A small soft bloomy-rind cow's milk cheese of Normandy, with a downy white rind and a creamy paste that softens to spoonable when ripe. The most iconic French cheese; legend traces its creation to Marie Harel in 1791. AOC granted in 1983.
Camembert de Normandie is a soft bloomy-rind cow's milk cheese of Normandy. The legend credits its creation in 1791 to Marie Harel, a farmwoman from Camembert, given the recipe by a refractory priest fleeing the Revolution. It received its AOC in 1983, restricting the name to raw-milk cheeses made by the traditional ladle method.
A whole Camembert is a small round disc with a thick white bloomy rind and a smooth, pale yellow paste. When ripe, the paste runs to a glossy, spoonable cream; the flavor is mushroomy and buttery.
The surface Penicillium candidum mold ripens the paste from outside in; the high moisture and small size mean the cheese ripens quickly and evenly. The AOC mandates the ladle method.
Variations
Made only from raw cow's milk by the ladle method in the AOC zone.
On the Palate
Where Camembert de Normandie sits in the French flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
6 steps · 40 min
- 120 min
Warm raw cow's milk and add starter and rennet; let the curd set.
- 230 min
Ladle the curd in five or six scoops into small round molds.
Watch outLadle the curd in five or six gentle scoops, as the AOC demands — the slow ladling keeps the delicate curd intact for an even ripen.
- 315 min
Demold, salt, and inoculate with Penicillium candidum.
- 430 min
Age in a humid cellar for at least three weeks.
- 510 min
Release when the rind is white and downy and the paste is creamy.
- 65 min
Serve at room temperature; the paste should yield to a spoon.
Watch outIt's ripe when the rind is white and downy and the paste yields to a spoon — a chalky, firm center means it needs more time.
