Cambozola, They Did What?

Imagine the old Reese's Pieces commercials. "You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!" exclaims little Freddy. "You got your peanut butter in my chocolate!" exclaims little Frankie. Then they throw both away and go and buy a Reese's Cup, roll jingle. 

This is kind of like that. Imagine one Bavarian says "Du hast deine Camembert mit meine Gorgonzola gemischt!"[translation: I say old chap you seem to have sullied my Gorgonzola with a piece of your fromage de Camembert, what about that then]. The other replies "Du hast deine Gorgonzola mit meine Camembert gemischt!" [translation: Is that so my dear sir? A thousand pardons but I fear I must inform you that you as well have most certainly introduced an alien portion of your Gorgonzola to my honest fromage de Camembert]. Then they throw both away and go start a cheese company, enter Cambozola. 

Truly a mix of cheese and clever marketing campaigns it is one a select group of cheeses; the Blue-veined Bries. Sound Frankenstinian? It is. Sound terrible? It's not actually, in fact for being a factory lovechild of a market gap and some bloke with a business degree it's not bad at all. Though to be fair that's kind of like saying that, for being pumped full of more drugs than the world may ever fully understand, Charlie Scheen is fairly coherent. 

A little back-handed? Maybe. But the producers of Cambozola aren't looking to dethrone Camembert, Gorgonzola, or any established cheese, they're looking to make a buck. And I'd imagine they've made a few. 

Origin: Bavaria, Germany

Milk: Cow, pasteurized

Rennet: Animal

Affinage: 5-8 weeks

Notes: There's a double crème version as well, but this one has the full honest 75% fat content. 

Thoughts: While definitely veined with Penicillium, the triple crème of the Camembert both balances and compliments the sharpness of the blue nicely. A delicious mix that is great for spreading and pairing, the concept works surprisingly well when played out in curd form. There is nothing delicate or refined about this cheese, and it even lacks the honest rusticity of other hearty cheese, but for some reason it's still a huge hit at parties and sells like pizzas in a town that didn't formerly have anyone selling pizzas. 

Caution

Beware of funky names like Cambozola, not every producer is fortunate enough to have found a combination and recipe that works. In fact, if you want truly high quality product just buy Camembert and Gorgonzola and eat them separately, or maybe alternate. Easy as that.