baked cheese with herbs and crudités

Ingredients:

1 (8- to 9-ounce) rounds Camembert or Brie

1 garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced

1 ½ tablespoons dry vermouth (or fino sherry, or dry white wine)

1 small bunch fresh rosemary

1 small bunch fresh thyme

1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

For serving:

Assorted crudités, endive, radicchio, sliced bell pepper, radishes, cucumber slices, etc.

Toasted baguette slices or Raincoast crisp crackers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove and discard paper wrapping from the cheese round. If cheese is packaged in a thin wooden box, return round to bottom of box. Discard wooden lid. Using butcher’s twine, tie twine around outside of bottom of box to ensure it doesn’t open during baking. (Don’t skip this step- if you don’t secure the box, the melted cheese will ooze out while it is baking.)

Using a sharp paring knife, make 6 to 8 (1/2- inch deep) slices in top of the cheese round. Press the garlic slices into the slits. Drizzle the cheese round with vermouth.

Toss together the rosemary and thyme sprigs with the olive oil. Arrange the herbs in an even layer, just large enough to use as a bed for cheese round, on a parchment paper–lined baking

sheet. Place cheese round on herb bed. (An unwrapped cheese round can also be baked in a small, ovenproof ramekin on top of the herbs.)

Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is soft and melty, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve

immediately with crudités and baguette slices or crackers.

Serves 4-6