Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Cheese for a Wednesday - pt 23 Celebrate Goat Cheese!

With all due respect to my dear friend, Man Who Sneers at Goats (Cheese), I just had a fabulous evening with my Darling Husband (who does not sneer at goat cheese) tasting many different goat cheeses from the Loire Valley at the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills.  Just look at that bounty!  In the coming week or so, I'll be highlighting a few, thanks to the 10% discount you get for shopping for cheese after the equivalent of three-four glasses of wine. (Never underestimate the power of the drunken shopping spree at the cheese store!)

While MWSAG(C) may sneer at goat cheese, it is remarkable how many different flavors can come from lowly goat milk.  I also love the many shapes goat cheese comes in.  In front here (and obviously a goat cheese b/c of the cute goat on the label) is the grassy, and only slightly barnyardy La Florette, which is a perfect goat equavalent of Brie.  The big log is Bucheron, which has a dry, delicately sour flavor that would go wonderfully in a pasta with sauteed rapini or other "bitter green" and some sun dried tomato.  The four leaf clover is the Chevre Feuille, a true goat cheese with a tangy, almost ammonia scent that is made much more palatable by a slightly acidic Cabernet Franc.  The cute little nugget is a "La Bonde d'Antan" from the Poitou region (as are the others I've pointed out).  This one is quited well aged, hard and flakey.  you could probably paint it black and use it as a hockey puck for a few minutes!  I would much rather enjoy it with a little apple/vanilla jam.

Goat cheese is just so versatile.  It can be sweet, it can be tangy.  It can be mild and accessible, but it can also be complex and difficult to appreciate without careful pairing.  It is also great to serve to your friends who can't process cow's milk.  There are so many varieties out there - both from the Loire Valley and much closer to home.  Last week's Wabash Cannonball comes to mind!

Do you have a favorite goat cheese?  Let me know!

2 comments:

  1. I don't have a favorite goat cheese, but I caught a goat once. I was at the county fair and I heard someone yell, "Catch that goat!" I saw a little goat running right at me, and I got it. (Yes, it's a lame story, but I haven't eaten a lot of goat cheese.)

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  2. A loose goat at the county fair is kind of exciting, actually! I've never caught a goat. Was it soft and fuzzy?

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