Recipe: Camembert with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

by John Ryan

Camembert with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Makes 1 wheel; an appetizer for 8 to 10 people

Red white, and green—this looks good enough to photograph. This is a snappy appetizer to take to a cook out, a picnic, or to put out before a dinner party.

You need...
20 minutes, tops
Re-hydrated sun-dried tomatoes
Mixing bowl

Ingredients:
1-pound wheel Camembert
3 tablespoons minced sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter, very soft
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Handful of chopped fresh parsley

1. Chill the cheese, then cut it in half like you'd slice a bagel.

2. Mince the tomatoes and garlic together till they are almost like mush.

3. Mix the butter, tomatoes, and garlic together, then stir in the chopped nuts.

4. Spread the mixture on the bottom layer of Camembert—it'll be about 1/2 inch thick. Press the top layer down and neaten up the edges. (Smear a little of the mixture on the sides so the parsley will stick.)

5. Roll the sides in chopped parsley, wrap and refrigerate. To serve, let the cheese come to room temperature and serve with bread or crackers.

Sun-Dried Tomato Notes

You may have a choice of Italian or domestic. I don't particularly care where they come from, I go for texture. Some dried tomatoes are as so dry and tough they remind me of the rawhide chew toys I get for my dog; others are as plump as dried apricots. I prefer the plump kind, but both work. And both of them are cheaper if you find a store that sells them in bulk.

Incidentally, most of them aren't really dried by the sun, but that's no big deal.

After 30 minutes in water, most dried tomatoes will be soft enough to mince. Reserve the water for salad dressing, soups, risotto, whatever.