During the three days of classes, Raichlen demos more than 20 recipes for grill-happy attendees, each demonstrating a simple principal: “If something tastes good baked, broiled, or fried—it’ll taste even better on the grill,” he says.

The best example from today’s class: planked Camembert cheese with exotic mushroom hash.

Camembert, a soft-ripened cheese, has a rich, faintly pungent taste. When heated, the interior of the cheese turns molten, splits the rind and seeps forth, begging to be scooped up by crackers or bread. Raichlen’s spin warms the cheese on a grill set to indirect heat. He then places the wheels of cheese atop a plank of soaked cedar wood, which smolders during the grilling process, emitting a light smoke that the cheese then absorbs. Topped with a heady mushroom “hash,” this recipe makes for the ultimate backyard barbecue appetizer for a few close friends.

Planked Camembert with exotic mushroom hash
Recipe by Steven Raichlen

What you’ll need:
2 Camembert cheeses
1 pound mushrooms, such as morels, porcini, hen of the woods, shiitakes, etc
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbsp cognac or Armagnac
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cedar plank, soaked in water for 30 minutes, then drained

How to make it:
1. Make the mushroom hash. Trim the stems and any blemishes off the mushrooms. Wipe clean with damp paper towels. Cut the mushrooms into 1/4-inch slices. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and saute until they begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Sir in the mushrooms and parsley and increase the heat to high, cooking until the the mushrooms are browned and all the mushroom liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cognac and flambe. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Set up your grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-high (400°F). Arrange the Camemberts on the soaked cedar plank. Top each with mushroom hash and then place the planks on the grill over a drip pan way from the heat. Cover the grill. Cook the cheese until the hash is sizzling and the cheese starts to melt, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Transfer the plank to a heatproof platter and serve, spreading the cheese and mushrooms on slices of grilled bread. Serves 8.

 

Via: Heat And Eat Planked Camembert With Exotic Mushrooms