Unlike warm goat cheese salads, baked Camembert salads never had their moment of glory in restaurants all over California and beyond. And while I adore warm goat cheese, I might like warm Camembert even better. After a brief stint in the oven, the heady cheese will gush all over the plate, coating the greens (or in this case, reds and greens since I use radicchio, parsley and spinach) with its mushroomy creaminess. This is an easy salad to make once you get your hands on a small wheel of Camembert but offers maximum sexiness, as sexy as salad gets if you ask me. Serve it with crusty bread to mop up all the bits that you’d otherwise have to lick off the plate. There’s only so much a salad course can take.

Fresh Herb, Radicchio, and Baked Camembert Salad

Category

Category name

Serves

4

Ingredients

  • 1 (8-ounce) wheel Camembert, cut into 4 wedges
  • 4 cups radicchio, sliced or torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 cups Italian parsley leaves
  • 1 cup packed spinach leaves, preferably hearty, mature leaves rather than baby, washed, dried, and torn into pieces if large
  • ¼ cup very thinly sliced spring or sweet onion, or shallots
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Crusty baguette, for serving

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 450°F.
  2. Place the cheese pieces 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until cheese is soft and brown around the edges, 5 to 10 minutes.
  3. While the cheese is cooking, toss together the radicchio, parsley, spinach, and onion in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, salt and pepper; then drizzle in the oil, whisking continuously to emulsify the dressing. Pour over the reds and greens and toss well. Taste and adjust the salt and vinegar if desired. Divide the salad between four plates and using a spatula or a spoon, set the melted cheese wedges alongside. Serve with chunks of crusty baguette.
  4. You can make the dressing 1 week in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature, whisking if needed, before tossing.