Camembert Bites
Golden double-breaded Camembert bites, fried until the crust shatters with a molten oozing Normandy cheesy centre. Rich, creamy, and deeply savoury. Serve them hot!
Ingredients
- 1 camembert preferably raw milk Camembert de Normandie AOP
- 1 shallot
- 1 tbsp chives
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
- 2 eggs
- 150 gr breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil or sunflower oil, for deep frying
- salt and black pepper
Equipment
- 4 mixing bowl 1 big bowl, 3 shallow bowls (for breading station)
- saucepan or deep fryer
- kitchen thermometer helpful but not essential
Instructions
1. Prepare the Camembert
- Take the camembert out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you start, since it's far easier to work with when it isn't fridge-cold. Slice the white rind off all sides (don't throw it away, it's perfectly edible, just not what you want in here). Cut the cheese into rough cubes and drop them into a large bowl.
2. Mix the filling
- Add the finely diced shallot, chives and parsley to the bowl, with a small pinch of salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Using a spatula, mash and fold everything together into a smooth, workable paste. If your camembert is very ripe and runny, pop the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm it up before you go on.
3. Shape the croquettes
- With your hands, roll the mixture into small balls, roughly the size of a large walnut. You'll get about 8 to 10 from one camembert.
4. Set up your breading station
- Get three shallow bowls ready: one with the beaten eggs, one with the breadcrumbs, and one kept free (that's the classic French pané setup). Have a clean plate standing by for the coated croquettes.
5. Bread the croquettes (twice)
- Roll each ball in the egg first, then coat it generously in breadcrumbs. Now the important bit: do it all again. Back into the egg, back into the breadcrumbs. That double coating is what gives you a properly crisp shell and keeps the cheese from escaping in the fryer.
6. Fry until golden
- Heat the oil to 180°C in a heavy-bottomed pan or deep fryer. No thermometer? Drop in a small cube of bread, it should sizzle straight away and turn golden in about 30 seconds. Lower in 3 or 4 croquettes at a time (don't crowd the pan) and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, turning now and then, until deep golden brown all over. Lift them out with a skimmer spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
7. Serve immediately
- Croquettes de camembert wait for no one. Serve them hot, on a handful of fresh salad leaves. They don't need much else, though a little drizzle of honey never hurts if you're feeling fancy. Cut one open and watch the cheese ooze out. That's the moment.
Notes
- Cheese choice: A proper raw milk Camembert de Normandie AOP will give you the best flavour. If you can't find one, any good-quality Camembert will work. Avoid the rubbery supermarket basics if you can
- The double breading: Don't skip this. Single coating means cheese explosion in your oil. Not in a good way.
- Make ahead: You can bread the croquettes de camembert and freeze them for up to a month. Fry straight from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the cooking time.
- Air fryer option: Spray generously with oil and cook at 190°C for 6-8 minutes, turning halfway. Not quite the same as deep-fried, but still pretty good.