Explore Explorateur Cheese

  Posted on September 4, 2009  by Leslie Blythe  3 comments

I do not profess to be an expert on cheese.  All I know is that I love it.  This, of course, is unfortunate.  One of my favorites is called Explorateur.  This is a French triple cream cheese, yes, I said triple cream.  Explorateur was created by the French in 1958 in honor of the first US satellite, Explorer One.  It was one of the first cheeses to be created after the triple-cream classification was defined as a cheese with a butterfat content of 75% or more. This is achieved by adding a great deal of cream to the milk before coagulation. 

It’s soft and sensuously velvety.  Am I sounding a bit Nigella?  Sorry, what can I say? You’ve got to try it. 

I usually buy it at Whole Foods and always talk to the head of the cheese department to find the one that is perfectly ripe for the time I want to serve it.  It should be served at room temperature with crusty French bread and a chilled glass of Champagne, dry or fruity white wine.