Serves 4 to 6
What’s not to love about cambozola? This soft-ripened cow’s milk cheese is a happy marriage of creamy camembert and assertively funky gorgonzola. Dates and blue cheese are a classic pairing, but when the cambozola is baked until dippable and then topped with chopped Medjools, toasty hazelnuts and rosemary, this dish hits every note. Each bite is at once salty, sweet, gooey and crunchy and is guaranteed to go quickly at any soirée.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup hazelnuts
- 6 Rancho Meladuco Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (about ¾ cup)
- 1½ Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon rosemary leaves, plus small sprigs for garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound Cambozola, rind removed and cubed
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
- Crackers, Belgium endive and red grapes, for serving
Preheat the oven to 400°. Spread the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until nutty and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and let cool. Wrap the towel around the hazelnuts and rub together to remove the skins. Transfer the hazelnuts to a cutting board and roughly chop. Transfer to a medium bowl.
To the hazelnuts, add the dates, vinegar, honey and rosemary leaves. Season with black pepper. Gently toss to combine.
Put the cambozola in a 1-quart baking dish and bake until the cheese melts and the top is bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Pile the date-hazelnut mixture on top of the cheese and garnish with small rosemary sprigs. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper. Serve right away with crackers, endive leaves and grapes, for dipping.