For a long time, I thought 'munster' was no more than a reference to a schlocky television programme from the 1960s. The Munsters, however, happen to share their name with a cheese.
Strong and pungent, the cow's milk cheese originates from an area near Alsace, France. It's made by coagulating milk and draining off the whey, with the curds then pressed into moulds. The rind is rubbed with a saltwater solution, which helps develop the flavour while preventing the growth of 'bad' bacteria. The soft, creamy cheese was traditionally made from raw milk, although some producers now pasteurise the milk.
Munster is sometimes called munster-gerome, but it's not the same thing as muenster, which is made in the United States.
The cheese is usually served with warm boiled potatoes and it's good spread over rye bread and sprinkled with rough-flaked sea salt. This can be eaten as an open-faced sandwich accompanied by cornichons, which will clear the palate between bites of the rich, fatty cheese.
