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Prep time
10 minutes
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Cook time
1 hour
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makes
1 cup
Author Notes
This recipe is excerpted from "Classic German Cooking" the December 2024 Book of the Month in the Food52 Cookbook Club.
Obatzda, or Obatzter, is Bavarian dialect and roughly means “something mixed.” Obatzda is a creamy, rust-colored spread made of mashed-up Brie or Camembert and given pungency from onions and caraway, typically served alongside astoundingly delicious fresh pretzels or dark rye bread, always with a freshly tapped mug of beer. Obatzda was originally developed to use up odd ends of cheese and has, over the years, become an essential part ofthe Bavarian Biergarten experience. ere are about as many variations of the recipe as there are Bavarians, so you can fiddle with the flavorings as you like. Officially, one is only supposed to use Bavarian Weißbier as the liquid to loosen the mashed Camembert. Personally, I’ve had better luck with heavy cream. I like serving Obatzda with fresh soft pretzels or crusty bread and a big pile of crisp red radishes at the start of a meal, but it is also a very nice addition to the a weekend breakfast spread or if you’re having Abendbrot for dinner. Ideally, serve Obatzda the day it is made, but any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3days (note that it will deteriorate visually, however, and should be kept for family consumption only after the first day). The recipe is easily doubled. — Luisa Weiss —Food52
Test Kitchen Notes
From Classic German Cooking by Luisa Weiss. “Classic German Cooking” Copyright © 2024 by Luisa Weiss. Photographs © 2024 by Elena Heatherwick. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group.” —The Editors
Ingredients
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1
wheel (250 grams) Brie or Camembert, chilled
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1 1/2 tablespoons
(20 grams) unsalted butter
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3 1/2 tablespoons
(50 milliliters) heavy cream
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1 1/2 teaspoons
sweet paprika
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1 teaspoon
whole caraway seeds
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1 pinch
salt
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1 pinch
freshly ground black pepper
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1/2
shallot, finely minced
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1 small handfuls
chives, minced
Directions
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Cut the rind off the cheese and discard, then place the cheese in a mixing bowl. With a fork, mash it until creamy, working in the butter and cream as you go. (The cheese will be somewhat lumpy, but try to get it as smooth as possible.)
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Mash in the paprika, caraway, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the shallot. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.
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Scrape into a serving bowl and sprinkle the entire top of the Obatzda with chives. Cover and refrigerate for an hour before serving.
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