The season has arrived. The highly awaited Vacherin Mont d’Or is made available during fall and winter seasons! Spearheaded by the Swiss village Les Charbonnieres, Vacherin Mont d’Or is officially on the market.
Vacherin Mont d’Or‘s fame is based on its apparent distinction from other cheeses. Usually prepared in a round wooden box, the cheese itself is cloaked in a velvety pink rind and encased in spruce bark.
There are four different sizes wherein this seasonal cheese is available. The Vacherin Mont d’Or, when ripe, can be eaten with a spoon, revealing a pale yellow cheese underneath its crust. Although it is gooey and creamy, its rich creaminess is enhanced by woody notes coming from the spruce bark that embraces the cheese inside the box.
It is historically noted that “vacherin” cheese was a name created in order for it to be differentiated from another goat’s milk from Sweden named “chevrotin”. In the 19th century, Vacherin made from raw milk was already known as a fine cheese from the Les Charbonnieres area in Switzerland. Today, Vacherin is made from thermized cow’s milk instead of raw milk. Nevertheless, Vacherin Mont d’Or has retained both flavor and feel due to the spruce bark boxes that these cheeses come in.
In Switzerland, Vacherin Mont d’Or is considered as a fall and winter cheese delicacy. the cheese is substantial enough to be considered a meal, sometimes paired with butter potato pancakes or small potatoes that have been boiled. But just like any cheese, Vacherin goes well with meat like slabs of ham. And other ideas would be to put in some pickled onions and tomatoes and make a Vacherin sandwich, or add it to a bowl of greens for a cheesy salad.
The ability to be baked and consumed immediately is something that sets Vacherin Mont d’Or apart from other cheeses. You just have to remove the lid and place it in an oven you have already lined with aluminum foil. It is suggested that the cheese be diced up into more manageable sizes before it is baked for parties, and served while still creamy and hot.
