An American in Provence

This is one of Alain's favorite cheeses. The name is literally- bark of pine. Apparently, it is a cow's cheese (though the picture looks more like Great Dane- seriously, click on the picture, look at just the head and tell me what it looks like to you) that is wrapped in pine bark. It does certainly have a piney flavor. That is, I am guessing. Haven't gone around licking too many pine trees lately. It is from the Franche-Comté Region (on the Germany border, south of Strasbourg).
The suggested way of eating this cheese (from the wrapper):
A Delicious Main Course
Step 1: Remove the plastic film and wooden plate it is placed on. (Have to make sure everyone understands that).
Step 2: Make a 3 cm hole in the center of the cheese. (Notice how they are precise about the size, but don't specify how deep this hole should be).
Step 3: Fill with white wine. (What, no suggest year and vineyard? This is France after all, and two of the things they take the most seriously: wine and cheese.)
Step 4: Place in a small poêlon.
Step 5: Cook 20 min in a warm oven 180 degrees C.
Step 6: Serve with hot potatos, vegetables, and sausages.

Sounds yummy to me.

Five cheeses!