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May 27, 2005
Morbier (the real deal)
The time has come to try some really weird cheeses. Morbier is here! Why is Morbier weird? Well, it is made from two milkings (of a cow), one from the morning milking and one from the evening milk. The legend, as it were, goes that a cheesemaker who "invented" Morbier, simply ran out of curds and had to wait for another milking. In the meantime, not wanting to waste the curds he already had to go to waste, he covered them with ash. The ash was to prevent the cheese from drying out, but probably also to keep away bugs (ick!)
Steven Jenkins in his Cheese Primer goes at length about the very subtle difference between the morning milk and the evening milk. Surely, "the evening milk may be fruitier or more pronounced" and as far as morning milk is concerned, "there should be a fleeting, subtle difference in the flavor of a milk coming from a cow that has been [...] motionless through the night". Yes, he goes on for a bit and there's talk of "ruminating in the field" - I guess nothing a cheese lover makes but happy cows (or something)!
But I'm joking. Morbier is truly wonderful, take a look:
This cheese is so good that there are many places that make "Morbier" while it's not technically Morbier on the grounds that it is not even made in a proper place (Franche-Comte Jura or Doubs should are ok, Poitou and Auvergne are a big no-no). These impostor cheeses are made from pasteurized milk and way cheaper, but also much more bland. Morbier is supposed to be deeply fruity and nutty and complex and the fakers don't live up to it. This particular Morbier was made in the Jura Mountains in the town Roanne by Herve Mons and it lived up to its hype. It is recommended to be eaten with ham or salami, maybe on a sandwich, but it is quite delicious on its own, too.
Posted by maggie at May 27, 2005 01:00 AM