Gooey Tear & Share Cheesy Bread

 

  

New Years Eve! Its hard to believe that we are at the end of what has been an amazingly difficult year for many if not all of us. This has absolutely been a year for the books. I think I join in with many of you in wishing and hoping that 2021 will be a lot kinder all around!

Needless to say because of Covid, celebrations will be somewhat subdued this year on many fronts. Its not a problem for me as I have never been one to go out and carouse on New Years Eve.  

 

I raised a rather large family and could never afford the cost of a sitter as well as going out to a dance or a party in my younger years. Staying home has always been pretty normal for me.  

As well my ex husband was in the Military Police so he always had to work on NYE.  That meant staying at home with the kiddles and enjoying a finger food feast. We would watch our favourite DVD's and eat picky bits until they came out our ears. 

 

We would all be trying hard to stay up until 12 o'clock so we could watch Dick Clark's Rockin New Year's Eve and watch the big apple fall in Times Square.  To me those were the best New Years Eve celebrations ever. 

I loved being with my children and enjoying our nibbles.  We would have potato chips and dips, maybe some chicken wings.  Meatballs, and small sandwiches, Prawn rings, and all sorts of yummy bits. One of my favourite things to make would either be Spinach Dip in a loaf, or this fabulously tasty Gooey Tear & Share Cheese Bread.

 

One thing that's really nice about this Tear & Share Cheesy Bread is that the bread itself is the bowl for the dip. (Much like Spinach Dip.) I uses fairly simple ingredients and I could often use cheese that was leftover from Christmas.

Camembert cheese, and soft goats cheesem both which melt beautifully.  I usually like to use a round loaf to hold the dip and make up the picky dipping bits, but this year I could only get an oval. No mind, it tastes the same no matter the shape!

The loaf gets hollowed out in the middle to make a "bowl" for the melted cheese. Make sure you save the bits you hollow out for dipping. You then cut the remainder of the loaf into one inch cuts, ready to pluck out and dip into the melted cheese as well.

 

You make a lovely garlic and herb oil which gets brushed all over the loaf before you bake it. It has just the right amount of green herbiness and pungency from the garlic. I use rosemary, but you can use whichever herbs float your boat. Just make sure he flavours go well with the cheese.

  

The cheese gets cubed and put into the centre "bowl" of the bread and then you cover the whole thing lightly with foil. It is then baked in the oven until the bread toasts and warms through, all of that lovely herby oil crisping it up in places.

The cheese gets all melty and gooey. You don't have to use the cheeses I have suggested. Its your choice. You can use any combination of melty cheese that you enjoy. I can tell you that reblochon is nice as is Swiss.  Just make sure it is a cheese with great melting properties.

 

A bit of flaked sea salt on the surface decorates it in a really nice way. Like little diamonds or jewels, also adding flavour.  Once this is ready all you have to do is sit back and watch your family and or friends enjoy it. 

Its so much fun and a great conversation piece. Not dissimilar to the fondu parties of the 19 60's and 70's where we all gathered around molten pots of cheese with bread to dip, or hot fat with pieces of chicken, etc. to fry.

 

You just can't beat the simplicity of this, or the taste. Its a fabulously party appetiser, whether you be many or a few. You can adapt it to smaller groups by using smaller loaves of bread.

You can even make individual ones (if you are really germ phobic) by using individual crusty rolls, which is really a lot of fun also.  Whatever you choose to do, one thing is for certain, this is sure to make for a really appetising and delicious part of your New Year's Celebrations!

Wishing a really Happy New Year to all! May your 2021 be happy and blessed and filled with peace, comfort and joy. Here's hoping it is a good year to us all!

Tear & Share Cheesy Bread

Yield: Variable

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 10 Mincook time: 25 Mintotal time: 35 Min

This delicious appetiser is simple to make, ready in minutes and delicious!

Ingredients

• 9 ounce (255g) round of Camembert Cheese
• 3 1/2 (100g) ounce round of goats cheese
• 1 (1 pound) loaf of Italian or Sour Dough bread, unsliced (a round loaf is best)
• 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves stripped from stalk
• 3/4 tsp sea salt flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a large baking sheet, lined with foil and buttered.
2. Trim any rind from the cheese and discard. Chop the remaining cheese roughly.
3. Hollow out a round roughly 4 1/2 inches across and 1 1/2 inches deep in centre of the loaf of bread. (This  becomes a receptacle for the melted cheese.)
4. Cut the remaining loaf into a cross hatch pattern, cutting almost all the way to the bottom, and spacing the cuts 1-inch apart.
5. Finely chop the garlic and rosemary leaves.
6. Whisk the rosemary, garlic, black pepper to taste and oil together in a bowl.  Brush this all over the loaf, making sure that you get it down into the cuts as much as possible.
7. Put the chopped cheese in the centre hollowed out area.  Sprinkle flakes of sea salt over all. Cover loosely with foil.
8. Place onto the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown and the cheese has melted and is bubbling.
9. Serve  hot.
10. People can pull off pieces of the bread to dip into the cheese.

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