Moroccan-Spiced Baked Cheese Dip & Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux

A unique and warming alternative to your classic Fondue. Perfect for a pre-Christmas dinner appetizer with the fam or a cozy après-ski snack!

I’m so glad I discovered baked cheese. It’s seriously so easy, and insanely delicious! I mean it’s just straight up melted cheese, so how could it not be!

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The flavours in this Moroccan-Spiced Baked Cheese Dip are to die for, but the nice thing about this is it’s so versatile. You can omit the spice blend altogether and just do the cheese, or you can add your favourite spices and see how it turns out! The key to success with this one comes down to the cheese blend. Just like with a classic fondue, you want at least one cheese to provide the gooey cheese pull and at least one to provide the flavour. In this case, the Fontina and Camembert provide the pull and some beautiful flavour and the Comté comes in with a whole other nutty and savoury flavour profile to bring it home.

What to Pair?

When it comes to the perfect pairing for this spice-filled gooey cheese bomb, I highly recommend a fruit forward, medium bodied red wine with higher acidity, smooth tannins, and those matching sweet baking spice notes. You could go a few different directions with this one, but I went with a Merlot-dominant red Bordeaux, specifically the Calvet Réserve des Remparts Saint-Émilion.

Saint-Émilion wine is from a beautiful part of Bordeaux (France) and is mostly made from Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes. These wines are all about smooth, rich fruit flavours (like plum and cherry) with a bit of earthiness, and they’re generally super versatile and awesome food pairing wines! Unfortunately, Saint-Émilion wines aren’t always the most affordable (for good reason - the quality can be absolutely outstanding), but this one by Calvet is approachable and affordable, making it a great introduction to the region!

So why does this pairing work?

• The rich, fruity profile of Saint-Émilion (think plum and cherry) complements the nutty, complex flavours of aged cheese like Camembert and Comté. As cheese ages, it’s flavours deepen and it develops a creamier texture, which works perfectly with the smoothness of the wine.

• The wine's acidity helps cut through the richness of the cheese, making each bite and sip even more enjoyable.

• When it comes to Moroccan spices Saint-Émilion’s earthiness and fruitiness beautifully compliments those warm, aromatic flavours, balancing out the spices without overpowering them and enhancing the overall experience.

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Moroccan-Spiced Baked Cheese Dip

Ingredients

• 1 cup Fontina cheese, cut into cubes

• 1 cup Comté, cut into cubes

• 1 cup Camembert, rind removed and cut into cubes

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 2 tsp Paprika

• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp Ground ginger

• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp cumin

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 1/8 tsp Ground cloves

• 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

• Drizzle of honey

Directions

1. Cut the rind off the Camembert and Comté and remove the wax from the Fontina. Cut up all three cheeses into cubes, and then evenly distribute in a 7-8 inch baking dish. I used this 8 inch cast-iron skillet and it worked perfectly!

2. In a small ramekin, combine olive oil, brown sugar, and all the spices, and then drizzle mixture over the cheese.

3. Broil in the oven for 2-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Check on it often since it bubbles up quickly!

4. Remove from the oven, drizzle with honey, and serve immediately with fresh bread! Cheers and enjoy!

xx Steph