Chef Elsa
Almjause (Alpine Hut Snack Board)
A wooden board loaded with mountain cheese, juniper-smoked Speck, air-dried Hauswürstel, handmade Liptauer, fresh Kren, and thick-cut Bauernbrot, the way Austrian Almhütten have fed hikers for generations.
Culinary Explorer
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Mondseer Käse mit Birne
Created by
Upper Austria's boldest washed-rind cheese, sliced thick and served on a wooden Brettl with ripe pear, toasted walnuts, and dark honey, the way they eat it in the Salzkammergut.
Appetizers & Snacks
Austrian
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
15 min
Active Time
5 min cook•20 min total
Yield4 servings
Every autumn when I was a girl, Gretel and my grandmother Eva took me to the Salzkammergut. We'd stop in towns along the lakes, and somewhere between Mondsee and St. Wolfgang there was always a Gasthaus where they served the local cheese on a wooden board with whatever fruit was ripe. Gretel would order it before we'd even sat down. The cheese came out in thick slices, the rind washed to a sticky orange, the paste inside pale and springy with a smell that announced itself across the table. Pear slices fanned beside it, a small jar of dark honey, a handful of walnuts. That was the whole plate. That was enough.
Mondseer is not a polite cheese. It has a washed rind, which means the cheesemaker bathes it in brine as it ages, encouraging bacteria that give it a pungent, almost meaty intensity on the outside and a smooth, buttery depth within. The flavor sits somewhere between a young Gruyere and a farmhouse Munster, with a sweet-spicy bite that catches you at the back of the tongue. It needs something to balance that strength, and a ripe pear does the job beautifully. The fruit is cool, sweet, and juicy where the cheese is warm-flavored and bold. Walnuts bring a bitter crunch that ties the two together.
This is a Jause, an Austrian between-meals spread that can also open a dinner or close a long evening. It doesn't need technique. It needs good ingredients, a sharp knife, and the confidence to put three things on a board and call it done. Austrian cooking is simple food done well, and this is that principle in its purest form.
Mondseer cheese takes its name from the town of Mondsee in Upper Austria's Salzkammergut, where washed-rind cheesemaking has been practiced since at least the 19th century. The Benedictine monastery at Mondsee, founded in 748 and one of the oldest in Austria, is often credited with establishing the dairy traditions of the region, though the specific washed-rind style developed later among local Sennereien (small alpine dairies). Today Mondseer carries an Austrian geographical designation, and the cheese can only bear the name if produced in the defined lake district area of Upper Austria.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Mondseer cheese
Quantity
300g
at room temperature
ripe pears (Williams or Bosc)
Quantity
2
lemon juice
Quantity
1 tablespoon
walnut halves
Quantity
80g
dark honey (chestnut or forest honey)
Quantity
3 tablespoons
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly cracked
fresh thyme (optional)
Quantity
small bunch
dark rye bread (Schwarzbrot)
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Mondseer cheeseat room temperature | 300g |
| ripe pears (Williams or Bosc) | 2 |
| lemon juice | 1 tablespoon |
| walnut halves | 80g |
| dark honey (chestnut or forest honey) | 3 tablespoons |
| black pepperfreshly cracked | to taste |
| fresh thyme (optional) | small bunch |
| dark rye bread (Schwarzbrot) | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Wooden serving board (Brettl)
- •Sharp cheese knife
- •Small dry pan for toasting walnuts
- •Small crock or ramekin for honey
Instructions
- 1
Bring the cheese to life
Take the Mondseer out of the fridge at least one hour before you plan to serve it. This is the single most important step. Cold cheese is muted cheese. You lose half the flavor and all of the texture when you serve it straight from the refrigerator. At room temperature, the paste softens and becomes supple, almost creamy near the rind, and the aroma opens up into something complex and inviting. Set it on a plate, cover it loosely with a clean cloth, and leave it alone.
If you can't find Mondseer outside Austria, look for a good washed-rind cheese with similar character. French Reblochon or a young Munster will get you close. An Austrian Schlierbacher from the same region is the nearest substitute. What you want is that sticky orange rind and a paste that gives under your thumb. - 2
Toast the walnuts
Spread the walnut halves in a dry pan over medium-low heat. Shake the pan every thirty seconds. Watch them carefully. Walnuts go from toasted to burnt in the time it takes to check your phone, and burnt walnuts taste like regret. You want them fragrant and just starting to darken, about three to four minutes. Tip them onto a plate immediately. The residual heat of the pan will keep cooking them if you leave them sitting there.
Toasting walnuts is not optional. Raw walnuts are flat and slightly bitter. Thirty seconds in a hot pan transforms them into something rich and sweet that stands up to the cheese. - 3
Prepare the pears
Cut the pears in half lengthwise, core them, and slice each half into thin wedges, about half a centimeter thick. Toss gently with lemon juice. The lemon isn't there for flavor, it's there to keep the pear from turning brown before it reaches the table. Choose pears that are ripe but still hold their shape. If they're soft enough to mash with your thumb, they're too ripe for this. You want a clean bite that gives way to sweetness, not something that collapses on the board.
Williams pears are the Austrian choice when they're in season in September and October. Outside that window, a firm Bosc or Conference pear works well. The pear should be sweet enough to eat on its own. If it's not good plain, it won't be good on the plate. - 4
Slice the cheese
Cut the Mondseer into slices about a centimeter thick. Leave the rind on. The rind is edible and it's where the strongest flavor lives. Some people prefer to cut it off, and that's their business, but I always serve it intact so everyone can decide for themselves. A good sharp knife, wiped clean between cuts, keeps the slices neat. The cheese may stick a little. That's normal for a washed rind.
- 5
Assemble the Brettl
Arrange the cheese slices on one side of a wooden board, fanning them so each piece is easy to pick up. Lay the pear wedges alongside, slightly overlapping. Scatter the toasted walnuts in the gaps. Drizzle the honey into a small crock or ramekin and set it on the board with a small spoon. If you have fresh thyme, tuck a few sprigs in among the cheese. Crack black pepper directly over the cheese slices, just a few turns. Serve the Schwarzbrot on the side, sliced thick.
Gretel always said the board should look generous but not cluttered. Three or four things, arranged with care, will always look more inviting than ten things crammed together. Leave space on the wood. It's part of the presentation. - 6
Serve and eat
Bring the board to the table with a glass of Gruner Veltliner or a dry Austrian cider. Tell your guests to build their own bites: a slice of cheese on dark bread, a wedge of pear on top, a drizzle of honey, a walnut pressed into the whole thing. Each bite should have all four elements. The sweet, the sharp, the bitter, the rich. That's the whole point. Mahlzeit!
Chef Tips
- •Buy your Mondseer from a proper cheese shop if you can. Supermarket washed-rind cheeses are often younger and milder than what you want here. Ask for a piece that's been aged at least six weeks. The rind should be sticky and deeply orange, not dry or pale.
- •Dark honey matters. Chestnut honey or Austrian Waldhonig (forest honey) has a bitter, almost smoky quality that complements the cheese far better than a light acacia or clover honey would. If you can't find either, a buckwheat honey works.
- •This is an autumn and early winter dish at its best, when the pears are just ripe and the walnuts are fresh from the harvest. In summer, swap the pear for ripe figs or even a handful of good grapes. The principle stays the same: sweet fruit, bold cheese, something crunchy.
- •Don't skip the bread. Schwarzbrot, the dense, dark Austrian rye bread, gives you a base that holds everything together. A light white bread disappears under the cheese. You need something with backbone.
Advance Preparation
- •Walnuts can be toasted up to three days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They lose their edge after that.
- •The cheese must come to room temperature before serving. Take it out a full hour ahead, longer in a cold kitchen.
- •Slice the pears no more than thirty minutes before serving, even with the lemon juice. They're best freshly cut.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 250g)
Calories
610 calories
Total Fat
34 g
Saturated Fat
14 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
19 g
Cholesterol
60 mg
Sodium
720 mg
Total Carbohydrates
55 g
Dietary Fiber
7 g
Sugars
23 g
Protein
25 g
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