Baked cheese recipe: Transform a wheel of cheese into molten, gooey goodness

A little drizzle of honey or some fresh currant grapes brings a touch of sweetness that perfectly balances a slowly baked savoury cheese.

Baked cheese. Picture: Nikki To​

I love a good baked cheese and we are lucky that we have so many great Australian cheeses from which to choose. Here I have chosen two of my favourites: the Driftwood from Long Paddock in Victoria, which is a lactic washed rind, matured in spruce bark, and the Oen from Tasmania’s Bruny Island, which is washed in pinot noir and wrapped in vine leaves.

As the cheese slowly bakes in the oven, it transforms into a molten, gooey goodness that makes me feel all warm inside. A little drizzle of honey or some fresh currant grapes brings a touch of sweetness that perfectly balances the savoury cheese. When you’ve got something as simple and delicious as grilled mushrooms and baked cheese, there’s really no need for much else other than some warm crusty bread.

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RECIPE: Baked cheese

Ingredients

• 1 x 180-200g wheel of creamy, rinded or wrapped cheese at room temperature
• Honey
• 5 rosemary sprigs
• Handful of currant grapes

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170C. Remove all synthetic packaging.
2. With the point of a small knife make 5 incisions, evenly dispersed, in the top of the cheese, placing in each one a sprig of rosemary, and bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is warm and runny inside.
3. Carefully remove and serve drizzled with honey and/or a handful of currant grapes. Serves 2-3.