Chef Elsa
Almjause (Alpine Hut Snack Board)
A wooden board loaded with mountain cheese, juniper-smoked Speck, air-dried Hauswürstel, handmade Liptauer, fresh Kren, and thick-cut Bauernbrot, the way Austrian Almhütten have fed hikers for generations.
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Gebackener Camembert mit Preiselbeeren
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Whole Camembert in a shattering golden crust, fried fast in Butterschmalz and served with a cold spoonful of Preiselbeeren and thick slices of dark bread. The Austrian Gasthaus appetizer that nobody can resist.
Appetizers & Snacks
Austrian
Dinner Party
Comfort Food
25 min
Active Time
5 min cook•30 min total
Yield2 servings
Every Austrian ski hut, every Heuriger wine tavern, every Gasthaus with a handwritten Speisekarte has this on the menu somewhere. Gebackener Camembert. A whole wheel of cheese, coated in flour, egg, and fine breadcrumbs, then fried in Butterschmalz until the outside is shatteringly crisp and the inside is just starting to go soft and warm. You cut into it at the table and the cheese sighs.
I first had this as a child on one of our trips to Austria with Gretel and my grandmother Eva. We were somewhere in the Salzkammergut, sitting at a wooden table outside a Gasthaus, and my plate arrived with this golden disc on it, a little heap of dark Preiselbeeren on the side, and two thick slices of Bauernbrot. I didn't know what it was. I cut into it and the cheese inside was warm and yielding, not quite melted, just on the edge of giving way. The tartness of the Preiselbeeren cut right through the richness. I was maybe eight years old and I remember thinking: this is the best thing I've ever eaten.
The technique is the same three-step breading you use for Wiener Schnitzel: flour, egg, breadcrumbs. The difference is speed. You're frying cheese, not meat, so you need your Butterschmalz properly hot and your timing tight. Too long in the pan and the cheese melts through the crust and you've lost it. Too short and the coating is pale and sad. Two minutes a side. That's all you get. Have everything ready before you start, because once the cheese hits the fat, you're committed.
The Austrian tradition of breading and frying foods in the Wiener Panierung (Viennese breading) likely arrived through northern Italian influence during the Habsburg era, with the flour-egg-breadcrumb technique becoming the country's most recognizable culinary method. Gebackener Camembert emerged as a Gasthaus and Beisl appetizer in the mid-20th century, borrowing the Schnitzel's breading technique and applying it to cheese. It became a fixture of Heuriger menus and Alpine hut kitchens, where hearty, quick-to-prepare appetizers suited the drinking and skiing culture equally well.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole Camembert wheels
Quantity
2 (125g each)
well chilled
plain flour
Quantity
50g
eggs
Quantity
2 large
beaten
fine dried breadcrumbs (Semmelbrösel)
Quantity
100g
Butterschmalz (clarified butter)
Quantity
approximately 500ml
for frying
fine salt
Quantity
pinch
Preiselbeeren (lingonberry preserves)
Quantity
4 tablespoons
dark rye bread (Bauernbrot)
Quantity
4-6 thick slices
fresh curly parsley (optional)
Quantity
small handful
for garnish
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole Camembert wheelswell chilled | 2 (125g each) |
| plain flour | 50g |
| eggsbeaten | 2 large |
| fine dried breadcrumbs (Semmelbrösel) | 100g |
| Butterschmalz (clarified butter)for frying | approximately 500ml |
| fine salt | pinch |
| Preiselbeeren (lingonberry preserves) | 4 tablespoons |
| dark rye bread (Bauernbrot) | 4-6 thick slices |
| fresh curly parsley (optional)for garnish | small handful |
Equipment Needed
- •Deep heavy-bottomed pan or small Dutch oven (20-22cm)
- •Slotted spoon or spider strainer
- •Wire cooling rack for draining
- •Kitchen thermometer (optional but helpful)
Instructions
- 1
Chill the cheese
Make sure your Camembert wheels are cold. Straight from the fridge, ideally chilled for at least two hours or even put in the freezer for fifteen minutes before you start. This is the single most important thing in the whole recipe. Cold cheese holds its shape in hot fat. Room-temperature cheese melts through the breading and you end up with an empty golden shell and a pan full of molten Camembert. Don't skip this.
If your Camembert is very ripe and soft, give it twenty minutes in the freezer. You want it firm enough to handle without denting when you press the breadcrumbs on. It will warm up beautifully inside the crust during frying. - 2
Set up the breading station
Line up three shallow bowls. Flour in the first, beaten eggs with a pinch of salt in the second, fine Semmelbrösel in the third. This is the Wiener Panierung, the same three-step coating that makes Schnitzel what it is. The flour gives the egg something to grip. The egg glues the breadcrumbs on. The breadcrumbs become the crust. Every step matters.
- 3
Bread the Camembert
Take one cold Camembert wheel and dust it all over with flour. Turn it in your hands, making sure every surface is lightly coated, including the edges. Shake off the excess. Dip it into the beaten egg, turning to coat completely. Let the excess drip off for a second, then lay it in the breadcrumbs. Press the crumbs on gently but firmly with your hands, covering the top, bottom, and all around the rim. No bare spots. If you can see white cheese through the coating, the Butterschmalz will find that gap and the cheese will escape. Repeat the egg and breadcrumb step a second time for a double coating.
The double breading is not optional. A single coating is too fragile for cheese. The second layer of egg and breadcrumbs creates a proper seal that holds everything together in the hot fat. - 4
Heat the Butterschmalz
Pour Butterschmalz into a deep, heavy pan to a depth of at least three centimeters. You need enough that the Camembert floats, not sits on the bottom. Heat over medium-high until the fat reaches about 170°C. If you don't have a thermometer, drop a small cube of bread in. It should sizzle immediately and turn golden in about thirty seconds. If it burns, your fat is too hot. If it just sits there quietly, you're not ready yet.
Butterschmalz (clarified butter) is what gives this its Austrian character. It has a high smoke point and a clean, nutty flavor that vegetable oil can't match. You can find it in jars at most European grocery shops, or make your own by slowly melting butter and skimming off the milk solids. - 5
Fry the Camembert
Carefully lower one breaded Camembert into the hot Butterschmalz using a slotted spoon. It should sizzle the moment it touches the fat. Fry for about two minutes on the first side until deep golden, then flip it gently with the spoon and fry the second side for another minute and a half to two minutes. The whole process takes under four minutes. Watch the color, not the clock. You want a rich, even gold all over, like the crust on a good Schnitzel. Lift it out and let it drain on a wire rack for thirty seconds. Fry the second wheel immediately.
- 6
Serve immediately
Place each fried Camembert on a wooden Brettl or a warm plate. Spoon a generous mound of Preiselbeeren alongside. The tartness of the lingonberries is not decoration. It cuts through the richness of the cheese and the fried crust the same way it works next to Schnitzel or roast game. Add thick slices of dark Bauernbrot and a few sprigs of parsley if you like. Bring it to the table whole and let people cut into it themselves. The first cut, when the warm cheese starts to ooze out through the crisp golden shell, is half the pleasure. Mahlzeit!
Chef Tips
- •Buy your Camembert a few days before you need it and keep it in the fridge. A slightly younger, firmer Camembert fries better than a very ripe one that's already running when you open the wrapper. You still want it creamy inside after frying, but it needs to hold its shape going into the pan.
- •Semmelbrösel, fine dried breadcrumbs made from old Semmeln (bread rolls), give you a lighter, crispier crust than the coarse breadcrumbs sold in most supermarkets. If you can't find them, blitz regular dried breadcrumbs in a food processor until very fine.
- •Preiselbeeren (lingonberry preserves) are the traditional accompaniment and you can find them in jars from d'arbo or Staud's at most international food shops. Cranberry sauce is not the same thing. Lingonberries have a sharper, less sweet character that balances the fried cheese properly. It's worth seeking them out.
- •If your crust cracks during frying and cheese starts leaking, don't panic. Pull it out immediately, let it cool for a moment, and serve it as is. It won't be perfect but it will still taste wonderful. Next time, double-check your breading for gaps and make sure the cheese was cold enough.
Advance Preparation
- •The Camembert wheels can be breaded up to four hours ahead and stored uncovered on a plate in the fridge. The coating actually sets better when chilled, which gives you an even crispier result. This is a good trick for dinner parties.
- •Frying must happen just before serving. There is no reheating a Gebackener Camembert. The cheese waits for no one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 370g)
Calories
1320 calories
Total Fat
62 g
Saturated Fat
34 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
28 g
Cholesterol
275 mg
Sodium
2135 mg
Total Carbohydrates
136 g
Dietary Fiber
11 g
Sugars
24 g
Protein
51 g
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