by Joe Chaput | People ask me all the time “What’s your favourite cheese?” With so many available to me on a daily basis, it’s hard to have just one. However, I do have several that I never tire of, and Le Montagnard is certainly one of these. Made by Fromagerie Gerard (for larger company Borsault), it starts life between the Alsace and Lorraine regions of France in the Vosges mountains. It has a mixed rind, meaning it starts with a washed rind before a bloom is allowed to grow over top. The texture is delightfully creamy with moderately pungent whiffs of hay and milk. I find it somewhat boring when young, but when it ripens it really hits its stride. The aromas get bigger, and it begins to ooze. Enjoy it with a glass of Alsatian Gewurztraminer, JoieFarm’s Noble Blend, or even a lighter-style red.

Le Montagnard | Fromagerie Gerard | available at Les Amis du Fromage | $9.95

Joe Chaput is the Cheese Editor of Scout Magazine (because of course we have a Cheese Editor), the co-proprietor and fromager of East Hastings’ Au Petit Chavignol, a member of the Guilde des Fromagers Confrerie du Saint-Uguzon and a Red Seal-certified cook. His by-weekly column – Beyond Cheddar – deals with all things stinky, oozy, sharp, soft, creamy and delicious.