Baked cambozola with mostarda

Feeding friends? Serve up a creamy melted round of cheese with sweet and sticky apple mostarda, roasted pecans, and the best crostini on the planet.

Baked cambozola with mostarda. Credit: Comfort Food With Spencer Watts

• serves

  2-4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  1:20 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Mostarda

• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup finely diced shallots
• 5 cm (2 in) fresh ginger, peeled, finely diced
• ¼ cup Bourbon whiskey
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 cup white sugar
• 4-6 medium-sized apples, peeled, diced
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) white wine vinegar3 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp whole grain mustard½ cup raisins
• ½ cup diced dried apricots
• ½ cup dried cranberries

Baked cambozola

• 400 g (14 oz) wheel cambozola cheese (see Note)
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp flake salt

Roasted pecans

• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 cup halved pecans
• 2 cups water

Compound butter crostini

• 115 g (½ cup) butter, room temperature
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• ½ tsp chilli flakes, or more
• 1½ tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 1 small red chilli, finely diced
• ¼ tsp allspice powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 baguette, cut in 5 cm (1 in) bias angled slices

Instructions

1. For the mostarda: Add extra virgin olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add diced shallots and the ginger and sauté until softened. Add Bourbon whiskey and using a long match or lighter, set aflame. When flame dissipates, add white wine and white sugar, stirring to incorporate. Simmer liquid for a few minutes to reduce. Add diced apples, white wine vine vinegar, yellow mustard seeds and grainy mustard, stirring to incorporate. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
2. Add raisins, dried apricots and dried cranberries, stirring. Simmer again until the dried fruit is plump. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. For the roasted pecans: Preheat the oven to 165°C (325°F).
4. Add water, sugar, salt, cayenne, cumin powder and pecans to a medium-sized saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
5. Strain pecans from liquid and lay nuts out on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside.
6. For the crostini: Preheat the grill to 260°C (500°F).Add butter, garlic, lemon zest, chilli flakes, finely chopped parsley, minced red chili, allspice powder and salt to a small mixing bowl and stir until fully combined and creamy.
7. Lightly spread one side of each baguette slice with compound butter and lay out on a baking paper (parchment paper) lined baking sheet. Toast under the grill for 1 minute or until crisp and golden brown.
8. For the baked cheese: Slice the rind from the top of the wheel of cambozola and place in a small oven-safe dish. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary leaves and flake salt. Cook on the lower shelf as the crostini are baking for 3-5 minutes or until the edges of the rind are golden brown and cheese is molten.
9. Remove from the oven and set baked cambozola on a wooden board alongside mostarda, crostini, roasted pecans, and your favourite charcuterie trimmings.

Note

Cambozola is a creamy blue cheese, originally from Germany. It is available from delicatessens and specialist retailers in Australia.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.