Morgan McGlynn’s Dreamy Baked Vacherin

Vacherin Mont-d’Or is perhaps one of the most sought-after cheeses on the market come September. This cheese is only made between August and March, when the cows have come down the mountain from their high summer pastures, and their milk is too fatty and not plentiful enough to make whole Comté wheels. When this cheese comes into season, it means winter is on its way, so there is no better way to eat it than baked, next to an open fire, nice and cosy, with a bottle of Gewurztraminer. Heaven!

Morgan McGlynn’s Dreamy Baked Vacherin

Ingredients:

1 x 450g (1lb) Vacherin Mont-d’or in a box
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
20g butter
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 tbsp of white wine

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350 F / Gas mark 4). Get your Vacherin ready by cutting the top of the cheese off with a sharp knife.

2. In a pan, cook the shallots and garlic in butter until soft. Add the rosemary and white wine, then cook off the wine and set aside for 10 minutes.

3. Spread a thin layer of cooked shallots over the cheese, cutting down into the cheese so the mixture goes all the way through. Place the top of the cheese back on, then its wooden lid and wrap in tin foil.

4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and cornichons for dipping.

About Morgan McGlynn

Morgan McGlynn is the owner of Cheeses of Muswell Hill, an award-winning independent cheese shop in North London. At age 21 she was Britain’s youngest female cheesemonger and she is the resident Cheese Expert on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch. Her first book, The Modern Cheesemaker: Making and Cooking with Cheeses at Home will be published in March 2019.