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.
Voluptueseuse Aphrodite
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)