L’Edel de Cléron (Perrin) | Franche-Comté, France | Cow’s Milk | Bloomy Rind in Spruce Bark, 100g
L’Edel de Cléron is a bark-bound cheese from the same hills that birthed Vacherin Mont d’Or—made year-round in Franche-Comté, where spruce and milk still speak the same language. This 100g wheel is bloomy-rinded, spruce-wrapped, and softly aromatic, with a pliant paste that ripens from the outside in.
Made with pasteurised cow’s milk but steeped in the aesthetic and technique of raw-milk Mont d’Or, it’s an accessible, export-legal version of a mountain classic. The spruce band isn’t just for looks—it holds the cheese as it slumps and infuses it with resinous, foresty depth.
At peak ripeness, it eats like warm custard stirred with mushrooms and pine needles. Crack the top and scoop.
L’Edel de Cléron is a bark-bound cheese from the same hills that birthed Vacherin Mont d’Or—made year-round in Franche-Comté, where spruce and milk still speak the same language. This 100g wheel is bloomy-rinded, spruce-wrapped, and softly aromatic, with a pliant paste that ripens from the outside in.
Made with pasteurised cow’s milk but steeped in the aesthetic and technique of raw-milk Mont d’Or, it’s an accessible, export-legal version of a mountain classic. The spruce band isn’t just for looks—it holds the cheese as it slumps and infuses it with resinous, foresty depth.
At peak ripeness, it eats like warm custard stirred with mushrooms and pine needles. Crack the top and scoop.
L’Edel de Cléron is a bark-bound cheese from the same hills that birthed Vacherin Mont d’Or—made year-round in Franche-Comté, where spruce and milk still speak the same language. This 100g wheel is bloomy-rinded, spruce-wrapped, and softly aromatic, with a pliant paste that ripens from the outside in.
Made with pasteurised cow’s milk but steeped in the aesthetic and technique of raw-milk Mont d’Or, it’s an accessible, export-legal version of a mountain classic. The spruce band isn’t just for looks—it holds the cheese as it slumps and infuses it with resinous, foresty depth.
At peak ripeness, it eats like warm custard stirred with mushrooms and pine needles. Crack the top and scoop.
Origin: Cléron, Doubs, Franche-Comté, France
Milk: Pasteurised cow’s milk
Rind: Bloomy white (P. camemberti), with slight mottling
Band: Wrapped in a ring of natural spruce bark
Weight: ~100g wheel
Style: Bloomy rind, bark-bound soft cheese
Texture: Creamy to runny near rind; soft, yielding paste
Maturation: ~3 weeks
Producer: Fromagerie Perrin
What It Is
L’Edel de Cléron is inspired by Vacherin Mont d’Or, but made from pasteurised milk and aged to allow legal export and year-round availability. Its defining feature is the spruce bark wrap—harvested locally and tied by hand. This bark both contains the cheese as it softens and contributes aroma via capillary interaction with the paste.
Inside, the paste is dense and creamy when young, loosening with time to a glossy, spoonable texture. Its flavour is subtle but layered: sweet cream, fresh mushrooms, and the faint woodsmoke of the forest.
Taste and Texture
Rind: Thin, white, downy bloom with mild brassica aroma. Occasionally mottled with pink or grey—natural and edible.
Paste:
Starts firm, ripens to soft and spreadable
Near rind: oozy, almost fondue-like
Flavour concentrated at the bloom
Flavour Profile:
Sweet cultured cream
Mild lactic tang
Button mushroom, yeast
Spruce resin, forest floor
This balance is achieved by gentle surface ripening (proteolysis and lipolysis), with the bark’s terpenes infusing the curd and altering flavour expression as water activity drops.
Pairing Logic
Subtle, creamy, wood-accented cheeses want pairings that highlight finesse—not volume.
Classic Pairings:
Off-dry Riesling or Chasselas
Traditional method sparkling wine
Light Alpine reds (Poulsard, Gamay)
Boiled potatoes, pickled onions, rye bread
Non-alcoholic:
Apple juice (still or lightly sparkling)
Cold chamomile or spruce tip tea
Fermented pear soda or jun kombucha
Avoid: bold tannins or sharp vinegars—they’ll bulldoze its quiet charm.
Serving Guidance
Bring to room temperature for 30–60 minutes. Serve in the bark, warmed if desired. To eat, cut a circle in the top rind and spoon the paste. Ideal with warm baguette, steamed veg, or roast roots.
Can also be gently baked in the bark and served fondue-style—just slit the top and let it bubble.
Storage
Store in original bark and box in the fridge, inside a sealed container. Once opened, consume within 5–6 days. Bark may darken with age; that’s fine. If ammonia emerges, let it breathe at room temp before serving.
Waste-Conscious Use
Melt into pasta or spoon over roasted squash
Stir through polenta or grain bowls
Bake whole with garlic and thyme
Blend rind into a light béchamel
Use leftover bark in savoury stock for a smoky edge