I’ve put a spin on this classic dish by pairing the baked cheese with mushrooms instead of the traditional sweet fruity toppings. If you’ve never fried enoki, you’ll be surprised how much texture these crisp straws bring to the dish. Serve it straight out of the oven as an entrée for maximum creaminess.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan forced 180°C). Toast hazelnuts for 10 minutes until fragrant. Remove from the oven, rub the skin off then roughly chop.
Thinly slice the garlic. Cut the surface of the camembert into a criss-cross pattern and wedge the slices of garlic deep into the cuts. Loosely wrap with aluminium foil then bake for 15-20 minutes.
Heat the oil to 180°C. Deep fry enoki mushrooms for 5 minutes until they are crisp and a deep golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Melt butter in a frypan and fry shimeji mushrooms on medium heat for 5 minutes. Drizzle honey and balsamic vinegar over the mushrooms, add thyme leaves from 1 sprig and cook for another 1-2 minutes until caramelised.
Place the baked camembert on a plate and top with shimeji mushrooms, sauce included. Decorate with toasted hazelnuts and enoki mushrooms. Finish with thyme leaves.
Serve warm with crackers or toasted bread.
Tip: Equally enjoyable with brie. If shimeji mushrooms are hard to find, try shiitake or baby king oyster.