Three cow's milk cheeses from all around the north of France were selected for this week's Fête du Fromage.
Bleu de Gex, Pont-l'Evêque and Selles-sur-Cher
Bleu de Gex is one of the few remaining unpasteurized cow's milk blue cheeses left in the world.
Made near the Swiss border, in the mountains of the Haut-Jura, this blue is mildly salty and mushroomy with superb blue veining in a very pale yellow interior. It was granted AOC status in 1977.
This cheese would be delicious served with some dried figs or sliced pears and a good wine pairing would be reds from Burgundy or Côtes du Rhône.
The blue-grey, knobby, gnarly rind and snowy white interior gives Selles sur Cher a very striking appearance. It has a fine textured, velvety interior with a nutty and slightly salty flavor with a hint of sweetness. It is made with unpasteurized goat's milk and the edible, blue-grey rind is the result of the cheese being covered in ash to promote flavor and encourage ripening. Granted AOC in 1975 and named for the town of Selles sur Cher in the Berry region of northern France, this was one of my all time favorites!
Pair with a dry white wine or a light, fruity red.
The little, square shaped Pont-l'Evêque is a well known and popular cheese from Normandy. It has a strong, pungent odor that is misleading as the flavor is quite mild and buttery with hints of hazelnut. Legend says this delightful cheese was first made in a Norman abbey in the 12th Century. Made from unpasteurized cow's milk, le Pont-l'Evêque was granted AOC status in 1972.
Pair with a Pinot Noir, Gigondas or hard apple cider.
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4 comments:
Pont-l'Eveque is one of my very favorites and the one we always have to bring to our friend in Spain! I'm not familiar with the other two - yet!
For whatever reason, Pont l'Evêque is available here in Louisville, KY. I never ask questions, I just buy. I'm always keeping my eye out for un gros bout de Langres bien fait ... but I'm told by our cheese people that I'll never find it unless I ship it here myself.
Ah, Selles-sur-Cher is one of our local favorites here in the Cher valley. And, Selles is just a few kilometres from our house ! The farm up behind us raises goats and makes a great Selles-style cheese that you can buy extremely fresh, demi-sec, and sec. Boy, is it good with a glass of our local sauvignon blanc.
katie
we really loved the Pont-l'Evêque! Let me know if you try the others and what you think
m+
it is difficult to find a lot of these cheeses in the States as they aren't pasteurized. You're lucky if you find a good source!
wcs
I'm going to get up to your area one of these days.
I saw Ken's post last month with the roasted red peppers and goat cheese and I saw that you live close to the goat cheese makers and I'm envious!
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