Deep-Fried Camembert

For an indulgent starter or a fabulous pre-dinner nibble, this deep-fried Camembert is bound to be a crowd-pleaser. Serve with Chilli Pepper Pete’s Chilli & Cranberry Sauce, for a hit of sweet and fiery flavour that cuts perfectly through the richness of the cheese.

Ingredients
A 250g wheel of Camembert
A couple of slices of white bread, to make breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp plain flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
Chilli Pepper Pete’s Chilli & Cranberry Sauce

Serves 2 as a starter

1. First, make your breadcrumbs. It’s worth taking the time to do them properly as it’ll result in a really crispy coating for the cheese that doesn’t fall apart during frying. First, blend the bread in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.

2. Next, spread out the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and pop under the grill. Keep a close eye on them, give them a good stir when they start to brown, and pop back under the grill for another 20 seconds.

3. Once the crumbs are really nice and golden, let them cool for a minute or so and then use a rolling pin to crush them into a really fine, dry crumb.

4. Fill a small saucepan with vegetable oil to a depth of at least 1 cm, and put on a high heat. Cut the Camembert into wedges (don’t remove the rind). Break the egg into a bowl and whisk it with a fork, and sprinkle the flour onto a small plate.

5. To prepare your Camembert wedges for frying, roll each one in the flour first, then dip into the egg, and finally roll in the breadcrumbs until nicely coated all over.

6. By now the oil should be really hot – you can test it by dropping in a breadcrumb, and if it’s hot enough, the crumb should fizz on the surface of the oil. Fry the Camembert wedges one at a time (each one should only need about a minute), turning them over with a spatula to make sure both sides are golden, and then place on a few sheets of kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.

7. Serve up with the Chilli Pepper Pete’s Chilli & Cranberry Sauce.

CHILLI CRANBERRY SAUCE
SWEET CHILLI SAUCE
BAG OF DRAGON’S CLAWS