Warm vacherin

Vacherin is a great French cheese, and served warm, it is c'est magnifique! Serve it on a board with toasts and cornichons.

Credit: Barefoot Contessa

• serves

  8

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 whole (about 450 g) ripe Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese, at room temperature 
• 3 tsp (15 ml) good dry white wine  
• Fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper  
• Good bread, thinly sliced and toasted  
• 1 jar cornichons

Instructions

1. Preheat the grill and position a rack 20-23 cm (8-9 inches) below the heat.
2. If the Vacherin box is stapled together, simply place it on a sheet pan. If the box is glued together, wrap a piece of aluminum foil tightly around the bottom and sides (not the top) before placing it on a sheet pan. (Yes, you will be broiling the cheese in the box.) With a small sharp knife, remove and discard the top rind of the cheese. Pour the white wine over the cheese.
3. Grill (broil) the cheese for 2 to 3 minutes, watching carefully so the box doesn't catch on fire. Remove from the oven, sprinkle generously with fleur de sel and pepper, and serve immediately with toasted breads and cornichons. I put a small spoon in the cheese for people to help themselves.

 

Recipe from Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter). Provided courtesy of Ina Garten. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.