La Fête du Fromage - Tomme de Chèvre

Every so often I come across a cheese that I think I've already tasted, when actually it is a completely different cheese, from a completely different region, but with the same name.  It can get confusing, I tell you!  I've learned to keep a little notebook of the cheeses I've tasted, so I can keep from getting them mixed up.

Since I'm on a mission to taste every cheese produced in France, if there are two or even three that share a name yet come from different areas, then they must be different cheeses.  It all goes back to that term terroir, which I believe applies to cheese as well as wine. 
A tomme style goat cheese produced in the Alps or in the Pyrénées, like the Tomme de Chèvre I tasted three years ago, cannot be the same as a Tomme de Chèvre from the Corrèze, like this one.
The goats graze on different grasses and flowers, the climate is different, the water is different, thus each cheese will have unique characteristics.

This Tomme de Chèvre is one of those perfect, luscious cheeses that I could happily nibble on day after day.
It has a well balanced flavor that is rich, slightly sweet, grassy and nutty and a bit tangy.  Its texture is silky smooth, creamy and very dense, and there is no evidence of goatiness, so no need to be wary if you're not a fan of goat cheese.

Chardonnay or a red such as Touraine would pair well with this chèvre.

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Tuesday's Tastings

This week I finally tasted a cheese that I've wanted to try for years, Banon à la Feuille. I've read and heard so much about this little cheese that I had very high expectations. Suffice to say, it was out of this world!
We also tasted a wonderful Tomme de Chèvre and a lovely, rich Maroilles.


Banon has to be one of the most alluring, heady and luscious things I've ever tasted.
It is a raw goat's milk cheese that is wrapped in chestnut leaves, dipped in marc de Provence or eau de vie, tied up with raffia and left to mature for a few weeks. It can be eaten young, while the leaves are still green and the cheese is crumbly and tart or aged, like the one I bought, which was ultra ripe and runny and the leaves had turned brown, causing the crust to darken a bit. The flavor was winey, fruity, woodsy and amazing! Banon has been produced in Provence near the village of Banon since the Roman times and it was granted AOC status in 2003.
Good wine pairing would be a Chenin Blanc or a big red from Bordeaux.

before unwrapping


Banon oozing all over the place


The Tomme de Chèvre was made locally, about an hour away in the Pyrénées mountains. It is made from either pasteurized or unpasteurized goat's milk and the flavor was rich and nutty with a firm but creamy texture. Compared to the other two, the Tomme didn't really stand out, but it is a delicious cheese.
A good wine pairing would be a Minervois or a Saumur.

A trip to Les Halles in Narbonne yielded a nice chunk of Maroilles, a cheese from the north of France that our friends Jean-Pierre and Agnès said we must try. It gained AOC status in 1976 and was first produced by monks in the Abbey of Maroilles over 1000 years ago.
I bought the unpasteurized cow's milk Maroilles, but it is also made from pasteurized milk. The rind is bright orange color, the taste is slightly salty and tangy and the odor really makes an impression. You should have smelled our fridge!
Châteauneuf du Pape is the recommended wine to drink with Maroilles.


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Peach Crumble

The first pêches blanches of the season became available at the market on Tuesday so I happily filled a paper bag with a kilo and tucked it gently into my straw market bag between bulbs of spring garlic, une campaillette, tomatoes, eggs and a big chunk of Tomme de Chèvre. (more about that next Tuesday)
The peaches were super fragrant and juicy and were perfect after our customary, post-market lunch of roasted chicken and sautéed potatoes. The rest were put aside to make this crumble for our friends who were coming for dinner later in the week.


Peach Crumble

• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
  
• pinch salt
• ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
  
• 4 large or 5 small peaches, peeled and sliced into thick pieces
  

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
   
2. Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a bowl
3. Cut the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until crumbly
4. Arrange the sliced peaches on the bottom of a buttered baking dish
5. Cover peaches with crumble topping then sprinkle the nuts over, if using
6. Bake for 20 minutes
7. Enjoy warm with ice cream, whipped cream or on its own

Serves 4 Pin It