ash brie...

..with olive bread (extra), part of a lovely lunch on the deck with friends visiting from Adelaide.

In days of old ash from burned grape vine clippings  was used to preserve soft cheese from bugs and spores but also as a drying agent creating a skin on the cheese surface.
An ash layer was originally used in the making of Morbier a semi-soft cow's milk cheese from the village of Morbier in Franche-Comté.
Morbier cheese 'was originally developed with a thin line of ash running horizontally through its middle because it served as a kind of bug repellent during cheesemaking. Back in the 19th century, Morbier was made in two phases over the course of 24 hours (not in one process as is done today). The curds for the cheese were created twice daily, following each milking. To protect the evening curds in their half-filled molds from insects, the cheesemaker dusted the exposed surface with ash. The next morning, another layer of curds from the morning milk was added atop, hence the dividing line of ash. Even though the ash is no longer needed to make Morbier, its striking dark midline makes it immediately identifiable, so the sprinkle of ash between two layers continues.'


And the dark line tradition continues in this nutty and delicious Aussie Brie.
YUMMM.