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by drizzleanddip

baked camembert dip with crispy bacon and peppers

July 12, 2012 in recipes, very easy - 5 ingredients or less

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baked Camembert with crispy bacon and pickled peppers

This recipe is inspired by my recent discovery that Brie and Camembert bake really well. What I actually mean is that they very quickly turn into the most delectable, oozy molten deliciousness soon after you put them in the oven.

Melted cheese is irresistible.

Brie wrapped in Parma ham with thyme was a total winner when Fritz and I cooked  it on an oak plank on the braai recently, so expanding on this idea, I thought I’d make a sort of hot-cheesy dip version.

I’m going to talk about the ingredients here because this recipe consists of only 4. So what you put in is what you get out. Use the best you can.

1. Camembert

I used the wonderful Fairview Royden Camembert which I found in the bottom of my goody bag from the Food Blog Indaba a few weeks ago. I used all 250g of this handcrafted cheese made from a blend of Jersey and goats milk.

2. Bacon

Bacon makes everything better, its as simple as that, but at the risk of sounding a little snobby, I only like to use a dry-cured bacon these days. Preferreably made in an artisinal way. I bought the 12 Pigs pancetta style bacon from Anura from Giovanni’s. It was the first time I’ve cooked with it, and I loved it. I cant wait to get my hands on the other delectable looking pork products in their range. Anura also make some fine cheeses.

dry cured bacon from 12 Pigs

3. Marinaded or pickled peppers

Here I used another little treasure from the blog Indaba goody bag, a jar of Pick n Pay’s Mixed Pepper Antipasto from their Finest range. Pickled and preserved with garlic, herbs and spices it was the perfect   and most convenient accompaniment to this dish. You would also find similar versions in your local deli counter. Char grilled peppers with the skins removed would work well too.

marinated and pickled mixed peppers

4. Fresh Thyme

A few springs of fresh thyme make this simple dish do a little jump.

To see the cooking instructions – please visit Drizzle and Dip

My next version will be onion marmalade and coriander, a combination that worked so well together with Brie in this ensemble.

To watch a short recipe-video on how to simply bake a wheel of Camembert in a vine leaf, pop over to the Woolworths Pantry site to see how easily it is done.

baked Camembert with crispy bacon and peppers

baked Camembert with crispy bacon and peppers

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by drizzleanddip

mac & cheese with crispy bacon and roasted tomatoes

July 9, 2012 in recipes

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macaroni and cheese with roasted tomatoes and crispy bacon

This is another dish that I would never use a recipe to make, because quite frankly its all very simple. I do however have a few preferences when it comes to the classic comfort staple of macaroni and cheese.

And this is what they are:

  1. I hate a dry mac ‘n cheese. Like the ones where if you slice a square out if it and it stays in a square.
  2. I hate a very white version.
  3. I like bits added.
  4. I quite like using other short pasta other than macaroni like penne or rigatoni
  5. I always like to add tomatoes, and roasting the tomatoes before brings out their sweetness and adds incredible depth of flavour. Tomatoes also help make your mac ‘n cheese very saucy. I like saucy.
  6. Crispy bacon is a total winner and its how my mom used to make it.
  7. I love a crispy top. So whether you add crumbs and cheese, or tomatoes and cheese, or bacon bits and cheese, it needs to have a golden brown crispy top.
  8. I like crispy bits of pasta popping out the side creating crunchy texture. I am am crunch junky.
  9. I like to use more than one type of cheese, but think 4 cheeses are way OTT. It crowds the flavour, makes it too oily and confuses the palate.
  10. I always add mustard to my bechamel or cheese sauce. It totally amplifies the flavour.
  11. A sprinkling of herbs, especially thyme gives it a little wake up call.
  12. If I’m feeling spicy, a hint of chilli is fabulous but I never want garlic any-where-near my mac ‘n cheese.
  13. Make sure you do not over boil your pasta, it needs to be very firm to the tooth, otherwise it will go stodgy.

Ok,  so maybe I am just a little bit fussy, but when it comes to mac ‘n cheese, in a similar way to how I chooses a man, I know what I like.

I bought a bag of farm rosa tomatoes when I popped past The Larder last week and roasted these beauties for 20 minutes on 180C.

roasted tomatoes

Roast a lot of tomatoes. I suggest roasting more than you will need because if you are going to the trouble, they are wonderful to have around to add to salads, soups, or sauces.

I made a lot, but I also made another extremely exciting mac ‘n cheese variation which you will see in my next post.

This recipe will make enough to feed 4:

Recipe on Drizzle and Dip

When the tomatoes and pasta are cooked, mix everything together, empty into an appropriately sized oven dish, grate over the Parmesan cheese and bake until golden brown. This will take between 30 – 40 minutes.

14. I prefer to eat my mac ‘n cheese just like it is, with nothing else other than perhaps a glass of wine.

How do you like yours?

macaroni and cheese with roasted tomatoes and crispy bacon

macaroni and cheese with roasted tomatoes and crispy bacon

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