Chestnut+Heather+Bramble

Chestnut+Heather+Bramble

12 Apr 2013

A Bavarian snack in the Guardian

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!