My Favourite Cheese- Vacherin du Haut-Doubs/ Le Mont d'Or

I must admit that it does change relatively frequently, but right now, Vacherin du Haut-Doubs is certainly my favourite cheese. If you've not tried this amazing soft, cow's milk cheese before, you really must. And I mean relatively soon.

That's not because I'm some kind of food tyrant. It's because Vacherin du Haut-Doubs is a seasonal cheese and is generally only available in shops in the colder months of the year. A good rule to go by is that it will generally become available when the clocks go back and then disappear all too quickly when they go forward again. Ok, I admit, maybe more sunlight is just about a fair trade-off, but after you've tried it, you'll understand why I'm reluctant to admit it.

The cheese is best when the middle has a slightly melted texture

I suppose you could, very simplistically, compare Vacherin du Haut-Doubs with Brie and Camembert but I'm almost certain that one of the French producers would be positively enraged by such a crude juxtaposition. It's definitely stronger in flavour than Brie whilst at the same time also being creamier and richer too. It has quite a strong aroma too, mixed in with the faint smell of the spruce that the cheese makers wrap around it mainly to keep it in the right shape.

The spruce band that wraps around the cheese

As things stand legally now, in the mass of protections that many food products on the European continent enjoy, this cheese must be made in the mountainous French region of the Franche-Comté. In 1973, Switzerland nabbed the right to call their cheese Vacherin Mont d'Or and so the way to detect which is the French cheese is now that it will be called Vacherin du Haut-Doubs or Le Mont d'Or. In 1983, the Swiss rules changed to allow the use of pasteurised cheese whilst the French will be made with unpasteurised and I think, is all the better for it.

The cheeses are bathed in salt water and put to mature for what is normally 4-6 weeks. This both acts as an antiseptic and as a way to help the flavour mature. You can find this cheese in most specialist cheese shops at this time of year and possibly in larger branches of the more up-market supermarkets. However, I would encourage you to seek it out from a specialist because they will have much better knowledge about how to keep the cheese and mature it properly so you get the best example you can.

You could bake your Vacherin du Haut-Doubs and dip crusty bread into it but I prefer to eat it as I find it (after having let it sit out of the fridge for a while of course). Serve with a lovely glass of Côtes du Jura to keep it regional. You'll be pleased you did.

GastroTom

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