April 24, 2007

It's Tuesday. Time to Taste Some Cheese!

This week we bought a couple of goat's milk cheeses for la Fête du Fromage.

Chabichou du Poitou and Cabécou du Périgord
Pronounced Chabichou (SHAH-bee-shew) and Cabécou (CAB-bey-koo).

Chabichou du Poitou is a soft, unpasteurized goat's milk cheese from the Poitou-Charentes region that gained AOC status in 1990 with the help of Ségolene Royale. (Where have I heard that name before?)
Its small, cylindrical shape is the result of the curds being hand molded during production. The flavor is earthy and goaty and the texture is creamy and smooth near the rind and somewhat chalky in the middle. It's flavor is at its peak after three weeks of aging.

Cabécou du Périgord is a small, disk shaped cheese that is moist and gooey with hints of hazelnut. It is made only with unpasteurized goat's milk from the Périgord region.
Because of its small size, Cabécou matures very quickly and shouldn't be eaten any older than four weeks of aging. It has its own website, in French.

We loved them both but I especially liked the little Cabécou. Pin It

9 comments:

Riana Lagarde said...

Those are my sister's favorites! I am sure that she will tell you. I *heart* cheese. Good idea with the Tuesdays cheese days.

Madeline said...

I love the idea of a Tuesday cheese day. I dont live in France, but there is a great cheese shop right by my job; maybe I'll have to start participating myself:)

wcs said...

I never liked goat cheese until I moved to France. Here in the Loire region, you can get your goat three ways, very fresh, semi dry, and dry. I like the fresh the best, and I'm moving into the demi-sec stuff. The older stuff is still a bit much for me, but I'll get there one day.

The little goat cheeses of the southwest are amazing in their variety of shapes and sizes. Thanks for sharing !

Katie said...

I didn't eat goat cheese, either, until I moved 'across the pond'. Now I love it! Sheep cheese, too. So many interesting flavors!

mpabner said...

Well, our local cheese market has some French cheeses. I got a couple this weekend. A Raclette, and a Saint Andre. The Raclette was really nice. Smooth, but firm. The Saint Andre was also great. Very soft and more of "bite" than a traditional Brie. Very nice!

mpabner said...

Also, I LOVE goat cheese. Take a chunky tomatoe sauce, place some chunks of cheese in various places and bake until bubbly. This make a great small dish with either crusty bread or pieces of pita bread.

Unknown said...

Every day is cheese day chez moi.

Can't wait to try more French varieties.

Jennifer said...

riana
i *heart* cheese too!

gourmet peasant
thanks and let me know what you try

wcs
i love goat cheese, it has always been one of my favorite's. Try the fresh drizzled with acacia honey. really good!

katie
sheep's cheese...love it too! I like how runny it usually is

mpabner
great looking recipe. Thanks!

mimi
so you live in the maison du fromage? :)

Anonymous said...

These cheeses are brilliant grilled on top of a salad - maybe with some smoked duck breast. You toast one side of a baguette slice, put a quarter of a cabecou on it and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with herbes de provence.