Canapés au camembert are the perfect palate teasers. They have a flaky, buttery shell and are covered with a camembert sauce mornay, which is béchamel and some cheese. The key to a good homogenous spread is a ripe, gooey, aged cheese. The addition of mustard and a hint of red chili pepper make it slightly piquant.
You can serve them as appetizers, as a first course accompanied with a salad or bake in a large tart pan and serve it as a main course for a light lunch.
Making this dish took me back to my time in Paris just before I got married. I was working non-stop, and after work, my boss would often take me for dinner to a brasserie. We would always get some amuse-gueules to start our meal. Amuse, in French, means entertainment in a playful, casual way, and gueule is slang for mouth. Those wonderful appetizers were a perfect way to whet the appetite before a nice meaty main course. Amuse-bouches, like the canapés au camembert I made today, are just a more sophisticated name for the fare I had so often in those brasseries.
1. Info for Canapes au Camembert (Camembert Tartlet Shells)
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 1hr 20mins
- Servings: 12
- Calories: 150 kcal
2. Ingredients for Canapes au Camembert (Camembert Tartlet Shells)
- 6 ounces camembert, ripe
- 1 pinch red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons coarse grain mustard
- 1/8 teaspoons white peppercorns, freshly ground
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 cup half and half, warm, more if needed
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, + 2 tablespoons
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced, + 2-1/2 tablespoons
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/3 cup water, cold
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon curly parsley, finely chopped, + for garnish
3. Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- For the tartelette crust: In a bowl, whisk the egg with the sugar. Lightly oil the bowl of your food processor with a silicone brush. Then mix 3 cups of flour, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, garlic powder and cold water to form a dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl, add the egg mixture and 4 tablespoons of cold diced butter and the vegetable shortening. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and homogenous. Cover with a towel and let stand until the sauce mornay is ready.
- For the mornay sauce: Remove the crust of the camembert. In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low. Add the red chili powder and 2 tablespoons of flour. Whisk for approximately 2 minutes. The flour should absorb the butter instantly and form a paste. Add the warm half and half in 3 stages. Increase the heat while constantly stirring for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to low. Add the remaining salt, mustard and nutmeg. Mix well, then add the camembert cheese and white pepper. Cover the sauce with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter to keep it from forming a skin. Let the sauce cool completely.
- Assembly time: Roll the tartlet dough using a rolling pin, about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Create 1-1/2-inch disks of dough. Place the disks into individual mini-tartlet shells previously buttered (or in one 9-inch pie). Add about 2 teaspoons of mornay sauce in the molds. Bake for 20-22 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from the oven, repeat until all the dough is used.
- Garnish with a little parsley. Serve warm.
- Bon appétit!