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Any Livarot Fans? (cheese)

post #1 of 3
7/1/08 at 9:23pm
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I wasn't familiar with it, and bought it on a whim. In retrospect, don't know how, but it wasn't until it had been in my work fridge for a few days that I noticed its... distinctive odor (let's just say that even when still fully wrapped and sealed, the cheese smells as though it had already been cut!). I had to double-ziploc it and bring it home before HR could reprimand me for creating a hostile work environment. Anyway, considering its odor (which seems much more tolerable if you cut off the rind; is that heresy?), it's not bad. To my relatively uncultured palate it tastes like a brie with serious bite to it. Dead serious.
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post #2 of 3
7/1/08 at 10:16pm
Yes... You don't normally eat the rind of washed rind cheeses as it tends to be gritty. The smell of the cheese does freak a lot of people out though. Once you cut off the rind, Livarot is very good, provided it is in the proper ripening stage. If it's under ripe, it feel be pasty and not very flavorful, if it's over-ripe, it will smell positively foul. You have to rely on your cheesemonger, or more often on your own mad cheese skillz if you hope to buy it in proper stage of ripeness. These days, I usually look for a quality Camembert, Pont Leveque, Brie de Meaux or authentic Muenster to get my washed rind French cheese fix, though I would not say no to a ripe Livarot. If you get an under ripe cheese, you can age it a little bit in your fridge's high humidity drawer. Give it some air, high humidity and a few days and it will improve, as long as you don't cut into it. A ripe bloomy rind (like real Brie or Camemebert) or washed rind (Livarot, Pont Leveque, Epoisse) will be soft and runny throughout (they age from outside in) but with no unpleasant flavor or smell. An under ripe cheese will barely smell of anything. Cheese that is ready to eat will smell of hay, grass, earth and barnyard (in a good way). An overripe cheese will smell of ammonia, sharpness, and other unpleasantness.
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post #3 of 3
7/2/08 at 2:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmax View Post
Yes... You don't normally eat the rind of washed rind cheeses as it tends to be gritty. The smell of the cheese does freak a lot of people out though. Once you cut off the rind, Livarot is very good, provided it is in the proper ripening stage. If it's under ripe, it feel be pasty and not very flavorful, if it's over-ripe, it will smell positively foul. You have to rely on your cheesemonger, or more often on your own mad cheese skillz if you hope to buy it in proper stage of ripeness.

These days, I usually look for a quality Camembert, Pont Leveque, Brie de Meaux or authentic Muenster to get my washed rind French cheese fix, though I would not say no to a ripe Livarot. If you get an under ripe cheese, you can age it a little bit in your fridge's high humidity drawer. Give it some air, high humidity and a few days and it will improve, as long as you don't cut into it. A ripe bloomy rind (like real Brie or Camemebert) or washed rind (Livarot, Pont Leveque, Epoisse) will be soft and runny throughout (they age from outside in) but with no unpleasant flavor or smell.

An under ripe cheese will barely smell of anything.
Cheese that is ready to eat will smell of hay, grass, earth and barnyard (in a good way).
An overripe cheese will smell of ammonia, sharpness, and other unpleasantness.

Thanks for the reply; I may try a Camembert next -- I don't think I've had that in many years.
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