Somehow, in the midst of my Parisian cheese orgy in September, I forgot to take a photo of Timanoix, a monastic cheese that I bought in one of Pascal Beillevaire's shops.
Fortunately it looks almost exactly like a cheese we tasted last June, so if you need a visual, have a look at the photos from La Fête du Fromage featuring Trappe Echourgnac.
Timanoix is another impressive cheese from Brittany, a region that is celebrated for its sweet butter, but isn't really known for cheese. From what I've tasted, the cheese they do offer is of very high quality and exquisite flavor.
It is produced by Trappist monks in the style of Trappe Echourgnac at the l'Abbaye Notre Dame de Timadeuc, located in the town Bréhan in southern Brittany. A rich, chocolate brown rind enrobes a cream colored, semi-soft cheese made of unpasteurized cow's milk cheese. I've also seen it described online as pasteurized, so possibly it is pasteurized for export?
Frequent bathing in walnut liqueur and brine during two months of affinage produces a cheese with a rich, warm aroma and pronounced, walnut flavor that also has enticing hints of coffee and smoke. The texture is at the same time silky, creamy and chewy.
I believe this one could be an acquired taste, but I found its earthy, nutty flavor absolutely delicious!
The robust flavor of Timanoix would pair well with some strong, hearty ale or a glass of Cabernet Franc.
Don't forget to join in November's La Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event! The deadline for entries is November 13.
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Showing posts with label Pascal Beillevaire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pascal Beillevaire. Show all posts
November 11, 2008
September 30, 2008
La Fête du Fromage - Machecoulais
Machecoul, a small town in the watery, verdant Marais Poitevin region of the Loire-Atlantique, is home to the dairy farm of Pascal Beillevaire, Maître Fromager Affineur.
Machecoulais Cremeux is an original creation of Pascal Beillevaire's, named for his home town.
M. Beillevaire works with around 200 small farmers/producers who entrust the affinage of more than 400 varieties of young fermier cheeses in his three ripening caves; one for blue cheese in the Auvergne, one in the Savoie for mountain cheeses and one at his large dairy just a few kilometers from his family’s farm for the soft-ripened varieties.
The cheeses and other dairy products such as fresh milk, butter, cream, yogurt and crème fraîche are then sold at his chain of shops around France and at locations around Europe and in the U.S.
I purchased this little brick at one of his shops in Paris last week and we tasted it with some sweet muscat grapes from our village and rustic seed bread from la boulangerie Eric Kayser.
The unpasteurized cow's milk used to make Machecoulais is gently perfumed by the sweet grasses in the Loire. The floral, grassy flavor comes through along with earth and mushrooms. It was slightly sour and lactic, not too salty, and the texture was rich and creamy.
I thought it was absolutely perfect for smearing on a chunk of rustic bread.
Some white wine from the Loire, perhaps some Vouvray or Sancerre, would be a nice wine pairing with this cheese.
More articles about Pascal Beillevaire.
SF Gate
Formaggio Kitchen Pin It
Machecoulais Cremeux is an original creation of Pascal Beillevaire's, named for his home town.
M. Beillevaire works with around 200 small farmers/producers who entrust the affinage of more than 400 varieties of young fermier cheeses in his three ripening caves; one for blue cheese in the Auvergne, one in the Savoie for mountain cheeses and one at his large dairy just a few kilometers from his family’s farm for the soft-ripened varieties.
The cheeses and other dairy products such as fresh milk, butter, cream, yogurt and crème fraîche are then sold at his chain of shops around France and at locations around Europe and in the U.S.
I purchased this little brick at one of his shops in Paris last week and we tasted it with some sweet muscat grapes from our village and rustic seed bread from la boulangerie Eric Kayser.
The unpasteurized cow's milk used to make Machecoulais is gently perfumed by the sweet grasses in the Loire. The floral, grassy flavor comes through along with earth and mushrooms. It was slightly sour and lactic, not too salty, and the texture was rich and creamy.
I thought it was absolutely perfect for smearing on a chunk of rustic bread.
Some white wine from the Loire, perhaps some Vouvray or Sancerre, would be a nice wine pairing with this cheese.
More articles about Pascal Beillevaire.
SF Gate
Formaggio Kitchen Pin It
September 25, 2008
Perfect Paris - Day 2
Day two dawned sunny and cold. Luckily I had packed a couple of sweaters and scarves.
We set out about 10:30 in search of another cheese shop that had been recommended by our friends at dinner the previous evening. It was another straw-filled, stinky little gem in the 17th arrondissement.
Pascal Beillevaire is a fromager/affineur based in the Loire with a chain of cheese shops around France. This branch is a welcoming little shop run by a black beret-wearing young man who is passionate about his cheeses. We sat and listened as he helped a woman create an extensive, sublime sounding cheese platter for her dinner party that evening (in what I can only imagine by how smartly she was dressed and accessorized, was a huge apartment in the "right" neighborhood).
He was patient with my questions and helped me choose two cheeses to taste; a goat's cheese from Brittany and one of their specialties, Machecoulais, an unpasteurized cow's milk cheese. (look for it next week at La Fête du Fromage)
Toward lunchtime my friend and I parted ways and I headed down to the 15th to meet David L. for lunch at a Korean resto. We hadn't seen each other since last autumn at Camp Cassoulet and I was curious to see if he'd survived the massive tide of Parisians returning from their holidays for la rentrée unscathed.
The task of ordering lunch was left up to David, as I'm a Korean food newbie. Lunch was great. Catching up was even better. And having a friend in Paris who will lead you around and introduce you some of his favorite Boulangeries, Fromageries and Chocolateries was priceless.
Seeded, rustic bread from Eric Kayser, gorgeously creamy, mini chocolate pavés from Michel Chaudun and la Taupinière cheese from Fromagerie Cler. Sheer heaven!
We said goodbye and I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering aimlessly. And wearing out my already too tired shoes.
I stopped into an enormous Zara and and even bigger H&M and found a treasure trove of a paper store on a little street where I struggled not to buy yet another beautiful blank book. I did, however, buy a new coat. A brightly colored, cold-winter-weather-defying pink one. My neighbors are going to think I'm mad!
We spent the evening in, eating cheese, ham, paté, three different varieties of bread and drinking wine. At 11:30 I tucked myself into bed and fell asleep to the sounds of Parisian traffic swirling in the streets outside.
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We set out about 10:30 in search of another cheese shop that had been recommended by our friends at dinner the previous evening. It was another straw-filled, stinky little gem in the 17th arrondissement.
Pascal Beillevaire is a fromager/affineur based in the Loire with a chain of cheese shops around France. This branch is a welcoming little shop run by a black beret-wearing young man who is passionate about his cheeses. We sat and listened as he helped a woman create an extensive, sublime sounding cheese platter for her dinner party that evening (in what I can only imagine by how smartly she was dressed and accessorized, was a huge apartment in the "right" neighborhood).
He was patient with my questions and helped me choose two cheeses to taste; a goat's cheese from Brittany and one of their specialties, Machecoulais, an unpasteurized cow's milk cheese. (look for it next week at La Fête du Fromage)
Toward lunchtime my friend and I parted ways and I headed down to the 15th to meet David L. for lunch at a Korean resto. We hadn't seen each other since last autumn at Camp Cassoulet and I was curious to see if he'd survived the massive tide of Parisians returning from their holidays for la rentrée unscathed.
The task of ordering lunch was left up to David, as I'm a Korean food newbie. Lunch was great. Catching up was even better. And having a friend in Paris who will lead you around and introduce you some of his favorite Boulangeries, Fromageries and Chocolateries was priceless.
Seeded, rustic bread from Eric Kayser, gorgeously creamy, mini chocolate pavés from Michel Chaudun and la Taupinière cheese from Fromagerie Cler. Sheer heaven!
We said goodbye and I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering aimlessly. And wearing out my already too tired shoes.
I stopped into an enormous Zara and and even bigger H&M and found a treasure trove of a paper store on a little street where I struggled not to buy yet another beautiful blank book. I did, however, buy a new coat. A brightly colored, cold-winter-weather-defying pink one. My neighbors are going to think I'm mad!
We spent the evening in, eating cheese, ham, paté, three different varieties of bread and drinking wine. At 11:30 I tucked myself into bed and fell asleep to the sounds of Parisian traffic swirling in the streets outside.
Pin It
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