Montrachet

I've always loved the subtle flavors that leaves, bark, ash and herbs lend to cheese. Montrachet is no exception.
It is wrapped in a chestnut leaf and is one of a handful of goat cheeses produced in Burgundy, a region that is famous for its wine, bien sûr, but also for its cow's milk cheeses, especially of the washed rind variety. Cheeses like Époisses, Abbaye de Cîteaux, Soumaintrain and Ami du Chambertin.
But the popularity of cows in Burgundy doesn't mean you should disregard the wonderful goat cheeses from this region, such as Mâconnais and Charolais, both of which can be made entirely from goat's milk, and sometimes from a blend of cow and goat's milk.

Montrachet is made by a sole producer located in Saint-Gengoux-le-National, a tiny town about an hour north of Mâcon. It is a semi-firm, unpasteurized goat cheese shaped like a squat little barrel. The chestnut leaf keeps it moist and adds a slight note of earthiness. It is tied with a strip of raffia, that when unwrapped reveals a crinkly rind dotted with blue mold that contrasts nicely with a pale, fluffy, natural rind.

The flavor is a little heady at first, then mellows out to sweet, tangy, slightly salty and milky notes. Overall it is a relatively mild cheese, but at the same time offers a richness and a long, satisfying finish. The texture is quite dense and clay like.
It is a delicious cheese that packs a lot of flavor into a nice little package.

Enjoy with a glass of white Burgundy.

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La Fête du Fromage - La Chèvrine

This frumpy cheese may look a mess, but behind that rustic, naturally moldy exterior (the cracks in the rind are from poor handling on my part - it got jostled around in my market bag), lies an even textured, rich and refined fromage de chèvre.

La Chèvrine is no shrinking violet and it stole my heart from the first bite.


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La Fête du Fromage - Beaufort d'Été

There's still a bit of time left to get a hold of Beaufort d'Été, but you better hurry! 
And you'll have to find a Fromagerie that will sell it to you.

The friend who carefully transported this generous slab from the Alps to the Languedoc a couple of weeks ago told us that the Fromagerie where he bought it refuses to sell this seasonal cheese after September 15.
The rules state that Beaufort d'Été must be made from Tarine and Abondance cow's milk produced between June 1 until the end of October, however this particular Fromager thinks the cheese is past its prime after mid September. 
So if you don't care to follow the Fromager's advice, you still have a chance to try it.  And you'll be happy that you did.

Beaufort d'Été is packed full of fruity and zingy yeast flavors, and has a delightful, slightly crumbly, dense texture.  Much less complex, buttery and grassy than a more mature Beaufort, but equally delicious. 

White wines from Burgundy or Beaujolais pair well with this cheese. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Clacbitou

I managed to visit six cheese shops in six days while in Paris, a personal best.
I was in cheese heaven.  My friends were in cheese hell.

We would walk into a Fromagerie and within one minute of breathing in the aroma of ripening cheese their faces would kind of twist up and this look of dismay would appear, then they would make their apologies and quickly retreat.  There was always a café nearby where they could sit and have a coffee, so they were pretty patient with me.
(Funny, because I find the aroma of ripening cheese a wonderful thing.  Go figure.)

Last year I was told about a little Fromagerie in the 11th called Autour du Fromage, which happened to be just down the road from where we were staying.  On our first day I casually led the group in its direction under the assurance that we were heading toward the Marais - which we were, I just had a couple of stops to make along the way.  I did a lot of our navigating around the city, so figured that working my cheese hunting agenda into our outings every so often wasn't too unreasonable.

Inside I found Clacbitou, a férmier goat cheese from Burgundy.  I took it back to the apartment and did a solo tasting as none of my cheeseophobe friends would get near it.  Oh well, more for me!
Clacbitou has a slight aroma of hay and earth, a very fine, chalky texture and a dense, chewy mouthfeel.  The flavors are mildly goaty, salty and mushroomy, with hints of nuts and slightly tangy.
All around a good cheese, just not the best fromage de chèvre I've ever had.  I prefer its Bourgogne cousin, Charolais, which has a similar texture but a more balanced, sweeter flavor.  It was also reminiscent of Chabichou du Poitou, which I also prefer.

White wines such as Sancerre or a Bourgogne aligoté are good pairings.


The woman at Autour du Fromage was chatty and very helpful, so if you're in Paris and are looking for a great little Fromagerie, please check this place out.

Autour du Fromage
120 Rue de Charonne
75011 Paris
01 43 71 58 48
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La Fête du Fromage - Le Trou du Cru

Attention!
Be very, very careful how you pronounce this cheese's name.

I embarrassingly mangled it in front of my friend's kids. Oops. Honestly, I didn't mean to refer to it an asshole when I asked the fromagère for a piece.

I assume that the name Trou du Cru is a play on words, but the pronunciation of the word cru requires a throaty, gargling sound that is difficult for me!


Basically, Trou du Cru is a flavor-packed, mini Époisses.
It looks like a little muffin and I would have happily peeled back that paper wrapper and devoured it in one bite. However, manners dictated that I share it with my hosts, so I managed to control myself.

The edible rind is washed for several weeks in Marc de Bourgogne, infusing this pasteurized, cow's milk cheese with its flavor and creating a very pungent aroma. The flavor is quite strong, but utterly sublime! Salty, creamy and rich, with mild hints of sweet flowers and pastures.

I will happily buy a little morsel of Trou du Cru again. And I will be very careful how I ask for it.

This one pairs nicely with a glass of chilled Chablis. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Le Petit Fiancé des Pyrénées

Voilà Le Petit Fiancé des Pyrénées. Another fabulous, yet very different, fromage de chèvre.


This pressed, natural rind, unpasteurized fermier goat's cheese is nothing like a fresh, crumbly-centered Loire Valley chèvre. Instead, le Petit Fiancé des Pyrénées reminds me of a young Reblochon, somewhat like le Chevrotin des Aravis, only softer and more delicate.

It is produced in the Ariège department in the Pyrénées (as you probably already guessed). It is rich with yeast, nuts and salty flavors. The pâte gently oozes when you cut into it, promising a wonderful cheese. It did not disappoint!

"Enjoy it now," the Fromager said. "Do not refrigerate it and do not let it mature, it is ready to eat this week."

Let it mature???
As I gently placed it into my bag, noting its dense, supple texture through the wax paper, I couldn't wait to get home, tear off a hunk of baguette and slice off a wedge. Not a chance that I was letting this one sit around any longer than necessary.

Le Petit Fiancé des Pyrénées' hefty price tag was worth every luscious mouthful. It didn't take us long to polish it off and how I wish I had bought two instead of just one so we could have savored it all week.
I didn't, and in only two days it was gone.

I need to get some more. Soon.


Light red wines, such as a Mâcon from Burgundy, will compliment this cheese perfectly. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Creamy Époisses de Bourgogne

A beautiful, golden Époisses de Bourgogne recently graced us with its presence.

Époisses was referred to as "le roi des fromages" (the king of cheese) by Brillat-Savarin and is still considered by many cheese aficionados as one of the world's greatest cheeses.
Up until the 1930's there were hundreds of Époisses makers, but its production almost completely stopped during the Second World War. Production was picked back up in 1956 by a Monsieur Berthaut who was determined to revive this noble cheese from Burgundy.
Merci Monsieur!
The deep gold rind is washed in salt water for three weeks, then washed in marc de Bourgogne for several weeks, creating a flavor that is delicate, soft and creamy, rich, sweet and tangy. The outdoorsy, barnyard-like smell is quite something to behold, but don't let it scare you! This is one of France's very unique, special cheeses.
Pour a glass of white Burgundy such as a Pouilly-Fuissé to enjoy with Époisses.

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La Fête du Fromage - Bleu de Gex, Pont-l'Evêque and Selles-sur-Cher

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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