What is Mont-d'Or cheese, manufacturing features. Composition, energy value, useful properties, restrictions and contraindications. Culinary uses, history of the variety.
Mont-d'Or (Vachrain-du-O-Du or Vachrain-Mont-d'Or) is a soft cow's milk cheese produced in Switzerland and France. The originality is given by the fact that before fermentation the heads are packed in round packages made of spruce wood. Smell - creamy, spicy, milky; the taste is oily, piquant, with a mushroom and earthy tint; texture - delicate, stringy, oily, without cavities and eyes; color - from white matte to ivory. The crust is thin, reddish, sticky, covered with a layer of mucus. Heads in the form of flattened cylinders with a diameter of 15-28 cm, a height of 3-4 cm and weighing from 500 g to 2 kg. Manufacture and sale are seasonal. Produced from mid-August to mid-March, and sold from May to September.
How is Mont-d'Or cheese made?
The initial raw material is cow's milk of high fat content, not less than 3, 4%. Preference is given to the milk production of animals feeding calves. French manufacturers neglect pasteurization, while Swiss ones carry out short-term heat treatment, heating up to 65 ° C.
At the initial stages, Mont-d'Or cheese is prepared, like other high-fat dairy products. The milk is cooled to 25 ° C, a complex lactic acid ferment is added, kept, the calf rennet is introduced in liquid form and the calcium is formed. A dense curd curd is cut with a "harp" into cheese grains with edges up to 1.5 cm and kneaded for 15-20 minutes, maintaining a constant temperature, until the edges are rounded and the pieces reach the size of a hazelnut. The cheese mass is allowed to settle and part of the whey is decanted.
Consider how Mont-d'Or cheese is made in the subsequent stages. Transfer the cottage cheese to a drainage table covered with a serpyanka. The intermediate raw materials are wrapped, which already begins to thicken, and the fabric is briefly squeezed out and oppression is set for 30-40 minutes. When pressing, high cylinders are formed, which are dried and salted in 20% brine for 40-70 minutes, and then cut and packed in wooden boxes, secured with a metal bracket made of steel that does not corrode upon contact with an acidic medium and salt.
Only then the cheese is dried at room temperature for 12 hours, without waiting for the surface to become dry. Rather, this step is needed to remove excess moisture. Then the heads are installed on racks in a chamber with a humidity of 90% and a temperature of 14-15 ° C.
In the first week, 2 times a day, and then 1 time, the surface with the help of brushes is wiped with brine with a culture of Brevibacterium linens dissolved in it. A mucous coating forms on the crust - underneath the crust is formed.
Duration of aging in cellars is from 3 to 5 weeks. But maturation does not end at this stage. The longer the cheese is on the counter, the more piquant and spicy the taste becomes.
The difference between French Mont-d'Or or Swiss Vachrain-Mont-d'Or is negligible. Due to the difference in the processing of the raw materials, the colors of the pulp and crust change. When using unpasteurized milk, the texture is young ivory, and the surface is light brown, pasteurized - the flesh with a pronounced yellowness, and the crust is reddish.
Composition and calorie content of Mont-d'Or cheese
When studying the properties and composition, essential oils were not taken into account, which were absorbed into the head from a package made from fresh, undried spruce wood. But they are the “culprits” of the special aroma and taste of the delicacy.
The calorie content of Mont-d'Or cheese is 288 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 17.6 g;
- Fat - 24 g;
- Carbohydrates - 0, 67-0, 73 g;
- Water - 54 g.
Fat content on dry matter - 45-50%.
In the vitamin complex, vitamins A and E prevail, group B - choline, pantothenic and folic acid, cobalamin, pyridoxine, riboflavin.
Minerals per 100 g:
- Calcium - 700 mg;
- Potassium - 120 mg;
- Magnesium - 30 mg;
- Sodium - 450 mg;
- Phosphorus - 430 mg;
- Copper - 70 mcg;
- Manganese - 0.02 g;
- Selenium - 5.8 mcg;
- Zinc - 8 mg
Fats per 100 g:
- Saturated fatty acids - 15.5 g;
- Cholesterol - 96 mg
Also in the composition of Mont-d'Or cheese there are essential and nonessential amino acids, with a predominance of valine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, glutamic and aspartic acids. Thanks to the wooden packaging in the pulp, especially near the crust, there are resin acids and essential oils that are absorbed during fermentation and have a pronounced effect on it.
The recommended daily dosage of Mont-d'Or cheese is 70-80 g. Eating such a piece, you can restore the reserve of calcium by 16%, potassium by 30%, 65% manganese, 57% selenium and 76% zinc.
It is very important that this food product contains a relatively small amount of salt - only 1.3 g per 100 g.
Due to its moderate salinity, it can be safely introduced into a diet for weight loss. There is enough energy for active training, but due to the fact that water does not accumulate in the body, weight gain, even if you are lazy and skip a lesson, will not occur.
Benefits of Mont-d'Or cheese
This delicacy is a storehouse of milk protein and easily digestible calcium, a building material for bone tissue. Regular use prevents the development of osteoporosis and osteochondrosis, reduces the frequency of arthritis and gout attacks.
Benefits of Mont-d'Or cheese:
- Stimulates the production of saliva and stops the appearance of inflammatory processes in the oral cavity and oropharynx, stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontal disease, chronic pharyngitis and tonsillitis.
- Creates favorable conditions for beneficial flora colonizing the small intestine. This increases the absorption of nutrients that come not only with cheese, but also with foods that are eaten with it, accelerates digestion, and normalizes peristalsis. Stops putrefactive processes in the intestines, removes bad breath.
- Accelerates impulse conduction.
- It stabilizes the work of the cardiovascular system, maintains stable blood pressure.
- Due to the fat content and oiliness, a protective film forms on the surface of the digestive organs, which reduces the aggressive effects of digestive juices. Fermentation increases, but, despite the increase in the amount of hydrochloric and bile acids, the likelihood of gastritis and peptic ulcer disease decreases.
- With active training, it accelerates fat burning and prevents the development of cellulite.
- It has immunostimulating and anti-inflammatory effects.
- It has a beneficial effect on the visual system, facilitates the transition from one light regime to another, from darkness to light.
Kidney disease is not a contraindication to eating Mont-d'Or cheese. The salinity of this variety is low, therefore, by halving the daily dosage, you can feast on even with an exacerbation of chronic pyelonephritis or cystitis.
It is recommended to introduce the delicacy in the menu of women over 45 years old. The pleasant taste increases the production of serotonin, the hormone of joy, prevents the development of depression, helps to cope with irritation, and relieves insomnia. A few tablespoons of tender pulp will not cause weight gain, but it will provide a good mood for the whole day.
Contraindications and harm of Mont-d'Or cheese
This variety has a high microbiological hazard, especially the French version made from raw milk. The "culprits" of possible infectious diseases are Penicillium glaucum and Escherichia coli, which, even with a short-term violation of storage or transportation conditions, are activated under a layer of protective mucus. There is also the likelihood of developing listeriosis and salmonellosis. Therefore, people with weak immunity, children up to the age of 14-16 years, pregnant and lactating women should refuse to use it.
Mont-d'Or cheese is harmful when overeating against the background of digestive problems or a tendency to diarrhea.
Relative contraindications for use:
- exacerbation of gastritis with high acidity and peptic ulcer;
- impaired liver function;
- frequent migraine attacks;
- insomnia.
The product contains a high amount of the amino acid tryptophan, which causes not only an increase in tone, but also arousal. That is why it is advisable to feast on it in the morning, so that all the substances obtained with the delicacy have time to transform before nightfall.
Another danger from a tasty product is that if consumed regularly, it can be addictive, since it contains a compound that resembles morphine in action. Therefore, it is not worth "getting hooked" on this variety - it is enough to introduce it into the diet 2-4 times a week. And even better - on holidays, with a decent snack.
Recipes with Mont-d'Or cheese
The delicacy can be served with fruits, nuts, white freshly baked country bread, or tortillas. It is washed down with white wine Juracet or red Beaujolais. But it is more popular as an ingredient for fondue or hot dishes.
One of the most common dishes with Mont-d'Or is cheese baked right in a wooden box. Prepare like this: remove the lid from the tuyeska, prick the crust without removing mucus, pour white wine over the head and pepper. You can stick in a few garlic prongs or sprinkle with aromatic herbs. Close the lid and wrap the package in foil, bake in the oven at 180-200 ° C. This is enough for the cheese to melt and brown, without charring the box itself. Served with boiled potatoes.
Other recipes with Mont-d'Or cheese:
- Casserole "3 cheese" … Boil 100 g of round rice until tender, discard in a colander to remove the liquid, mix in a bowl with 100 g of Mozzarella, grated carrots, chopped bunch of parsley. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Mix the dressing: beat 2 eggs with a glass of milk, 150 g of Mont-d'Or and grated Parmesan, pepper and add a little salt. Lubricate the mold with butter, spread the rice mixture into it and fill it with dressing. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the surface is browned.
- Fondue … It is better to use several types of cheeses - hard and soft. Rub the pots from the inside with garlic, bring red wine to a boil, add some cheeses of all kinds, stirring constantly so that there are no lumps. When all the ingredients run out, they dilute the starch in cognac and also pour it into the fondue. Bring to a boil, season with peppers or peppers of various types and nutmeg. For 300 ml of wine - 400 g of cheese. All varieties are combined in equal quantities.
See also Tom de Savoie recipes.
Interesting facts about Mont-d'Or cheese
The history of the variety began in the Middle Ages. Then the chefs tried to surprise Louis XV, who knew a lot about cheese, with an interesting delicacy. They developed various recipes, and it was then that the idea of keeping the heads in spruce boxes appeared. The taste of pine needles and resin interested the royal person, and Mont-d'Or became a frequent "guest" at the court.
The French insisted that Mont d'Or began to be made in Switzerland only in 1871, when the French soldiers, retreating, left their supply of food - cows, which were chased after the army, in the snowy forests of the Jura, together with a shepherd, who began to make a new cheese. But in the household books of the Charbonnier region, the variety in the "spruce basket" is mentioned as early as 1845, that is, 30 years before the war. That's just a mixture of goat and cow milk was used as a raw material.
Despite the fact that documentary evidence - a description of the recipe - was found in the cookbooks of France, the dispute between the cheesemakers of this country and Switzerland ended only in 1981. It was then that a certificate of origin was issued to the French version. But the Swiss version received recognition only in 2003. It is not surprising that the variety was divided for a long time. After all, he was born in the border region, and the milk of Simmental cows grazing in the foothills of the Alps is used as a raw material.
It is problematic to buy a delicacy in a store. On both sides of the border, only 11 cheese dairies are engaged in its production, so batches are made to order, and only leftovers are sold through the distribution network. You can enjoy yourself in alpine restaurants or in special establishments where they are treated to dishes of the national cuisine of France or Italy.
The original recipe was also purchased by American cheesemakers. They definitely learned to repeat the taste of Mont-d'Or cheese, but they could not prepare an original dish, baked cheese. And technical progress is to blame.
In cheese dairies in the small homeland, the heads are made by hand. Each is secured with a strip of spruce bark, and then packaged in spruce boxes, fastened with a stainless steel bracket. The Americans, on the other hand, installed processing lines for packaging, where the cheese monoliths were cut and immediately packaged in wooden glued boxes. In the oven, the packages were unstuck, and the cheese spread.
If you want to get acquainted with a new taste, it is better to order baked cheese or fondue, especially when traveling in the Alps with children. Heat treatment stops the fermentation and vital activity of opportunistic bacteria. This will protect you from unpleasant surprises associated with poor health.
Watch a video about Mont-d'Or cheese:
