Following the publication of my crumble in the Guardian, I was delighted to hear that another recipe of mine was selected by Guardian's Felicity Cloake & Co for the Reader's recipe swap section of the COOK magazin. The theme was DIP and I suggested Obatzda. This cheesy dip is a traditional Bavarian recipe served with pretzels
and radishes in beer gardens, and at the Oktoberfest of course. It is
made out of squashed camembert – hence the name obatzda, which means something like "squashed" or "crushed" in colloquial Bavarian.
Serves 6
- 250g ripe camembert, at room temperature
- 50g unsalted butter, softened
- 80g quark or fromage frais
- 2-3 tbsp wheat beer or lager
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped chives, plus extra to decorate
- ½ tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp sweet paprika or to taste
Squash the camembert with a fork, then beat it into the butter and quark until well combined. Mix in the beer until you have a creamy, smooth paste. Add the onions, chives and caraway seeds and season with lots of paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Chill for one hour and decorate with a few sprigs of chives.
I think it tastes best on rustic sourdough bread and with raw vegetable sticks dipped into it. Give it a go!
