FRANCE, COW’S MILK
PERSONALITY: A heartthrob of buttery mushrooms with roll-in-the-hay freshness.
Too often Camembert gets lost on party platters amid a lot of fancy fixings, and by the end of the night its carcass-like rind serves as a reminder that surface mold is still misunderstood. Word to all: a good Camembert needs very little fuss, and yes, the rind is perfectly edible. In fact, it’s the most flavorful part of the cheese, full of mushroomy goodness and hints of cracked pepper.
Camembert hails from Normandy, where it’s made, by law, with raw milk. In the States, the FDA requires all young cheeses to be pasteurized, and since Camembert is an adolescent wünderkind, the wheels available to us here are a little different from the opulent rounds you may have sampled in France. That said, you must try Camembert du Normandie, one of the tastiest pasteurized versions on the market. Let it come to room temperature, then inhale its buttery, fungal scent as you dig in. When ripe, Camembert—even in America—can be glorious.
Good matches: The French eat Camembert with baguette and walnuts. Make like the French.
Wine/beer: Pick a beverage based on the ripeness of your Camembert. For a young wheel: Champagne. For a medium-ripe wheel, a hard cider from Normandy will bring tears to your eyes. A well-aged wheel can tame a Côtes du Rhône. Favor beer? Grab a Belgian Dubbel.
Camembert ripens from the outside in, so look to the color of its surface for clues. A perfectly white Camembert is young and will be mild in flavor, dense in texture. As the cheese ripens, stippling appears on the rind and the surface will look less like velvet and more like beige corduroy. Most people favor a Corduroy Camembert—the flavors deepen, and the center turns wicked fudgy, almost runny. If you smell ammonia on your Camembert, it’s beginning to turn. Eat it maintenant!