Cook with Toucan

Pickled hermelin/camembert in spiced oil

Pickled “hermelin“ in oil is typical Czech pub dish served with beer. Original recipe uses cheese Hermelin (it is the brand of Czech cheese), but it can be substituted with Camembert or with any other type of Brie cheese. This recipe is different than other pickled recipes (particularly for vegetables), because the cheese is pickled in oil and spicy ingredients (onion, garlic, chilli peppers).  Do not be afraid of this recipe! This dish is very popular and tastes very well. Czech’s love it and I am sure you will love it too.

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• hermelin/camembert cheese (3 pcs)
  • ​​​weight of each approx. 100 to 120 g = 3,5 to 4,2 oz.​
• small red onion (1 pc)
  • peel, cut into thin slices (very thin)
• small yellow onion (1 pc)
  • peel, cut into slices (the same size as red onion)
• garlic (2 cloves)
  • peel, cut into thin slices too
• fresh chilli pepper (Tips ↓1)
  • ​according to taste
  • cut into rings
• rosemary (1 twig)
  • remove leaves from twig
• oil (volume as required)
  • it hangs on volume of jar
  • sunflower or rapeseed oil

Preparation:

• take hermelin/camembert cheese and cut it horizontal in half (create two rings)
• on first half put red onion, yellow onion, garlic and chilli pepper slices (a piece from each) and press second half on top (Tips ↓2)
• repeat with other two pieces of cheese

• now find the right preserving jar
• it is necessary to stuff cheese into this jar (Tips ↓3)
• I use classical preserving jar (it is deep and wide enough for all three cheeses)

• mix rest of vegetables (onions, garlic and chilli pepper) with rosemary and divide into 3 piles

• at first pour about 2 cm (0,8 in.) of oil on bottom of jar and insert first cheese (the cheese can unstick partially, but it does not matter)
• slightly press down
• add first pile of vegetables on top and cover with oil
• repeat until all three cheeses are in jar
• be careful to have at least 2 cm (0,8 in.) of oil from top (Tips ↓4)
• also be sure you do not have many air bubbles in jar
• so add oil into jar, then cheese, press it down, vegetables, oil, cheese, press it down and so over and over again

• after you finish it, cover with lid but not too tight (I cover it, but do not close it definitely) and insert small plate or serviette under jar to prevent oil spill inside fridge (when you unfortunately pour more oil than needed)
• the cheeses will be pickled 6 to 8 days
• at first refrigerate for 3 – 4 days, then remove from fridge and let stand out in room temperature for 24 hours
• then again refrigerate for another 3 days (Tips ↓5)

• the sixth day control cheeses (stab them with a fork)
• cheeses are finished, when they are soft, but they still hold together (Tips ↓6)
• to prevent serving cold, let stand jar outside of fridge for another 10 to 20 minutes
• serve with fresh baguette and vegetables (onions, garlic and chilli pepper, which pickled together with cheeses)
• you can also add different spices to your taste beside onion, garlic, chilli pepper and rosemary (Tips ↓7)

Tips:

1. Quantity and variety according to taste. I used one ripe chilli pepper of the Bolivian Rainbow variety and one ripe chilli pepper of the Lemon chilli variety.
2. Do not put lots of onion and garlic into cheese. Both halves will glue bad together again.
3. The neck size has to be wide like a cheese. But must not be too wide, because you will have to use too much oil then and it is unwanted.
4. Do not pour oil into jar to the edge. How cheeses will “work”, the oil could partially flow out.
5. If you take out cheeses from fridge, it happens nothing to them (because they are marinated in oil), but the time of preparing this dish will be substantially shorten.
6. From experience – it is better to pickle cheeses one day more, than one day less. The cheeses will be softer and will not hold well together, but they will taste better.
7. Another options:
   • onion, garlic, chilli peppers, bay leaves (3 pcs)
   • onion, garlic, chilli peppers, thyme, all spice (3 berries)
   • onion, garlic, black olives (6 – 8 pcs, sliced)
   • onion, garlic, chilli peppers, juniper (6 – 8 berries)