Apres Soleil

Apres Soleil is a Swiss hard cheese made from raw cow's milk. Unusually, it is matured for 11 months in sunlit caves, giving it an intense nutty flavour and it's own unique character.

Camembert

Camembert is a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy, northwest France. It is sometimes compared in look and taste to brie, albeit with a slightly lower butterfat content, typically 20% - 25% by weight.

The first camembert was made from unpasteurised milk, and the AOC variety Camembert de Normandie (approximately 10% of production) is required by law to be made only with unpasteurised milk. Many modern cheesemakers outside of Normandy, however, use pasteurised milk for reasons of safety, compliance with regulations or convenience.

The cheese is made by inoculating warmed cow milk with mesophilic bacteria, then adding rennet and allowing the mixture to coagulate. The curd is then cut into roughly 1 cm (1/2 inch) cubes, salted and transferred to low cylindrical camembert moulds. The moulds are turned every 6-12 hours to allow the whey to drain evenly from the cut curds; after 48 hours, each mould contains a flat, cylindrical, solid cheese mass weighing generally 250 grams (c 9 oz). At this point the fresh cheese is hard, crumbly and bland.

The surface of each cheese is then sprayed with an aqueous suspension of the mould Penicillium camemberti and the cheeses are left to ripen for a legally required minimum of three weeks. This affinage produces the distinctive bloomy, edible rind and characteristic creamy interior texture. Once the cheeses are sufficiently ripe, they are wrapped in paper and may be placed in wooden boxes for transport.

Camembert was reputedly first made in 1791 by Marie Harel, a Normandy farmer, following advice from a priest from Brie. She is credited with having refined a previously existing cheese recipe from the Pays d'Auge region and having launched it into the wider world. She passed her secrets on to her daughter, whose husband, Victor Paynel, presented one of his wife's best cheeses to Napoleon III, who gave to it his royal seal of approval.

The origin of the cheese known today as Camembert is more likely to rest with the beginnings of the industrialisation of the cheesemaking process at the end of the 19th century. In 1890, an engineer, M. Ridel, devised the wooden box that was used to carry the cheese and helped to send it for longer distances, in particular to America, where it became very popular. These boxes are still used today.

Before fungi were understood, the colour of Camembert rind was a matter of chance, most commonly blue-grey, with brown spots. From the early 20th century onwards, the rind has been more commonly pure white, but it was not until the mid-1970s that pure white became standard.

The cheese was famously issued to French troops during World War I, becoming firmly fixed in French popular culture as a result. It has many other roles in French culture, literature, and history. It is now internationally known and many local varieties are made around the world.

The variety named Camembert de Normandie was granted a protected designation of origin in 1992 after the original AOC in 1983. The AOC Camembert can only be made from raw, unpasteurised milk from Normandes cows. Problems with hygiene regulations have caused restrictions on importation and sale in some countries, notably the US; a variant made from pasteurised milk is sold in these territories instead.

Camembert cheese gets its characteristic odour from many compounds. These include diacetyl (buttery flavouring for popcorn), 3-methylbutanal, methional (degradation product of methionine), 1-octen-3-ol and 1-octen-3-one (degradation products of fats), phenethyl acetate, 2-undecanone, δ-decalactone, butyric acid, and isovaleric acid, as well as volatile sulphur compounds such as S-Methyl thioacetate.

Overripe camembert contains an unpleasant, excessive amount of ammonia, which is produced by the same microorganisms required for ripening.

Brie and Camembert are two similar soft cheeses that are both made from cow's milk. Despite their similarities, there are notable differences between them, including their origin, market shape, size and flavour.

Brie originates from the Brie while camembert comes from Normandy. Traditionally, Brie was produced in large wheels measuring either 22.9 cm (9 in) or 36.8 cm (14.5 in) in diameter. As a result, Brie takes longer to ripen compared to the smaller Camembert cheeses. When sold, Brie is typically cut into segments from the larger wheels, although some variations of Brie are sold as small, flat cylinders. Consequently, the sides of Brie segments are not covered by the rind. On the other hand, Camembert is ripened as a small round cheese measuring 10.2 cm (4 in) in diameter by 3.2 cm (1.26 in) in thickness, and it is fully covered by its rind. This difference in size and rind coverage gives Camembert a slightly stronger flavour compared to Brie ripened for the same duration. Once the rind is cut on Camembert, it typically emits a more pungent aroma than Brie.

In terms of taste, Camembert has a stronger, slightly sour, and sometimes chalky flavor. The texture of Camembert is also softer than that of Brie. When warmed, Camembert becomes creamier, while Brie retains more of its structure when heated. These variations contribute to the contrasting characteristics of the two cheeses.

Typically camembert tends to be sold whole in thin, round, wooden containers made from poplar. Modern variations in packaging include cartons and tin cans, with a ring-pull tab for opening (Camembert in metallic boxes does not exist on the French market). The cardboard boxes are reserved for the low-cost camemberts. The product is the same as in the wooden container, wrapped dry in a paper/foil wrapper, and not immersed in brine or oil.

Recently, markets and grocers have introduced a vegan alternative to Camembert cheese which is plant-based.

A similar cheese is produced in Hungary under the same name, the Czech Republic under the name Hermelín and in Slovakia as encián or plesnivec. A Camembert-type cheese is also manufactured in Cornwall and marketed as "Cornish Camembert". Fonterra in New Zealand make a variant called Camembert Log. This is a long cylinder that is about 10 cm (4 in) in diameter and weighs 1 kg (2 lb). Fonterra also make conventional Camembert cheeses under their Mainland, Anchor and Kapiti brand names.

Halloumi

Halloumi (haloumi) is of Cypriot origin made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk and, sometimes, also cow's milk. Its texture is described as squeaky. It has a high melting point so can easily be fried or grilled, a property that makes it a popular meat substitute. Rennet (mostly vegetarian or microbial) is used to curdle the milk in halloumi production, although no acid-producing bacteria are used in its preparation.

Halloumi is popular throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and became widely available in Turkey after 2000. By 2013, demand in the UK had surpassed that in every other European country except Cyprus.

In the US, Halloumi is a registered trademark owned by the government of Cyprus, while in the UK it is owned by the Foundation for the Protection of the Traditional Cheese of Cyprus named Halloumi. It is also protected as a geographical indication in the EU, as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), which means within the EU only products made in certain parts of Cyprus can be called "halloumi". PDO protection for Halloumi was delayed largely by disagreements among farmers of cattle, sheep and goats regarding the inclusion of cows' milk and (if it was included) the proportion of it.

The English name halloumi is derived from Modern Greek: χαλλούμι khalloúmi, from Cypriot Maronite Arabic xallúm, ultimately from Egyptian Arabic: حلوم ḥallūm. The Egyptian Arabic word is itself a loanword from Coptic ϩⲁⲗⲱⲙ halōm (Sahidic) and ⲁⲗⲱⲙ alōm (Bohairic), and was used for cheese eaten in medieval Egypt. The name of the cheese likely goes back to the Demotic word ḥlm "cheese" attested in manuscripts and ostraca from 2nd-century Roman Egypt. The Cypriot Turkish name hellim derives from this source, as does the name of the different modern Egyptian cheese hâlûmi.

Methods of making halloumi likely originated sometime in the medieval Byzantine period (AD 395–1191). A recipe for enhancing ḥalūm ('cheese') by brining is found in the 14th-century Egyptian cookbook كنز الفوائد في تنويع الموائد : Kanz al-Fawāʾid fī Tanwīʿ al-Mawāʾid.

The earliest known surviving descriptions of Cypriot halloumi were recorded in the mid-16th century by Italian visitors to Cyprus, where it is often said to have originated. However, the question of whether the recipe for the quintessential halloumi was born in Cyprus and then travelled to Lebanon and the rest of the Levant, or whether the basic techniques of making cheese that resists melting evolved over time in various parts of the eastern Mediterranean - or both - does not have a definitive answer.

Traditionally, Cypriot halloumi was made from sheep and/or goat's milk, since there were few cows on the island until they were brought over by the British in the 20th century. But as demand grew, industrial cheese-makers began using more of the cheaper and more plentiful cow's milk.

Although it can be consumed raw, halloumi is often used in cooking and can be fried until brown (without melting) due to its higher-than-typical melting point. This makes it an excellent cheese for frying or grilling (as in saganaki) and serving either as is, or with vegetables, or as an ingredient in salads or sandwiches. There are many recipes that use halloumi beyond simple grilling.

Traditional halloumi is a semicircular shape, weighing 220–270 grams (7.8–9.5 oz). The fat content is approximately 25% wet weight, 47% dry weight with about 17% protein. Its firm texture when cooked causes it to squeak on the teeth when being chewed.

Traditional halloumi is typically made from fresh, unpasteurised sheep and/or goat's milk. However, for its commercial production a mixture of pasteurised sheep, goat and occasionally cow's milk is used (with the cow's milk making up the lowest proportion of the milk used, if used at all).

Two main types of halloumi exist: fresh and mature. Fresh halloumi has a semi-hard, elastic texture and a milder, less salty flavour compared to the aged version. As mature halloumi is stored in brine it has a harder, drier texture, as well as a saltier flavour. Both versions have a slight minty flavor, due to the addition of spearmint during the production of the cheese.

Sealed, halloumi (both fresh and mature) can last in a refrigerator for as long as a year.

Production of halloumi cheese involves several key steps. The first step of halloumi production involves the coagulation of the milk in order to make curds. This occurs by stirring rennet into the milk mixture while keeping it at a temperature of 30–34 °C until the milk coagulates (a process which takes approximately 30–45 minutes). Once the curd is formed it is then cut, reheated and stirred in order to increase its firmness. The curds are then added to special moulds and pressed until a sufficient amount of whey has been removed.

The next step involves the boiling of the pressed curds in hot whey (collected during the pressing of the curds) for at least 30 minutes, during a process known as scalding. This is the most crucial step in the halloumi production as it contributes to the characteristic texture of the cheese. The cooked pieces are then removed from the whey and are salted and garnished with fresh or dried mint (Mentha viridis) leaves. They are then folded and stored in salted whey for 1–3 days before being packed in airtight containers, ready to be sold and consumed.

For the production of mature halloumi, the cheese needs to be kept in the brine whey for at least 40 days