The Brie-baker inaugurated

Some of you will have seen my blogpost about our recent trip to Canada, (see "Granville Market" from 24/09/10) during which we acquired a number of rather unconventional souvenirs, one of which was a ceramic Brie-baker. Such things appear to be fairly popular in Canada and the USA, but I have to say that I had not personally been aware of them before. They seem to come in two basic types -- with a lid and without a lid. Ours is of the latter type. Here's a picture:



Since we are very partial to baked cheese, and since we like nice articles of pottery anyway, we bought this fine specimen in Vancouver. It is locally made by a man called D'arcy Margesson, working in Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island. Here's a link....

http://www.sidestreetstudio.com/catalog/small-brie-baker-p-41863.html

Whilst it may not be used for its intended primary purpose very frequently, I reckon this will be a useful multi-purpose dish anyway.

Here's a recipe for using the Brie-baker...

Method.
Use a suitable cheese. Brie; Camembert; Tunworth etc. (Tunworth is a local cheese for us. Made in Hampshire). Needs to be of a suitable size!
Remove the cheese from any packaging and place it in the baker.
Top it with a spoonful of honey and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme.
Cover it with the baker's lid or if it doesn't have one, some kitchen foil.

The cheese with the honey and thyme added

Put the baker into a cold oven and then set the temperature to 350^o F / 175^o C. This is important. If you put the ceramic baker into a preheated oven it may crack.
Once the oven reaches full temperature, you will need to leave it for approx 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese goes nice and soft. You should look at it every 5 minutes or so just to be sure it is not getting TOO hot. You don't want it to go dry or brown.
When the cheese looks / feels fairly gooey, remove the baker from the oven.
With a sharp knife, cut a big cross in the top of the cheese rind, allowing access to the soft part in the middle.
Add a bit more honey, some nuts, some cranberry sauce or whatever you feel is appropriate. We had our with some Membrillo (Quince jelly) that was left over from when we had had some Spanish-style Tapas.
Dip up the cheese with some nice (preferably home-made) bread.

Some home-made bread for with the cheese

The gooey cheese being spread on the bread

Our verdict: Superb! And so easy to do.