This showstopper makes the perfect appetizer for holiday gatherings.
Persimmon, pomegranate and rosemary celebrate the season and impart festive flavor and color to an oozing, molten wheel of Camembert cheese baked with pecans and honey. Slather it onto toasted crostini or crackers for an easy, fuss-free party snack.
Camembert is Brie’s bolder, earthier sibling and pairs beautifully with the fruity flavor of pomegranate and persimmon, although Brie certainly can be substituted. Used up all your pecans in your pies? No problem, just substitute walnuts or almonds instead.
You’ll see two varieties of persimmons in local markets. The flatter, tomato-shaped Fuyu persimmon is the one to use for this recipe. It’s less astringent than its bulbous cousin, the Hachiya, and can be sliced and enjoyed raw or briefly baked, as it is here. (Save the Hachiya for steamed puddings and other sweet baked goods.)
Baked Camembert with Persimmon and Rosemary
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
8-ounce round Camembert cheese, such as Le Chatelain
3 Fuyu persimmons, sliced into 1/8-inch thick slices
¼ cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
Sea salt
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the Camembert in the center of a cast iron skillet and score the rind in a cross-hatch pattern. Fan out the persimmon across the base of the skillet surrounding the Camembert. Top the Camembert with the pecans. Drizzle the honey over the Camembert and persimmons and sprinkle with the rosemary and some sea salt.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the persimmon is softened, and the Camembert is molten inside. Serve with toasted crostini or crackers.
Registered dietitian and food writer Laura McLively is the author of “The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook.” Follow her at @myberkeleybowl and www.lauramclively.com.
