This week I had the good fortune to be in Béziers for something other than the dreaded French bureaucracy. It was a welcome change which allowed me the opportunity to pick up some cheese at one of the fromageries in les Halles, where I had taken my sister back in May. The owner has a great selection of artisanal and fermier cheeses so after consulting my list I chose Romans Part Dieu and Chèvre à la Sarriette de Provence.
After being seduced by its fragrance, I purchased a sarriette plant a few weeks ago, having absolutely no idea what it was. Sarriette, also known as Pèbre d’Aï, is French for winter savory, an herb used in making Herbes de Provence.
The Chèvre à la Sarriette is a little disc of goat's cheese, about the size of Banon, that is sprinkled with sarriette leaves and left to mature, all the while being infused with the alluring aroma of the herb. Its texture was a bit gooey around the rind and chalky and creamy in the center and the flavor was that of a typical chèvre with sarriette's lovely, woodsy flavor adding a certain je ne sais quoi.
We really loved this cheese!
Pour a glass of Costières de Nîmes to drink with this special chèvre.
The beautiful, moldy rind of the Romans Part Dieu attracted me immediately.
This is an artisanal, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese that comes from the Dauphiné region in the Rhône-Alpes. It is similar to St. Marcellin in both method of production and its origin, but different in size and not as runny. We found it creamy, rich and nutty with a bit of a barnyard aroma. It is one of those sublime, melt in your mouth cheeses that I highly recommend.
Try with a glass of either light red, fruity red or dry white wine such as Mâcon-Villages.
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