BAKED CAMEMBERT with a TWIST

 I've been playing with the camera again and made another quick and easy recipe for you to have a go at. It's really simple and straight forward. Everything was bought easily from a supermarket and the only cooking involved was popping it in the oven for 15 minutes.

You will need:

2 sheets of Ready Rolled Puff Pastry

2 Tbsp Pesto

4 Slices Parma Ham

1 x 250g Camembert

1 Garlic Clove, sliced

1 Rosemary Sprig

2 tsp Olive Oil

1 Egg

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Lay out your first pastry sheet and give it a little extra roll to make it slightly wider. Use a dinner plate to cut around and make a circle. I cut it a little bigger than my plate to get as much pastry as possible. Do this with the second sheet and leave to one side.

Mark the centre of your pastry using the cheese box then spread the pesto to cover the outer ring. Top the pesto with the Parma Ham then layer the second sheet of pastry on top.

Use a sharp knife the sun rays in to your pastry. I find it easier to cut it into four sections then divide each section. Once you have made all your cuts, twist each ray three time and lay it back down. 

Now place the cheese in the centre, cut slashes into the top and poke your rosemary and garlic into the slashes and drizzle with olive oil. To finish, brush the pastry with egg wash and season the whole thing with black pepper.

Bake for 15 minutes at 180C

Mind you don't burn your tongue on that hot cheese xXx

Baked Camembert with a Twist

STROMBOLI SALAD

So there we were, eating our supper watching The Hairy Bikers when low and behold, they started to cook our meal.  It was like 5D TV, we could see it, touch it, smell it, eat it and taste it!  Great minds think alike is all I can say.  Si and Dave were in Italy making Stromboli, I was on the Wirral eating it.

Stromboli is basically an olive oil bread dough topped with pesto, parma ham, mozzarella and basil then rolled up like a swiss roll and baked. This was the kind of supper my husband and I would have pre-children, in one big bowl with two forks.  The bread is served warm from the oven, cut into chunks and added to salad.  The only dressing you need is some olive oil and balsamic which soaks into the bread making it even more lush.

In a bowl weigh:
500g Bread Flour
12g Dried Yeast
10g Salt
50g Olive oil
320g Water

Mix till it's all combined.  It shouldn't be dry so add a little more water if necessary. Remember, the softer your dough, the softer your bread.  Now tip it onto the surface and knead till it's smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.

Leave to rise in a bowl covered in cling film (or a shower cap) for an hour to double in size.

Next divide the dough into 2 and roll each into rectangles.  Cover with:
Pesto or Sun Dried Tomato Paste
Parma Ham
Grated Buffalo Mozzarella
Fresh Basil,Rocket or Spinach

Roll the dough along the longer edge like a swiss roll and put onto a lined baking sheet.  Make some slashes along the top and leave to rest for another hour. Lastly Bake at 200C for 20-25 minutes.

Eat your heart out Ingrid Bergman x