Camembert Parcels with Cranberry, Date and Walnut Chutney
Melted cheese surrounded by golden brown flaky puff pastry, not much to dislike, and added to this, that cheese is topped with a tangy cranberry, date and walnut chutney.
Even though I love melted camembert, and I do, this recipe is all about the chutney.
It’s a recipe that can be made ahead and stored in jars for a later date. If you’re looking for a home-made gift, this is one that is perfect.
It’s a combination of tart fruit, with just the right amount of acidity, and compliments cheese perfectly, melted or not.
Oh, and i need to apologise for not adding a photo of the finished dish. i ate it before i remembered to take a snap. But i hope you get the idea, and trust me it’s worth putting the oven on for.
Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!
4 Servings
Fold over the pastry
What You Need
1 Camembert Wheel
1 Sheet or Ready Rolled Puff Pastry – See Tip Box
150g Walnuts – See Tip Box
1 Egg
Once the nuts are toasted, chop roughly
Chutney
130g Dried Cranberries
100g Soft Brown Sugar
100ml White Wine Vinegar
100ml Water
80g Dried Chopped Dates
1 Large Onion – Finley Chopped
1 Granny Smith Apple – Finley Chopped
½ tsp Sea Salt
Cut the wheel of cheese into four
How It’s Done
Chutney
Place all of the chutney ingredients into a small saucepan and let it heat, until it comes to a gentle simmer.
Let the whole let it simmer, mixing occasionally, so it doesn’t stick, until it’s reduced enough so that when the mixture is pushed back, the bottom of the can be seen.
This is so the dried fruit becomes plump and most of the liquid evaporates.
Once the chutney is ready, remove it from the heat and the saucepan, and put onto a cold plate to get completely cold.
Place the walnuts into a dry fry9ing pan and on a very gentle heat, let them toast for a few minutes until they become toasted and crunchy.
Once ready remove them from the hot pan onto a cold plate and let them cool completely.
Once they are cold, give them a rough chop.
Set aside until needed.
Heat the oven to 200c
Place the egg into a small cup and use a fork to give it a beat, and set it aside until needed.
Open the cheese and cut it into four even quarters.
Open the ready rolled pastry and lay it flat.
Use a sharp knife to cut the pastry into four strips, chut the pastry short ways.
Put a dollop of the chutney about 1 ½ inches away from one of the edge of each piece of pastry.
Lay a piece of the cheese on top of the chutney
Put another dollop of the chutney on top of the cheese
Put a good amount of the chopped walnuts on top of the chutney
Brush a little of the beaten egg around the edge of the pastry
Fold each piece of pastry over the cheese and seal the edges by pushing on the pastry
Get a fork and use it to go around the edge again making marks all around the pastry edge of each parcel making sure the edges are sealed really well
Place each parcel on a tray covered with non-stick baking parchment.
Place the tray in the fridge for 15 minutes to get cold.
If freezing, do it at this stage by freezing each one separately and then wrapping in cling film and placing in the freezer for three months.
No need to defrost, bake straight from the freezer, just make sure to adjust the baking time accordingly, until the pastry is brown and the cheese is hot and melting.
If cooking straight away, place the tray in the hot oven and bake until the pastry is golden brown and the cheese is piping hot and melted, approx. 30 minutes – See Tip Box
Once out of the oven, leave for 5 minutes before eating.
Reduce the chutney so that when a spoon is pulled through it this happens.
Tip Box
Ready Rolled Pastry – It’s not often I use ready rolled puff pastry, but when I wanted to make these, I didn’t have time to make my own and I knew I had some ready rolled in the freezer. So, I guess my message here is, use what you want. Busy people need all the breaks they can get.
Walnuts – As a substitute for walnuts, try using hazelnuts.
Fold over and seal the pastry really well
