Alpineindulgenceatitsfinest.
Baked Vacherin
S
implepleasures(anddinnerpartypeople-
pleasers)don’tcomemuchsimplerthanbaked
cheese.Andfew,if any,cheesesareasrevered
inmoltenformasVacherinMontd’Or.
Namedaftera mountainpeakintheJura,thissoft,
pungentwashed-rindcheeseis thehardworkofa small
butsteadfastnetworkoffarmersandmakersinthe
SwisscantonofVaudandthedepartmentofDoubs
ineasternFrance,whereit’sknownasVacherindu
Haut-Doubs.Productionbeginsmid-Augustand
concludesmid-March, makingthemostofthedense
wintermilkfromthesamedairy cows responsible
for Comté and Gruyère.SEASONING
SprinkletheVacherinwithrosemarybefore
bakingforaddedfragrance,ortucksliversof
garlicintoslitscutintotherind.Someanoint
thesurfacewithhoneyoroliveoilbefore
baking,butanaromaticwhitewinesuchas
chasselasis thetime-honouredfinishingtouch.ACCOMPANIMENTS
Virtuallyanythingworkshere,butaimfor
a varietyofflavoursandtextures.Boiledbaby
potatoes,gherkinsandcrustybreadarecomme
il faut,whilelavashorsavourybiscuits,suchas
KettleBurntFigFlatBreadcrackers,addextra
crunchandflavour.Shavedleghamorjambon
cruis a worthyinclusion,andaddingcruditésto
themixis a greatwaytoclearoutthecrisper.CHEESE
Themostimportant
thingis thatthe
cheeseis cooked
untilit is completely
soft,goldenontop
andwarmedall
thewaythrough.
Servingit inits
circularsprucebox
retainsthedistinct
woodyflavourand
rusticcharm.Spoon
it overpotatoes
andsidesif you
wish,buthaveatit
fondue-styleto
maximisethefun.Sydney’sContinentalDeliserves
bakedVacherinwithsmokedPolish
sausageandolives,whileCutler
& Co,inMelbourne,stickstothe
classic bread-and-gherkins script.Find
one37Anatomy of a dish
WORDS
MATTHEW
HIRSCH.
PHOTOGRAPHY
ROB
SHAW.
STYLING
AIMEE
JONES.
SLATE BOARD FROM THE LOST + FOUND DEPARTMENT. STOCKISTS P152.