Vacherin (cheese)
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| Country of origin | France, Switzerland | |||
| Region, town | Franche-Comté, Fribourg canton | |||
| Source of milk | Cows | |||
| Pasteurized | Traditionally, no | |||
| Texture | washed rind soft cheese | |||
| Aging time | 5-7 weeks | |||
| Certification | AOC France 1981; | |||
- This article refers to the cheese, vacherin is also a French dessert: a meringue crust filled with crème Chantilly and fruit.
A Vacherin cheese is a cow's-milk (French vache, "cow") cheese. Two main types of French or Swiss Vacherin cheeses exist.
One is a soft, rich, seasonal cheese contained in a grayish-yellow blanched rind and called Vacherin Mont d'Or. Made from cow's-milk in Switzerland or France, usually in villages of the Jura region (an origin that has been officially controlled since 1981), it typically contains 45 to 50 percent milk fat. It is marketed in a round wooden cheese-box. Served warmed in its original packaging and eaten like a Fondue, Vacherin is a rare and delicious indulgence.
[edit] Serving method
For optimal enjoyment, remove the top rind and scoop out the inside with a crusty baguette or pop the whole cheese in the oven and serve like fondue.
- Wrap a sleeve of aluminum foil around the outside of the box of Vacherin Mont-d'Or.
- Prick the top rind of the cheese with a fork (as for a pie crust). Insert one or two cloves of garlic (optional).
- Pour a generous splash of dry white wine over the top.
- Pre-heat oven to 390 degrees (200° C) and bake for 25 minutes.
- Serve by spooning it over potatoes, or sop it up with bread, like a fondue.
[edit] Vacherin Fribourgeois
The other Vacherin, a firmer cheese, is called Vacherin Fribourgeois. It is made in the Fribourg canton of Switzerland where Gruyère cheese originates and has a slightly acidic, resiny flavor, with a varying strength depending on the age and type. It is also a basic component lending character to fondues (depending on the recipe).
