Cheese Fest

Archive for the ‘French’ Category

Voluptueuse Aphrodite

We were quite excited to received this gift from some friends, when they returned from a trip to France. It is washed in Calvados and dusted with ginger (to give it an aphrodisiac effect, apparently). Oozing and collapsing under its own decadence, it promised much and we could barely wait for our Sunday cheese fest to try it.

Looks fantastic, doesn’t it?

It has a mild smell that is slightly cheesy, but nothing more. The pate is soft and gooey around the edges, but firm in the middle.

The flavour is initially sharp, especially in the firmer centre, with a slight bitterness. Sadly, we detected no hint of Calvados nor ginger, which was actually rather disappointing.

A voluptuous goddess of love!…Washed in Calvados!… Dusted in ginger!… One expects it to be exciting… provocative sensuality, velvety smooth, with an intoxicating richness and a little touch of spice. This was very much a plain Jane.

As for the aphrodisiac effects, we didn’t experience any sudden urges to drag one another to the bedroom and rip each others clothes off.

…so, it seems looks can also be deceiving in the world of cheese.

It did get better with age, becoming more like a Camembert, but still far from expectation.

All in all it wasn’t a bad cheese. A shame really, it promised so much, but failed to live up to its name.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2013

(3/5)

Le Chabichou du Poitou

Wrinkly and dusted with a white bloom, a two inch tall, slightly conical drum, this little cheese comes from around Poitiers. Apparently, it dates back to the Moorish invasion of that area in 732. Some Arabs stayed behind, and with them, their herds of goats… and, well, this was France, so they simply had to make cheese from the milk. Le Chabichou This is classified as an aged fresh cheese (see the Glossary for an explanation) and is typically 2-3 weeks old when ready. Unusually for a goat’s cheese, it only has a faint whiff of goat. It does however have a strong smell, that can only be described as mousey. Sweet, pungent… and, well… like mouse pee. The interior has a soft, thin buttery layer whilst the inner pate is quite firm, like slightly dried out putty. Once cut, there is a very strong goaty smell. The taste starts very fresh and sharp and contains concentrated essence of goat, then it turns quite bitter, leaving a lingering and slightly burning aftertaste. Olympia loves goat’s cheese and loved this, I wasn’t quite so keen (hence the middle of the road score).

Very goaty, so if you like goat’s cheese, you will probably enjoy this.

 Purchased from the French cheese stall outside Brighton Station,

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2012

(2.5/5)

Brillat-Savarin aux Truffes

Is it a cake? Is it a pudding? No, it’s super cheese… Brillat-Savarin aux Truffes! Aka: Brillat Truffé, Brillat aux Truffes, Brilliat-Savarin a la Truffe… to give it some of its other noms de plume. But regardless of what identity you may find it under, it’s still a super cheese.

Ordinary Brillat-Savarin is just a triple cream cheese. But whilst it may be utterly decadent creamy yumminess, it is just like pretty much any other soft, white, triple cream cheese. Explorateur, Délice de Bourgogne, Brillat-Savarin… they’re all very, very similar. Delicious, but similar.
THIS, on the other hand, takes it into a new realm of gastronomic indulgence. If Monsieur Brillat-Savarin, were to have smiled in his grave at the cheese named in his honour, this one would have him clawing his way out, just to try it.

It is a very tidy and well presented cheese. A perfect cylinder, delicately dusted in pure white mould. Cut to reveal a smooth, creamy interior with a neat grey/brown stripe running though its centre.

It has a typically soft buttery pate that smells mildly of truffle and… er… gear oil? The strong, earthy, truffle flavour is a perfect compliment to the sour, fresh taste of the cheese, dressed in the velvety, rich texture of triple cream.

This cheese is very special. A real Babette’s Feast experience.

Purchased from: La Cave à Fromage, Brighton.

Reviewed by: Nick & Olympia 2013.

(4.5/5)

Maroilles

From a Trappist recipe, over 1,000 years old, this distinctive sticky, orange slab is the favourite of kings, and it’s not hard to see why. Maroilles It has an attractive orange rind. But… it’s not coloured with an annatto stained wash like many other orangey coloured cheeses. This is the colour the the particular strain of bacteria that is grown on its surface. As it matures, Maroilles is repeatedly turned and washed with brine. This kills off the usual white moulds, allowing a culture of orange bacteria to develop, giving it a sticky, oily texture. It has an acrid smell, that is quite pungent, but not strong. Inside, the paste is also quite sticky and oily. A pale yellow in colour with little holes and a soft, rubbery bite. The flavour is initially, not strong, but again, distinctly acrid and slightly bitter. However, the flavour increases as you chew. Strangely, the aftertaste is stronger still. The bitter aftertaste fades and is replaced with sweet buttermilkiness.  In some ways, it has a strong flavour, yet it is mild. All in all, it provides a complex tasting experience that is rather hard to describe.

Purchased from the French cheese stall, Brighton station.
Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2012
(3/5)

Délice de Bourgogne

From Burgundy, this decadent little number is definitely not one for those on a diet. With a fat content of over 75%, this triple cream cheese will clog the arteries as it makes its way directly to the waistline… but, oooh, what a way to go! Délice de Bourgogne The soft white bloomy rind, like that of a brie, covers the almost equally white paste. It has very little smell, a bit like crème fraîche (which is not surprising because it is one of the ingredients). It is soft, creamy and spreads easily, with a smooth, silky but also very fatty texture. Very, very creamy, with an almost fresh taste, slightly lemony, but with a quite salty, buttery flavour. In some ways, it has a very slight “blue” flavour, that gets stronger as the cheese gets older. Very rich and very decadent.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2012

(3.5/5)

 

Rochebaron

We found this delightful blue cheese on a recent trip around France. We bought another one to bring home with us, but somehow it didn’t seem quite as good. Maybe, it was the fact that the one pictured, had been sitting in a warm car for a few days. Or perhaps it was a psychological effect of tasting better when you’re on holiday, picnicking under the trees.

A greenish grey ash rind about 6″ (15cm) diameter and 1″ (2.5cm) thick. Persillée (parsley), the French call this style of blue. Creamy white interior with flecks of green. Though the rind looks a little leathery, it is actually soft and pretty tasteless.

It has a lovely texture with a very mild, delicate flavour and doesn’t taste blue at all.  Not exciting, but very pleasant.

Purchased from Carrefour, Dunkerque.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia 2013.

(3.5/5)

persillée

Tomme de Vache

In a French motorway stop, there was a craft fair and a man selling cheese. Amongst his offerings was this rather gruesome looking object. Gnarled, grey with bits of white, it looks like a lead weight that’s sat at the bottom of the sea for a few years… so we had to buy it

About 4″ (10 cm) diameter, with a leathery, dirty grey rind, this little cheese looks like it has seen better days. The outside smells strongly of ammonia, like it’s been sat at the bottom of a pigeon coop for a few weeks.

The pate is a dirty yellow colour, greying towards the outside edge. It smells very strongly milky and slightly blue. The texture is soft, rubbery and creamy.

The flavour is, however, not strong. Slightly alpine, milky with bitter overtones. Despite its rough appearance, it is a rather delightful little cheese.

Reviewed by Nick, Olympia & guest reviewer, author John Bartlett

(3/5)

 

Langres

This rather smelly, but delightful cheese is made in the Champagne region of France in the town of the same name. Bright yellow/orange, sticky, wrinkly and sunken in the middle, Langres looks like a deflated alien brain.

About 3″ in diameter, and washed in Champagne mixed with annatto, to give it the orange rind, Langres is quite a smelly little cheese, slightly sweet, pungent but not stinky.

Then dent in the top is apparently due to the fact that it is only turned twice during maturation.  As the whey and wash drains through the cheese, causing the top collapses in. Some aficionados will pour wine, Champagne or spirits into this dent before serving.

In younger cheeses, the paste is quite firm, but it starts to go gooey around the edges as it matures. Ideally, it is about right when this process has reached about half way (about 1cm). The flavour is complex, there’s a fresh sharpness that makes way to a much mellower and satisfying flavour that has a great deal of character. Eaten with a sip of wine, brings out a floral quality.

Purchased from Selfridges, London

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia 2010

(4/5)

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We originally reviewed this cheese in 2010, but on a recent trip to France spent a day in Langres. Of course we had to try this cheese in its home town, although avoiding it would have been difficult. In this town, it seems that everything is either cooked or served with Langres.

Top: Langres – Bottom left: Langres fraiche – Bottom right: Chaource

We discovered that the Langres cheese is also eaten fresh. It is pleasant enough, but tastes very much like any other fresh cheese. So, we’re glad that they drown it in booze and let it fester for a couple of months.

 

Pavé d’Affinois

This delightful little offering was brought to our Sunday night cheesefest by Olympia’s cousin, Annabel on a recent visit.

It came in a little cardboard box, which had managed to adhere itself to the rind. As a result, the rind tore on opening, spilling it’s gooeyness on to the plate. It did, however, make for a good photo opportunity.

The name caused us a lttle confusion. Pavé is often used to descibe square slabs of French cheese, from French word for cobble or paving stone. However, there is no place called Affinois. We finally came to the conclusion that affinois is a word made up by the manufacturers to reflect its refined (affiner) ultrafiltration process.

It has pale ivory rind dusted with a bloomy white mould which smells mildy of ammonia and cow shed. The paste is gooey, almost liquid with scents of honey.

The texture is extremely decadent and the flavour very mild and a bit non-descript. However, when taken with wine, it releases the wonderful taste of honey.

Not tremendously exciting. It is labeled as “brie like”, and would make a more interesting replacement on the cheese board.

Purchased from Marks & Spencer.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia (with guest reviewer Annabel).

(2.5/5)

Pyrénée Noir

Also know as Tomme des Pyrénées, this is a visually striking cheese, covered in a black plasticky wax. The very pale yellow, almost white, pate is soft, flexible and oily looking.

It has a sweet buttermilk smell, a soft bite with a pleasing texture. The flavour is, as expected, delicate, milky and sweet. Typically cheesy, but not strong.

This is the sort of cheese that would be suitable for children and  those who don’t like strong cheeses and would normally choose Edam or Port Salut.

Unexciting for the hardened cheese buff, but pleasant and inoffensive.

Purchased from the cheese stall outside Brighton Station

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia 2012

(2/5)