La Fête du Fromage - Brebis Basque

*sigh*
This was definitely not my favorite French cheese.

I expect cheeses from the Pays Basque to have well-rounded, seductive flavors.  Brebis Basque had neither.


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La Fête du Fromage - Five Cheeses to Try in France

Last week I wrote about five fabulous French cheeses that can be found in cheese shops or online in the States. I hope it helped to inspire some of you to try something new!

Unfortunately, many French cheeses aren't available overseas as they are either unpasteurized (and that is viewed as dangerous for some reason) or simply aren't exported by their producers. So in honor of this week's La Fête du Fromage I have put together a short list of luscious French cheeses to taste the next time you come to France.

I just know that these will entice you to get those plane tickets purchased!

When you arrive in France and find yourself in front of a large display of all sorts of strange looking, wonderfully smelly cheese at the Fromagerie, you can be confident that you are familiar with at least a few of the names and impress the person behind the counter when you ask for these five.
Believe me, you won't be disappointed.

1) Brugère - pronounced brew-jhere
A wonderful silky, slightly chalky textured fromage de chèvre that is a delight!


2) Tome Basque
A refined, sophisticated cheese with buttery and hazelnut flavors. It is super smooth and melts in your mouth. I love this one!


3) Camembert Brebis Fermier
A very special ewe's milk cheese from the Languedoc-Roussillon, made in the style of Camembert.


4) Cendré de Champagne
A luscious, creamy cheese with a slight smoky flavor from its ash covered rind. Truly sublime!


5) Chèvre Frais
In four stages of affinage. If you have the chance, try them all to find your favorite. Be sure to have some honey or fig jam to serve alongside.

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La Fête du Fromage - Tome Basque

When I purchased this wedge of Tome Basque from my favorite cheese guy at the Olonzac market, I expected a pleasant, rustic tasting mountain cheese. What I didn't expect was to be completely blown away by a cheese with such a refined, sophisticated character.

I just love surprises, don't you?


During our tasting, the flavor of Tome Basque reminded us both of some other cheese, though we couldn't quite put our finger on it. After a bit more nibbling, another sip of wine, a bit more bread and another taste of the cheese, we agreed that the flavor resembled an English (shhhh...don't tell the locals) farmhouse Cheddar, but with a slightly different texture.

The full, well developed flavors are bracingly sharp and tangy with buttery overtones. We also noticed delicious toasted hazelnuts and a bit of salt. The texture is firm and delightfully melt-in-your-mouth smooth, with a very rich mouthfeel.

Tome Basque, as the name implies, is produced the pays Basque in southwestern France. Some well known French ewe's milk cheeses come from this region; Ossau-Iraty, Bleu de Basques and Etorki immediately come to mind. Cow's milk cheeses seem to be less popular, but after tasting this little gem I have to wonder why?

This cheese is perfect when served with some crusty bread and a glass of local Minervois red. I could happily tuck into a piece of Tome Basque every day.

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