it contains has healing properties, since the substances it contains promote the production of melanin, which protects the skin from sunburn.

Doctors recommend eating Camembert for exhaustion, tuberculosis, AIDS, cancer, as well as for those who engage in physical or mental labor. Camembert prepared according to the correct technology and recipe contains a record amount of phosphorus and calcium, therefore it is useful for fractures, arthrosis and arthritis.

Daily consumption of 50 g of Camembert has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous system, prevents caries, and also improves the condition of tooth enamel. Since the cheese contains virtually no lactose, it can be eaten even by those who cannot tolerate regular milk and dairy products.

Camembert is contraindicated in pregnant women, during lactation and in children under 7 years of age, as unpasteurized milk used for its preparation can cause listeriosis. Those with higher than average blood cholesterol levels, as well as those with hypertension and those with an individual intolerance to Camembert components should also refrain from eating cheese.

Recipes with Camembert cheese

As mentioned above, cheese is included in many gourmet French dishes. The simplest recipes with Camembert cheese, which can be easily reproduced at home, are:

• Roasted camembert with rosemary and blueberry jam. Place 100 g of fresh blueberries in a saucepan, add 3 finely chopped rosemary needles, 2 tbsp. l. honey and black pepper. The resulting mixture is boiled for 15 minutes over low heat and then cooled. After the sauce is ready, you need to fry a whole head of Camembert for 1 minute on each side in a frying pan lined with parchment paper. The finished cheese is laid out on a dish, sprinkled with thyme leaves, pink and allspice to taste, cane sugar and sauce;
• Camembert diablotins. Butter (100 g), 6 tbsp. l. wheat flour, 250 ml of milk, salt and pepper to taste must be melted over low heat. The resulting mixture is thoroughly stirred, after which the heat is reduced, 200 g of sour cream are added and boiled for 10 minutes. 100 g of diced camembert are poured into the sauce, the resulting cheese cream is cooled in the refrigerator. The frozen mass is cut into squares, dipped in a batter of 1 egg, cayenne pepper and breadcrumbs, deep-fried and fried. Place the finished diablotins on a napkin to drain off excess fat.

Camembert is not only tasty, but also a very healthy product. By consuming just 50 g of cheese daily, you can prevent the development of many diseases, and by adding it to everyday dishes, anyone can get delicious delicacies.