Baked Camembert with Thyme, Garlic & Red Wine

If you are having a winter dinner party and would like to wow your guests with something remarkably simple but utterly delicious, you really need to try this little gem of an idea I stole from lunching with Will Studd in Margaret River many years ago. Scoop this gooey, garlicky, winey goodness with chunks of torn fresh baguette – if you die tomorrow, all will be well.

FEEDS 2–6

INGREDIENTS

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 small wheel (about 200 g/7 oz) of the best camembert cheese you can afford, at room temperature

2 tablespoons good-quality red wine

2–3 sprigs of thyme

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) fan-forced.

Blanch the garlic in boiling water for about 1 minute. Cool, then quarter each clove lengthways.

If you get a French camembert and it comes in one of those lovely wooden boxes, remove the plastic and leave the cheese in there. If not, fold a rectangular piece of foil about 30 x 15 cm (12 x 6 inches) in half, to make a squarish shape, pop the wheel of cheese on it and scrunch the foil up around the sides to create a little vessel, leaving the top exposed.

Make eight small slits evenly across the surface of the cheese with the tip of a paring knife, and insert the slices of garlic in them. Drizzle the wine over the slits a bit at a time, making sure that the wine is being absorbed. You can pick the thyme or leave as whole sprigs – sprinkle these on top.

Pop the cheese, in its box or foil, on a baking tray, and bake for 10 minutes. You want the middle to be gooey, but the sides to be somewhat intact. Serve immediately, with a baguette or crackers.