This recipe for baked cheese is so simple and so perfect. There is nothing extra here; you will find only hot, oozy – and just a touch boozy – cheese. In a nod to the 1970s-era kitsch, I like to serve it in the little wooden box the cheese comes in. I recommend époisses cheese here, which you can find at most specialty cheese shops, but a decent-quality camembert or brie will be fine as well. Baked cheese is not here to be fancy, but it will steal the show. And it will, without a doubt, be replicated by all your friends in due course because, honestly, what’s not to love? It’s unlikely you will have any leftovers – we’re talking hot cheese here, after all – but you can store any remaining cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. – Christine Flynn

Round brie cheese being drizzled with honey

Baked Brie With Hot Honey

Christine Flynn

Gooey baked brie with garlic and white wine, finished with homemade Aleppo pepper hot honey.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Hot Honey

1 cup pure liquid honey
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 to 3 long red chilies halved lengthwise
1 tsp dried red chili flakes
1 tsp Aleppo pepper
pinch of salt

Baked Cheese

8 oz époisses, camembert or brie cheese
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp dry white wine
2 tbsp Hot Honey
charred bread and/or crackers, to serve

Instructions

Hot Honey

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine all the ingredients. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then remove the saucepan from the heat. Let cool to room temperature.
If you prefer a smooth hot honey, use a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the solids as you transfer the honey to a 16-ounce (500 mL) jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
If you use a clean spoon when dipping into the hot honey, it will keep in the refrigerator indefinitely.

Baked Cheese

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
Remove the cheese from its round wooden box. Wrap the entire box in aluminum foil. Return the cheese to the foil-wrapped box and place it on a rimmed baking sheet.
Using a paring knife, poke a small hole in the top of the cheese and push in the garlic clove. Drizzle the wine into the hole and over the top of the cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
Drizzle the cheese with the hot honey and serve immediately with charred bread and/or crackers.

Notes

It’s unlikely you will have any leftovers – we’re talking hot cheese here, after all – but you can store any remaining cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days

Keyword Aleppo Pepper, Baked Brie, baked brie appetizer, baked brie with hot honey, Baked Camembert, Baked Cheese, Epoisses, Hot honey, hot honey recipe

A deep green cookbook cover in a light tan frame

Excerpted from A Generous Meal by Christine Flynn. Copyright © 2023 Christine Flynn. Photographs by Suech and Beck. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.