Party food: Camembert Bites

Camembert is a must on my Christmas table.  It doesn’t matter how we have it,but it’s a traditional nod to the family gatherings of the past, where we’d indulge in deep fried Camembert with preserves of some sort.  While this is still one of my favourite ways to have it, it requires a lot of intense effort on the day, just before serving, and I don’t want to be slogging on Christmas Day.  Enter Camembert Bites.. these can be prepared in advance and just heated and served on the day. 🙂

Ingredients:

• Phyllo pastry (thawed)
• Olive oil (in a small bowl)
• Camembert Cheese
• Topping of your choice (see below)
• (Note, if you’re freezing these, add toppings when you serve, rather than before freezing).

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Unroll the phyllo pastry and keep it under a very slightly damp cloth (or your silicon baking sheet).
3. The phyllo has a fold in the middle of the sheets – kind of like a book middle.  I usually work with one side of the phyllo and ‘page’ through the phyllo sheets, oiling between each one while I keep the other half of the pastry pile covered.  This helps prevent drying out.
4. Oil 3-4 layers of the phyllo, and then cut it off.  Scissors are great – like cutting out the pages of a book (the horror).
5. Cut the phyllo pastry into squares that are big enough to push into your mini muffin tin etc.
6. Push the phyllo squares down in the mini muffin tin, neatly. You want the sides to be even (no spillage).
7. Cut some thick wedges of Camembert and pop into the phyllo cups.
8. Put the pastries into the oven and cook until they are brown – about 12 minutes (it depends on your oven).  Check every 5 minutes or so and remove once they’re slightly browning on the edges.
9. If you are freezing these, let them cool and freeze in a single layer on a silicone sheet, then put into a container and store in the freezer until needed.
10. To serve, heat slightly and top with one of the suggested toppings below, or whatever you’d like. 🙂

Camembert Bites:

• Caramelised / sugared nuts
• Ginger Preserve
• Favourite jam (you can even add spice to the jam for something different)
• Mix up the toppings to add interest to a platter.

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