Easy Baked Camembert with Pomegranate Molasses, Walnuts + Buckwheat Crackers
This is such a nice little easy recipe to make for a holiday party appetizer or just for snacking. The baked camembert takes like 10 minutes to put together including bake time and who doesn’t like melty, gooey cheese? You could most definitely swap in brie instead, of course. I went with camembert this time because it has a little more funk which is nice with the sweet and tangy topping. Typically you’d see brown sugar or honey or occasionally maple syrup drizzled over a baked cheese like this but I fell in love with pomegranate molasses after developing this recipe so I thought it would be fun to change it up! I drizzled a little honey alongside the pom molasses as it tends to be a bit tart on its own.
And people will be so impressed you took the time to make homemade crackers and only you will know how easy it is! Because it really is! All you do is make a quick dough and roll it out very thinly, cut it into whatever shape you’d like, and bake ‘em up. I went with buckwheat crackers which I learned to make at The Pantry when I assisted a class there over the Summer. I like the subtle soft nutty flavor the buckwheat adds but you could easily sub in a whole wheat flour or even just use all purpose for the whole dough. I kept them simple by sprinkling some flaky salt on top but you could get fancy and sprinkle on seeds like sesame, caraway, or poppy or even chopped herbs like rosemary or thyme. Make them your own!
Easy Baked Camembert with Pomegranate molasses, Walnuts + Buckwheat Crackers
serves 8
1 8 oz wheel of camembert (brie works too!)
1 T pomegranate molasses, plus more for finishing
1 T honey
1/4 c walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1/4 c pomegranate arils
few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems
crackers
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c buckwheat flour
1/2 t Himalayan pink salt
5 T unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c water
flaky salt, such as Jacobsen’s, for sprinkling on top
bake the crackers
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl whisk together the flours and pink salt. Add in the butter and water and stir to combine until a shaggy dough forms. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough just a few times to bring the dough together in a smooth ball. Roll the dough out to about an 1/8th inch thickness. Use a pizza cutter to cut into strips or whatever shape you’d like. You could even use a biscuit cutter to make round crackers or go crazy with different cookie cutter shapes. Lay the crackers on parchment-lined a baking tray about 1/2 an inch apart and sprinkle each with a few flakes of salt. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until crisp and little air pockets form. Allow to cool and get crisp before serving. Leave oven on for camembert.
bake the brie
Place the camembert on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with the pomegranate molasses and honey and top the pomegranate arils, walnuts, and thyme. Bake for about 7-10 minutes, until camembert is soft and gooey and pomegranate molasses has started to caramelize. Transfer to a serving platter and top with another drizzle of pomegranate molasses. Serve immediately with the buckwheat crackers.
