After years of disappointing encounters, I stopped buying Camembert and Tomme de Savoie. The French Camembert sold in the U.S. always tasted lifeless to me. The Tomme was often stale or cardboardy. My wonderful taste memories from France did not jibe with the sorry specimens I was finding at American cheese counters. But then came Mons. Thanks to French affineur Hervé Mons and his team, we’re getting superb versions of these two classic cheeses, and others as well. In anticipation of Bastille Day, I assembled an all-Mons cheese board. So much deliciousness on one tray! Then I reached out to Fromagerie Mons to see if they could explain his magic touch.
Hervé Mons’s parents started selling cheese at the markets around Roanne, just west of Lyon, in the 1960s. Working with his brother, Laurent, he has greatly expanded the business. They have extensive aging facilities now, operate multiple retail cheese counters in France and train others in the art of affinage. Hervé is a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, the country’s highest honor for artisans.
Master maturer: Hervé Mons
About 15 years ago, Mons began working with a prominent Normandy producer (Graindorge) to develop a pasteurized-milk Camembert that would approach the raw-milk version in aroma, texure and flavor. The effort took more than a year, but the result is a triumph. Using an array of cultures to reproduce the flavor that raw milk typically yields, the creamery has created a Camembert with a supple texture and room-filling aroma of mushroom, barnyard and garlic. Believe me, you will know it’s in your fridge.
Mons does not have a hand in aging this Camembert. For maximum shelf life, it travels straight from Normandy to the U.S., leaving the port of Le Havre when it’s less than three weeks old. Mons Camembert is exclusive to Whole Foods, although it’s also sold under the Le Pommier brand in other stores.
Same cheese, three ages: rindless Brebis Pyrénées is 2 weeks old; most mature is 4 months
The Tomme de Savoie from Mons (in the middle on the tray above) restores my faith in this cheese. Made with thermised cow’s milk—think of it as halfway between raw and pasteurized—the wheels arrive at the Mons cave when they’re three to four weeks old. The Mons team matures them for another four weeks. They develop a crusty rind that’s alive with microbial activity and a tender, open interior that smells of cheesecake and damp cave. I can’t leave this alone.
Dozens of producers make Tomme de Savoie. Part of Mons’s skill is identifying the best one, a supplier that consistently delivers wheels worthy of aging. Even so, some of the initial shipments were a disaster when they arrived in the U.S. The Tommes were dripping wet.
“You would think the pallet went under a hose,” said Mons representative Laure Dubouloz. Moisture from the still-ripening cheeses was condensing on the plastic that enrobed the pallet. Replacing the plastic with netting resolved the issue, but the story reminds us how challenging it can be to get European cheeses to the U.S in good shape.
Brebis Pyrénées from Mons (on the left on the tray pictured above) is all but identical to Ossau-Iraty, the iconic Basque sheep cheese. In fact it’s made by Agour, my favorite Ossau-Iraty producer. But Mons takes the wheels from Agour when they’re only a couple of days old and does all the aging and rind development in the company’s caves near Roanne, a process that takes two to four months. They can’t be called Ossau-Iraty because they were aged outside the permitted region. Still, it’s fundamentally the same cheese and would be fascinating to taste alongside the Agour.
“When you taste them side by side there’s a true difference,” confirms Dubouloz. “The texture (of the Mons) is a lot smoother and very rich.” She attributes the difference, in part, to the higher temperature in the Mons cave, which affects the proteolysis, or protein breakdown.
“You start eating and you just want to eat more,” says Dubouloz. “It’s very delicate, sometimes floral. At room temperature, you can be sure that it will be highlight of the cheese board.”
Is the Brebis the highlight of this cheese board? It’s definitely a contender. The cheese smells like brown butter, with sweet, mouthfilling flavor and an unexpectedly creamy texture. I’m smitten, but I would say the same for all the cheeses on this tray. I purchased all three at Whole Foods but independent retailers should have access to the Mons Tomme de Savoie and the Brebis.