Boozy Campfire Cheese
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: About 20 mins
Active: About 10 mins
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
By Kate Ramos
This easy haute-camping treat makes a great midnight snack just as the fire is dying down. It’s pretty satisfying to sop up molten cheese with hunks of crusty bread while in the woods.
Special equipment: You’ll need heavy-duty aluminum foil and a pair of heat-resistant tongs to make this recipe while camping.
- 1 (7- to 8-ounce) wheel soft-ripened, bloomy-rind cheese, such as Camembert or Brie
- 1 tablespoon pear eau de vie or brandy
- 1 loaf crusty bread, such as pain au levain, baguette, or sourdough
- Unwrap cheese and set in the center of a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, about 12 by 12 inches. Perforate cheese by pricking it a few times with a fork, then sprinkle liquor over the holes.
- Close the foil by wrapping the sides up around the cheese and sealing it at the top. Place wheel in the embers of the campfire, at the edge of the fire where the logs are smoldering and covered with a layer of gray ash (not in a direct flame). Cook, turning wheel occasionally with the tongs so all sides spend some time near the embers, until cheese is soft and melted, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from the fire and place on a plate. Open foil packet, and scoop out cheese with hunks of crusty bread.
Note: You can make this dish indoors by preparing the cheese for cooking as outlined above, then placing the foil packet on a baking sheet inside a 450°F oven for about 10 minutes.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
Can you poke, sprinkle, and wrap the cheese before setting out for the great outdoors? I'd rather not take a bottle, or even a tablespoon, of pear brandy camping with me if I don't have to. . .
Seems like that wouldn't do any harm. This would be great after backpacking all day with some wine you've decanted into plastic.
We didn't test it that way, Covert Ops, so I can't guarantee results, but give it a try. After all, how bad can melty cheese really get, right? You can also just skip the alcohol altogether.
I did indeed poke, sprinkle, and wrap the cheese before packing the car. It worked just fine even when I substituted bourbon for the pear brandy I thought I had in the home bar.
This would work really well with a round of Reblochon too - must try!
Why did I read this while I'm at work? I'm drooling!
We just got back from our camping trip. I used a locally produced Apple Bourbon brandy. The cheese became moltonly liquidy. It was one of the most memorable dishes we made. Thanks for the idea!
We made this over the weekend on a backpacking trip with some Christian Bros brandy I had in my random spices and flavorings bag at home. VERY good, although the flavor of the brandy wasn't that apparent. Maybe we need to use better stuff?
The cold carcass (if you will) of the wheel of Camembert made good bagel sandwiches for lunch today with some bison summer sausage. I'll definitely make this again, both backpacking and at home where I can experiment with the booze.
This is GREAT. My hubby and I tried it (without the booze) but with sliced almonds DELICIOUS!!! going to actually pack the brandy next time... (oops)or perhaps pre-drill and spill this time :)
mmm I love baked camembert/brie
hate to be a spoiler - but alum foil definitely not a part of "no trace" camping. Otherwise the melted cheese w. booze sounds delish. I'm trying to come up with green alternative to foil - wrap in parchment paper and bake in a dutch oven or a covered saucepan?? The paper burns in the fire afterwards...
Why do savory (or semi-savory) food recipes never include enough alcohol in the recipes? A tablespoon? What a tease! I think Hounds should hack this and find a way to make this recipe work with at least 1/4 cup of brandy. I mean lets not kid ourselves, after a long day of hiking, we want to get drunk.
Why do savory (or semi-savory) food recipes never include enough alcohol in the recipes? A tablespoon? What a tease! I think Hounds should hack this and find a way to make this recipe work with at least 1/4 cup of brandy. I mean lets not kid ourselves, after a long day of hiking, we want to get drunk.
Well maybe because a 1/4 cup of brandy and cheese together would taste pretty nasty? I suggest drinking the extra brandy straight out of the bottle as you use the right amount and not kill the cheese.
We tried this while camping last night, with a wedge of brie sprinkled with a little brandy. We toasted the bread on a grate with the foil-wrapped cheese next to it, instead of in the coals (we forgot tongs to pull it out of the fire and had to improvise.) It is the best campfire munchie ever.
We took the aluminum foil with us when we left.