A strange thing happened at my favorite Fromagerie in Béziers last week...
Either the woman behind the counter hadn't properly educated herself about her products or I was blatantly lied to.
This Camembert-like sheep's milk cheese, nestled in a little wooden box, caught my eye. The name printed on the box was Margalet. Never heard of it.
I posed a couple of basic questions; what kind of milk is it made from? pasteurized or unpasteurized? fermier, artisanal or industriel?
I was told that it is unpasteurized, fermier brebis. Wonderful, I thought, and bought a piece.
Well, it isn't.
Not unpasteurized. Not fermier.
Rather, industriel, pasteurized cheese that is a recent creation from Papillon, the producers of Roquefort in the Aveyron.
However it is brebis, so she got that right. Thankfully.
I have to say that I felt rather misled.
Luckily the cheese's gorgeous flavor made up for the Fromagère's mistake/deception.
Margalet has a very earthy aroma and a smooth, chewy and supple texture. The thin, bloomy rind is completely edible and underneath is a cheese with a deep mushroom flavor and a soft, lingering aftertaste. It was a real pleasure!
Enjoy a glass of Sancerre or a Costières de Nîmes with Margalet. Pin It
3 comments:
I hope you enjoyed it. It looks like it was delish.
You have to wonder sometimes, don't you? Years ago in a restaurant in the Loire Valley, the waitress spun us a tale about one of the cheeses being "mi-vache, mi-chèvre". We weren't convinced on tasting it, and a few minutes later we overheard her telling a completely different story about the same cheese to someone at another table :-)
my mélange
It was great cheese! Might even be available in the US. You should look for it.
veronica
Oh no! That is funny, yet awful at the same time.
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