La Fête du Fromage - December Round Up

Some of my favorite French cheeses were submitted for this month's Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event.
I appreciate everyone taking time out from their holiday preparations to submit an entry.


Tammy, who also lives in the Languedoc and writes La Vie Cevenole, tasted the ultimate winter cheese: Vacherin Mont d'Or. She describes this special, spruce wood infused cheese as having "long-lasting aromas of mushroom, balsam and sometimes potatoes."
Thanks for reminding me to pick up a wheel while it's in season! And thank you also for that fantastic vin chaud recipe.

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Soft little rounds of Rocamadour are Camille of Croque-Camille's entry to December's Fête. She's celebrating foods from le Périgord this month, so what better cheese than the region's most famous?
Camille describes Rocamadour as "ultra smooth, with a rich, creamy flavor, mild goaty tang, and a hint of pepper on the finish." Yum! I have fond memories of this one too.

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To wind up 2009 I thought I would submit the smelliest cheese I've ever tasted: Vieux-Boulogne. It is a wonderful, rich cheese with an aroma that will knock you on your derrière. I highly recommend it!

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Thanks again you two. Bonnes Fêtes!


A new year brings us to the 13th Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event.
Why not make trying new cheeses one of your New Year's resolutions for 2010?
If you would like to join in, please have your entries to me by January 13. The entire round-up will be posted on January 15.

Tell us why you chose this particular cheese. Tell us how it tasted. Tell us about its texture and aroma. Did you eat it on its own? Or with something? Did you drink anything special with your cheese? Would you recommend it or not? Is there something unusual or interesting about it?

• Photos are wonderful, but not necessary
• Entries must contain the words La Fête du Fromage and contain a link to Chez Loulou
• Posts should be written specifically for La Fête du Fromage and not entered in any other food blog event
• Please send the link to your post to louloufrance (at) gmail (dot) com with the words Fête du Fromage in the subject line

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La Fête du Fromage - Vieux-Boulogne

La factrice* screeched to a halt in front of the house the other day and presented me with a small, white paper wrapped box that she was holding at arm's length. "C'est du fromage, oui?" she asked. I saw Jean-Pierre and Agnès's return address on the box, shrugged and responded, "Je ne sais pas." "My van stinks of cheese and the odor is coming from that box," she replied. I offered my sincere apologies and she wobbled off in her black stiletto boots, mumbling about the offensive smell. I brought the box up to my nose and took a sniff. 

 WOW! It did stink!

 

The box revealed a real treasure; Vieux-Boulogne from the famous Maître Fromager/Affineur, Philippe Olivier, in Boulogne-sur-Mer. What a fantastic gift! Jean-Pierre and Agnès left for Boulogne early last week to visit family before flying off to Thailand for a well deserved vacation. They went to Philippe Olivier to buy some cheese for their daughter who lives in Thailand, and decided to surprise us with some too. These two have been incredibly supportive of our French food education over the last 8 years, introducing us to frog's legs, rabbit, Boulette d'Avesnes and Époisses. I hope they didn't try to take Vieux-Boulogne on the airplane. Their fellow passengers would have suffered!

 

Vieux-Boulogne was voted the smelliest cheese in the world a few years ago. No wonder! I doubt that la factrice's olfactory receptors will easily forget its pungent odor. However, this cheese's bark is much worse that its bite. While it isn't the mildest cheese I've ever tasted, its flavor definitely doesn't match the strength of its aroma.

 

Vieux-Boulogne, also called Sablé du Boulonnais, is produced in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The cheese is described as pré-salé, meaning "salted pasture," as the cows graze in pastureland near the sea outside of Boulogne-sur-Mer. The salt flavor comes through, adding another layer to its substantial, mushroomy, rich flavor. The pale orange rind is continuously washed in beer during its affinage, but neither the smell nor flavor of beer is apparent. This one pairs perfectly with Champagne or a Côteaux-du-Layon. I wish I could buy another piece of this memorable cheese to add to the cheese platter I'm composing for Christmas dinner. Vieux-Boulogne is delicious! 

Merci Jean-Pierre and Agnès! 

 *The mailwoman

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