Once More with Cheese

We struck gold: Whole Foods had just received a shipment of Hervé Mons, a French camembert which, although pasteurized, is as close to genuine French camembert as one can get in the U.S. George, always on the lookout for such news, read an article by Harold McGee, heralding the arrival of “A Camembert That Pasteur Would Have Loved.” The camembert in question resembles a raw-milk one. It has a fairly thin, edible rind, a golden, soft interior, earthy, and strong flavor. Made by Hervé Mons, a French affineur, it is exclusively available at Whole Foods Market throughout the US.

George called the cheese department at Whole Foods on Columbus Circle to inquire and asked them to put one camembert aside for us. I went, I bought, and we savored the cheese after a ridiculous first course of grilled cheese sandwiches, based on a recipe by the famous Swiss chef Fredy Giradet. The recipe called for thinly sliced Swiss cheese to be baked in a 400 degree oven until browned, but still soft in the center for about 5 minutes; thick slices of country bread brushed with softened butter and sprinkled with a few drops of white wine; to put the cheese slices on top of the bread, return to the oven until the cheese bubbles and melts for about another 5 minutes.

Reading the recipe I should have known better. The baked Swiss cheese stuck together like glue. I scooped it up and transferred the cheese onto the bread and hoped for the best. The best was that we ignored the globs of cheese, rescued the butter/wine treated bread, and indulged in Monsieur Mons’ camembert, accompanied by a Côtes du Rhône Saint-Esprit.

George found the camembert too creamy. Truth be told, I barely remembered what genuine camembert tastes like. But we had fun.

Whole Foods Market
10 Columbus Circle
(212) 823-9600