I didn’t really like pancakes much until I was in my 40’s – weird, I know – but I always loved the way pancake syrup would somehow migrate across my plate and get onto my bacon or sausage. That salty & sweet combo is one of my favourites and I have been known to eat bacon with maple syrup even when there are no pancakes in sight. Maple Bacon Baked Camembert is sort of a tribute to that flavour combo I love so much and it is so good!
The deep, rich colour of the sticky, thick, bacon-flecked maple glaze for this recipe is so gorgeous and inviting. It might see like this is a strange combination with cheese and lemon juice, super sweet maple syrup and salty bacon, but it totally works.
I love this for enjoying on the couch or in the garden with a glass of wine as a casual lunch or dinner option when I can’t be bothered to cook. It’s also pretty great to put out for grazing anywhere you have people drinking as the bread offers something to soak up the alcohol and I recently heard a rumour that cheese helps to prevent hangovers. I don’t know if that’s true, but I believe in it if for no other reason than it gives me an excuse to eat cheese when I’m having a glass of something lovely!
I typically serve this with either some toasted sourdough bread cut into fingers or toasted baguette slices, but you can choose any bread you like or get creative if you want and find some other dippers that will work. However you serve this, it’s completely delicious. Let’s get started!
Ingredients
- 1 Camembert wheel (250g)
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Pinch of dried chilli flakes
- Pinch of sea salt flakes
- Leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 4 slices streaky bacon, chopped roughly into small pieces
- Leaves from 1 sprig of Rosemary, finely chopped
- Juice 1 lemon
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- Bread for dipping
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160° Fan / 350°F and start by preparing the cheese. Remove the cheese from the box and wrapping. Discard any wrappers or paper and place the wheel of cheese back into the box with the top of the box slipped over the bottom for extra reinforcement. Use a small spoon to gently scrape the rind off the top of the cheese only. Don’t worry if there are little flecks of white here and there as long as you’ve exposed most of the creamy cheese underneath.
- Place the box of cheese into an oven safe dish, preferably a small round one if you have it, but if not any kind of oven proof dish or tray will work. Generously drizzle some olive oil over the top of the cheese and sprinkle with the thyme leaves, chilli flakes & sea salt. Pop this into the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until liquid, oozy and melted. Stir once during the cooking time with a fork to help it all melt together.
- Meanwhile you can make the topping. Start with the chopped bacon by adding it to a skillet with a few centimetres of water on high heat. As the water evaporates it will help the fat to render and make the bacon crispy. Stir occasionally and once the water has evaporated, reduce the heat a bit and continue cooking until it’s bronze and crispy.
- Add the rosemary and stir to incorporate. Now add the lemon juice and as it sizzles, deglaze the pan by scraping up any bacony bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Finally, add the maple syrup and stir to combine. Let this bubble away nicely, stirring occasionally until it becomes a thickened, bacony jam consistency. If your topping is ready too early for the cheese, you can simply take it off the heat and wait until you’re almost ready to serve and then zap it will heat just before serving.
- When everything is done, take the cheese out of the oven and pour the maple bacon mixture over top of the cheese. Don’t worry if it bubbles and oozes over the side. This is part of what makes it look so delicous and inviting. Serve hot with bread for dipping.
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