Mori no

Mori no Cheese (Hokkaido Forest Cheese)

Mori no is a soft, bloomy-rind cow's milk cheese from Hokkaido, Japan's northern dairy heartland. It has a mild, buttery flavor with a creamy white interior and a delicate white rind, similar in style to a young Camembert.

Prep

15 min

Total

15 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1 whole wheel (≈150-180 (5-6 oz) Mori no cheese, fresh from a Japanese or Hokkaido-style cheesemaker; not widely exported, so substitute with a young Japanese-style bloomy cheese or a small Camembert if unavailable
• •60 g (¼ cup) walnuts, roughly toasted, for serving
• •1 small bunch kyona mizuna or watercress, lightly dressed, as a bed
• •5 ml (1 tsp) soy sauce, or a light drizzle of mentsuyu for dipping
• •5 g (1 tsp) wasabi, freshly grated, optional, for accent
• •4 slices sourdough or country bread, lightly toasted, for serving
• •10 g (2 tsp) honey, Hokkaido buckwheat or floral honey preferred, optional

Steps

1. 1 Remove the Mori no from the refrigerator 30-45 minutes before serving so the interior softens to a creamy, slightly cool room temperature.
2. 2 While the cheese rests, arrange a bed of lightly dressed mizuna or watercress on a wooden board or ceramic plate.
3. 3 Place the whole wheel of cheese on the greens, scatter the toasted walnuts around it, and set the toasted bread alongside.
4. 4 Serve with small dishes of soy sauce (or mentsuyu), optional grated wasabi, and a drizzle of honey so each person can season their own bite.
5. 5 Eat within a few hours of cutting in; leftover cheese should be re-wrapped in parchment (not plastic) and used within 2 days.