Feeding My Addiction

Almost 2 kilos of fragrant, unpasteurized deliciousness was delivered to me today, direct from a farm in the Auvergne.  Add to that the giant slab of Beaufort d'Eté (so perfect looking that I hesitated cutting into it) and the generous wedge of Tomme des Bauges that a friend hand delivered from his trip to the French Alps last week.

It's great to have friends who will willingly feed my cheese addiction. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Saint-Nectaire

Saint-Nectaire fermier. Taken at the market in Olonzac. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Trycorne du Berry

We tasted another fermier cheese from the Berry region this week, Trycorne du Berry, along with a a cheese that we haven't had since the very first Fête du Fromage, Saint-Nectaire.

The Trycorne du Berry is a férmier, raw milk, sheep's cheese from the picturesque Berry region of central France. This was a fabulous and interesting cheese with delicate, grassy and mildly salty flavors. Its texture was creamy and firm in the middle, and oozing around the lightly moldy, edible rind. (see the blue-grey spots on the cheese in the photo above) I thought it was spectacular and would definitely look for this one again!
Drink a glass of Pouilly Fumé alongside.



The Saint-Nectaire Férmier was as good as I remembered. Creamy, buttery, nutty and melts in your mouth!


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Tuesday Cheese Tastings - La Fête du Fromage

Food is one of the reasons we moved to France. We look forward to and enjoy the seasonal specialties that come into the market every year and we support our local wine makers, beekeepers and olive growers with gusto. But lately I've noticed that I speed through the markets, go straight for the items on my list and don't stop and enjoy the samples being offered, usually by overzealous cheese sellers who smile and call out as you walk by. The minute I say, ''non, merci,'' they recognize my accent and switch to English. It drives me crazy! Is my accent that bad???
anyway...

I've decided it is time to stop and smell the...
cheese.

We live in a country with an estimated 350-400 different varieties of cheese (some say between 600-800!) and we've only tasted maybe a quarter of them. How pathetic. This is going to change!

From now on Tuesday will be the official day for cheese tasting. La Fête du Fromage, if you will.

Yesterday was the first Fête du Fromage. We tasted two, one of which I had tried before, but that was years ago so I feel like I tasted with a virgin palate.



Saint-Nectaire and Tomme d'Auvergne.

Both come from the sparsely populated, mountainous Auvergne region in the center of France and both are made from cow's milk. Saint-Nectaire is a celebrated AOC cheese with it's own website. It was nutty, buttery, smooth and seriously delicious.

The Tomme d'Auvergne was a bit stronger, but mellow with hints of grass and butter. This cheese is used to make the famous cheese and potato dish from this region called aligot.

So from now on, Tuesday will be our day to celebrate cheese. Please join us! Let me know what you're tasting or tell me about your favorite French cheese.

Come celebrate le fromage!


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