It was first made in the late 18th century at Camembert, Normandy, in northern France, and now crafted by many cheesemakers around the world, including our own Milawa Australian cheesemaker, Camembert has to be one of the most eaten cheeses! Well, by our books it is! Relaxing with friends - pass the camembert. In the late evening - pass the camembert. Breakfast - pass the camembert. Is there ever not a good time for a creamy, buttery, oozing wheel of camembert?
| STRENGTH: 4/10• Riesling
• Pinot Noir
• Lavosh
• Wafer and Quince
One of the enjoyable things about a great bottle of wine is how the characteristics can change over years, but take it too far and it falls off a cliff into a vinegary waste only fit for the drain. Get it just before this moment and you will savour every drop. Consider this cheese as the sped up version, taking weeks rather than years to mature. Too young and it will be firm and light on flavour. Go past the Best Before date and the pate starts to break down, turning into that Instagrammable goo running across a table. The flavour gets richer and is what true cheese is all about.
Camembert and other white mould cheeses, are often referred to as surface-ripened cheeses. This means that they ripen from the surface, with the last to ripen being the centre. The stage of maturation of the cheese can be clearly seen when cut open to show a different texture between the centre and the rest of the cheese. Slightly under-ripe, the cheese at the centre will have a firmer, sometimes chalky, texture, while the rest will start to get that beautiful glisten that a gooey cheese gets.