Our funky bark-belted soft cheese in the style of Vacherin Mont d’Or. Delicious eaten as is – or baked in its belt like a mini-fondue!
Texture: with a thin bloomy rind, the paste is creamy and melty, becoming oozy, runny and spoonable as it ages.
Flavour: mildly-woodsy, creamy and nutty, becoming stronger in aroma and taste with age.
Weight: 180g small, 1 kg large.
Eat: Delicious eaten as is – just remove its bark belt & eat it like any soft cheese. Or when it’s really ripe and runny, we love to leave its belt on, cut off the top rind with a sharp knife to expose its delectable interior, and use it as a dip for bread or crackers – a great party piece! Or bake it in its belt like a mini-fondue – see our suggestions for Baked Driftwood below.
Pair: this luscious alpine-style cheese calls for more structured white wines & lighter fruit-driven reds. Try to avoid anything with much tannin as its spruce bark belt delivers enough. Savignan, from the same Jura region work beautifully – try an Australian version from Beechworth – as do Pinot Noir, white Rhone varieties such as Marsanne & Roussanne, or light Spanish Garnacha.
Baked Driftwood: remove cheese from box, remove wrapping, leave bark belt on, and drop cheese back into box or an oven-proof dish. Pierce the top of the cheese a few times with a fine skewer, drizzle with white wine, sprinkle with chopped thyme, stud with slivered garlic. Bake cheese in oven (pre-heated to 180°C) for about 15 minutes or until it is heated through and centre has melted. Serve immediately with crusty bread for dipping, or accompanied by cooked potatoes, cornichons, mushrooms – or try dipping in blanched broccoli or cauliflower florets.
