When we think of winter and Christmas or are asked what we imagine as the perfect "comfort food", Vacherin is absolutely certain to be in the top 3. Vacherin du Haut-Doubs, also known as "Mont d'Or" (the Swiss variety), is "simply" a cow's milk soft cheese ... and of course you can also eat it "just like that". However, it owes its fame and popularity to the fact that you can put it in the oven and with a few simple steps in no time transform it into an absolutely delicious and wonderfully fragrant mini-fondue in the wooden box. Then the Vacherin really comes to life and warms the hearts and stomachs of the happy diners ...
In the current Effilee, Nina Anika Klotz writes that hardly any food is "as warm, soft, delicious and satisfying as freshly melted cheese", that it is something "like the edible embrace of a good friend". I would sign that without hesitation in relation to Vacherin.
Vacherin is the product of a centuries-old tradition shared by France and Switzerland. French Vacherin is made from raw milk and comes from Haut-Doubs, a region of Franche-Comté. It is aged, wrapped in a band of spruce bark, in a spruce wood box and rubbed every two days with white wine from the Jura, which decisively influences its taste: the yellowish-white paste is creamy soft with a few small holes and after three weeks of aging has a creamy-mild, slightly sweet taste. Real Vacherin is only produced from autumn and then throughout the winter. So if you want a Vacherin of good quality, you had better pass on it in spring and summer.
The Vacherin season has just begun with us and of course we receive many inquiries about how exactly to prepare the good stuff. To answer all questions at once, my sister Anaïs and I met last Sunday and virtually gave ourselves over to the warm embrace of a good friend ...
The following video explains all the steps in three and a half minutes. Below that you will find the recipe again in a clear text form.
So then, have fun cooking it!
Ingredients (for 4 small or 2 hungry diners):
- 1 Vacherin du Haut-Doubs
- 1 clove of garlic
- White wine, preferably light and dry, such as Jongieux or Les Terrasses blanc
As classic side dishes:
- Potatoes or bread
- Brési du Jura or Bündnerfleisch (available in our shop)
- a green salad
- sour pickles, pickled tomatoes, olives
- for seasoning: pepper or Piment d'Espelette
- for the vinaigrette: olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper
Preparation:
Place the Vacherin with its wooden shell in a water bath with warm water for a quarter of an hour, so that the wood can soak up nicely. This way it will not burn in the oven later. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to approx. 200 °C and peel and parboil the potatoes if necessary. Now is also a good time to uncork the wine and enjoy a little sip.
When the quarter-hour soaking time is up: score the Vacherin crosswise with a sharp knife. Cut it as if you wanted to quarter the cheese (i.e. cut from one edge to the next), but without letting the knife reach the bottom.
Peel the clove of garlic and lightly crush it. This can be done well by placing it on a wooden board, positioning a large, broad knife on it and giving it one hearty fist-punch. Now press the clove of garlic into the center of the cross in the cheese and finally pour a generous gulp of the white wine over it.
Now place the Vacherin in its wooden box in a fireproof dish and put it – without the lid and without aluminum foil cover – on the middle rack in the oven.
It bakes there for about 20 to 30 minutes. It is ready when the wine has seeped in and the cheese is nicely liquid. You can check this at any time with a spoon. If you are satisfied with the result, turn the heat up really high again for a few minutes or switch on the top grill, so that the rind becomes a nice crispy crust. Because that tastes especially good!
Take the Vacherin out of the oven and serve it hot and liquid, preferably by pouring it directly onto the potatoes on your plate. Simply serve the salad and everything else according to your preference.
Bon appétit!
