Vacherin Mont d’Or AOC

What’s it taste like? This is the French and unpasteurised version of Vacherin Mont d’Or which is made just over the border in Switzerland. It is indescribably creamy and gorgeous with the unmistakable aroma of alpine milk.

Where’s it from? This UNPASTEURISED AOC Mont D’Or is made in the foothills of the Jura Mountains. Mont d’Or comes in an attractive wooden box (est. 450g) which you can bake the cheese directly in.

PLEASE NOTE sometimes this cheese can have a certain amount of bloomy white mould around the edge that forms between the cheese and the spruce bark coating.

Articles:

September every year marks the official release of Mont D’Or AOC to the international Market. In the Swiss village of Les Charbonnières, a traditional annual Vacherin Mont d’Or fair takes place. The festival includes a farmers’ market, the descent of the herds, Alphorns, bell-ringers, country music and the finale: the presentation of the Mont d’Or. Read more about the festival here.

If you’re wondering which wine should you pair with the flavours of alpine cheese, here are some suggestions…

Recipes:

Vacherin Mont d’Or salad with beetroot and artichoke

This salad has a smooth and soft finish with the subtle flavour of the artichoke and the nutty, earthiness of the beetroot. Find the full recipe here.

Oven Baked Vacherin

Vacherin is perfection when you simply bake it in the oven. Cut the garlic clove in half and smear over the top of the Vacherin Mont D’Or. Make half a dozen holes into the skin of the Vacherin and dribble the white wine into the holes. Bake for about 20 mins in the oven or until the top feels soft to the touch and the cheese underneath is oozy. We suggest dipping in hunks of crusty baguette, celery sticks, mixed nuts and berries, mini potatoes or salami for a sociable starter for 4.

There are plenty of cheeses that are perfection when you bake them in the oven. The trick is finding the right dish to bake it in. Then you must add the right extra flavours for each unique cheese, and of course creating the ideal dipping accompaniments. Here are some alternative cheeses to bake when Vacherin isn’t in season.