cheese, explorateur

Triple-crème cheeses like Explorateur, Saint André, and Brillat-Savarin are legally defined in France as having over 75% fat in dry matter, achieved by adding extra cream to the milk before coagulation. The resulting cheese has an almost custard-like interior when properly ripened — the fat content so high that the texture is closer to crème fraîche than to typical cheese. The flavor is deliberately mild and clean, designed to showcase the purity of the cream and the gentle mushroomy contribution of the Penicillium candidum rind rather than sharp fermentation notes. Explorateur was created in the 1950s and named in honor of the first Explorer satellite — an early example of French cheese marketing. The extreme richness makes small portions sufficient; the classic accompaniment is Champagne or sparkling wine, whose acidity and bubbles cut through the fat while echoing the yeasty, brioche notes in the rind.