CHEESEHASA WAYofnourishingand
enliveningus,andit certainlyhelpsusto
entertain.There’ssomethingstrikingand
heart-warmingabouta handmadecheese
wrappedin sprucebark.Justthesightof
LeDucVacherintellsyoutheexperience
ofeatingandsharingit willbefarabove
anythinga plastic-wrapped industrial
cheesecouldoffer.
ThesurfaceofLeDucVacherinranges
fromwhitetoduck-shellcreamtohints
ofpink,dependingonitsage.So,too,
theflavourandtextureofthisdelectable
cheesewillvarydependingonwhenit’s
eaten– frommildandsatisfyingwhen
young,tothickand gooey just before the
use-bydate.
Thissoft,surface-ripened,washed-rind
cheeseis handmadein themountainsof
theFranche-ComtéregionofFrance
usingrichmilkfromlocalMontbéliarde
cows. Experts speculate that the cheese’s3 smallgarliccloves
1 LeDucVacherin(initsbox)(^1) / 4 cup(60ml)drywhite wine or red wine
4 thymesprigs
Crusty bread, to serve
Preheattheovento200 ̊C.
Bringa saucepanofsaltedwatertothe
boiloverhighheat.Blanchgarliccloves
for4 minutes,thendrainandrefresh
undercoldrunningwaterandsliceinhalf
lengthwise.Removewrappingfrom
cheeseandreturncheesetoitsbox
(leavethelidoff).Piercethecheeseinsix
placeswitha sharpknifeandgentlypush
thegarlicintotheholes.Pouroverthe
wine,ensuringit seepsintothecheese.
Sprinklewiththyme and freshly ground
blackpepper.
Placethecheeseona bakingtrayand
bakefor 10 minutesoruntiltherindis
bursting slightly. Serve with crusty bread.
barkgirdlewastraditionallya wayto
containit fortravel.Fortuitously,the
sprucenowaddsa gorgeoushintofthe
forest(andmakesLeDucperfect for
picnics and backyard parties).
SELECTINGANDSERVING
Whilenotedible,thebarkcanbeleftin
placeforanaesthetic‘wow’effectatthe
table.Orit canbepeeledofftogrant
easieraccesstoa knifeorhunkofbread.
LeDucVacherincomesin a woodenbox
formostoftheyear,andin a special-
occasionovenproof dish during the
holiday season.
BAKEDVACHERIN
SERVES6 ASA STARTER
There’strulynothingasdeliciousand
comfortingasa molten,meltycheesewith
bread,whetheryou’realonein UggBoots
or surrounded by friends for a dinner party. PHOTOGRAPHY
BEN
DEARNLEY
STYLING
KIRSTEN JENKINS
MERCHANDISING
EMMALY STEWART
@thestuddsiblings
WRAPPED
STAR
EllieandSamStuddestablish
a Frenchconnectionwitha cheese
that comes dressed to impress.
44 delicious.com.au