Cheese Box: Comté, Oude Beemster & Morbier

Comté

Comté was the first and only cheese we sold when we started the business over 15 years ago. Over that time, through countless trips to France, we have perfected our selection to find cheeses that we believe best encapsulate Comté.

Our Comté is produced by small fruitières across the Jura and Doubs mountains within the Franche-Comté region of Eastern France. Comté is a hard cows’ milk cheese with a salted rind. Milk used in the production of Comté comes from local Montbelliarde or French Simmental cows.

Our Comté is aged by Marcel Petite, at Fort St Antoine, until it reaches perfect maturity. Marcel Petite engages in a philosophy of affinage lent, or slow maturation, with the cheeses kept at a cool temperature, surrounded by the thick stone walls of the fort. Over time, this setting allows the cheeses to develop well-balanced sweet, nutty flavours and a smooth, creamy texture.

We hand select Comté that has been matured for around 12 to 14 months. When we select our cheeses, we are looking for length and depth of flavour; sweet caramelised onion, rich nuttiness balanced with subtle meaty and vegetal notes. The texture is creamy, dense and smooth. Some other suppliers prefer Comte that has aged for longer, but in our view, it is at this stage that it tastes at its best.

Comté is a perfect table cheese; served on fresh bread or crackers, accompanied by fruits, sweet pickles and walnuts. It can also be melted for fondue or used for a traditional cheese souffle. 

Morbier

Morbier is a semi-soft unpasteurised cows’ milk cheese produced by a small fruitière in the Jura mountains. Morbier is most recognisable for the thin layer of ash cut through the centre. Historically, leftover evening milk from Comte production would be made into curds and set into small moulds. The ash layer would be sprinkled over the curds to preserve the cheese overnight before morning milk was added the next day. Today the edible ash is simply used to maintain the traditional appearance of the cheese.

Our Morbier is matured by Marcel Petite for four to five months before we select cheeses that are rich, creamy and developing more tangy notes. The ivory coloured curd is soft and slightly elastic giving the cheese a moreish texture in the mouth with sweet milky flavours and a more pronounced citrusy and grassy finish.

Morbier pairs particularly well with full-bodied French wines and served on fresh sourdough bread. It is also a wonderful topping for tartiflette and matches well with onions and potatoes.

Oude Beemster Gouda

Oude Beemster Gouda is produced by the CONO Cooperative in Beemster Polder, Northern Holland. The cheeses are made using pasteurised milk from Holstein-Fresian cows. The curd is coloured with a plant-based annatto, used since 16^th century to give a rich golden hue which traditionally indicated that is was made with the richest milk.

L’Amuse collect this Gouda and age at their own facilities for 24 months. By that time, small amino acid crystals have developed giving the cheese a delectable crystalline crunch within a buttery and fudgy texture that melts in the mouth. Toasted flavours with hints of cocoa, salted caramel and spice harmonise in this sweet and tangy cheese. These flavours are well suited to be served with cured meats and pickles. Oude Beemster also melts well to be used for grilled cheese sandwiches or melted into a rich cheese sauce.