Why we love Mont D’Or
Why we love Mont D'or
Mont D’or is something we have a great deal of love for at The Bottle. A seasonal cheese that is only made between August and March each year, it is definitely a reason to look forward to winter.
Mont D’or (also known as Vacherin du Mont D’or) is made from the same milk that is used to make Comte, a delicious alpine cheese primarily from the Jura region between France and Switzerland. When the cows are brought down off the mountains, their milk production reduces and becomes thicker and creamier which is no good for making Comte which is a hard cheese. As a result, the farms started to make a smaller creamier and richer cheese from the milk.
In fact this cheese is so soft that they wrap it in spruce bark to stop it from collapsing. In my opinion this spruce bark has more than a practical benefit; to me the tastiest bit of the cheese is the part that is stuck to the bark. There is nothing better than literally scraping the sides of the box to get every scrap of the cheese attached to that bark. You may judge me now but wait until you try it and see what I mean- that woody fatty cheesiness is just delicious!!
Mould is a good thing!
This is one cheese where mould is a good thing! The spruce bark that surrounds the cheese can often look dark and mouldy but this is the nature of the cheese and as I mentioned before, it adds to the cheese’s flavour and gives it a smoky taste. The crust of the cheese crumples and develops a layer of surface mould that can look orange or pink as the cheese ages and whilst perfectly fine to eat, anyone who is not a fan of strong tasting cheese should dive beneath the skin to the good stuff underneath.
At The Bottle we prefer to eat our Mont D’or when it is more mature in flavour and oozes a little so we like to serve it when it is at least 6 weeks old.
Mont D’or in most restaurants is served baked like a camembert but traditionally in Jura it is served at room temperature. It is in fact the “Paris way” to eat it warm but either way we love it.
Want to try a Mont d’or at home? We have Bake at Home packs available on our e-shop that contain everything you need or you can buy a Mont D’or pot from us and create your own at home.
How to enjoy Mont D'or
At The Bottle we prefer to eat our Mont D’or when it is more mature in flavour and oozes a little so we like to serve it when it is at least 6 weeks old.
Mont D’or in most restaurants is served baked like a camembert but traditionally in Jura it is served at room temperature. It is in fact the “Paris way” to eat it warm but either way we love it.
Want to try a Mont d’or at home? We have Bake at Home packs available on our e-shop that contain everything you need or you can buy a Mont D’or pot from us and create your own at home.
Mont D'or Recipe
Ingredients
(Serves 4 as a Starter or light bite)
3-4 baby potatoes per person
1 x Mont D’or
1 x Clove of Garlic
1 spring of Rosemary
1 shot of cognac or white wine
1 tablespoon of cut comb honey or truffle honey
Cornichons
Add some saucission or prosciutto if you wish! It’s delicious to dip.
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 200˚C (180˚C fan).
Boil the potatoes until just soft and set aside, keeping warm.
Remove lid from Mont D’or box and insert the garlic clove into the centre and also insert the spring of rosemary.
Pour over the white wine or cognac.
Bake the cheese in the oven (uncovered) for 15-20 minutes until molten- the skin will go slightly golden and when pressed lightly the cheese will ooze.
Remove from the oven and spoon on your honey. Serve while still hot, dip the potatoes in and enjoy!
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