Cheese for a Wednesday - pt 27 Fol Epi and the Return of the Cheese Ghost!

Another long week.  Lots going on at work and at school.  I am in need of a little comfort food!  And I need cheese.  Like, really NEED cheese.  And then I realize that there is a beautiful wedge of Fol Epi in the fridge, waiting patiently for me to make grilled cheese sandwiches!  It's been waiting patiently for over two weeks, which I realize is a bit blasphemous, but it was carefully wrapped by the cheesemonger, so I'm not too worried.  So I go to the grocery store on my way home and pick up some bread from the deli counter, and select the reddest tomato available in early March at the grocery store, and head home to unwrap my Loire Valley cow's milk "swiss" cheese.  Much to my surprise, my wedge of cheese has turned into a, well, a wedge with the end cut off!  (Geometry buffs, please help me out here.)  The Cheese Ghost is back!

Thankfully, the ghost had the forethought that if he ate all the cheese, he might get a severe lecture around dinnertime!  There was plenty of cheese left to grate up to make some pretty yummy grilled cheese.  Thick bottomed skillet on medium high heat, plenty of butter on the bread, a good 1/3 cup of shredded cheese, a few thin slices of tomato, and melt.  I like to shred my cheese for grilled cheese because I think it melts more evenly.  Everyone has their own method.  Deelicious any way you melt it, and perfect with tomato soup, but I don't have to tell you that.

And Fol Epi is a great cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches.  This is a high protein cow's milk cheese is aged for three months, and has a very creamy, rich, nutty flavor.  It tastes a lot like a good Emmenthaler (swiss) cheese, but sweeter and with a little something special that I didn't figure out until I went searching for info on the web.  The rind of this cheese is really grainy, which really threw me as I started grating it.  It turns out that the rind is dusted with toasted wheat flour, adding "that something special" to the flavor of the cheese, and helps it stand out from the crowd. In fact, "Fol Epi" can be translated in French as "wild wheat stalk."    I'm not sure how much extra flavor comes from this coating, but I think it definitely has some effect.

As an aside, I always check out Wikipedia for basic info on all my tasty finds, but I didn't find a single entry for Fol Epi in English, though the Europeans are all over it in French and German!  Hmm.  Anyone up for the challenge?

I sure hope the Cheese Ghost hasn't eaten up all the leftovers before I get home tonight!  Sweet cheese dreams!

Cheese for a Wednesday - pt 25 The Mysterious Disappearing Cheese

There is a ghost in our house.  A cheese eating ghost.  We're not calling in Ghostbusters (though Fanboy Wife could probably hook us up...).  We're just going to have to get a more realistic about portion control.    See, Darling Husband fell in love with the La Florette cheese at the tasting we went to a while back, and under the influence of lots of Loire Valley wine we ended up with a quarter pound of this goat's milk "brie style" cheese (Easily identified by the cute goat on the label.)

Now, this tasting was kind of belated birthday present for DH, and as such, he decided that he was going to buy some cheese, and not let me eat any of it.  Rude, yes, but you've got to appreciate his passion. I, being a good wife, let him be the boss of this cheese.  Plus, I was at the tasting, so I wasn't completely denied.  DH is a big fan of sandwiches, and as a High School teacher, he enjoys freaking out his students with exotic cheese sandwiches, some with incredible "nose."  I love the fact that he doesn't treat his cheese with kid gloves.  It isn't precious to him.  It's food.  Food that is amazingly tasty, rich, and joy providing, but just food.  So, he made himself a LaFlorette cheese sandwich with some sliced ham.  I'm assuming that he slathered on the cheese pretty thick.  (It has a very soft, spreadable paste.)   He said it was an excellent sandwich, and effectively freaked out his students.  Mission accomplished.  

Unfortunately, two days later, when he went to make another sandwich with the La Florette, he accused me of eating some!  (I hadn't.  Sometimes, a promise is a promise)  His proof?  It was almost all gone!  Had it shrunk?  Impossible!  Had he simply forgotten how much he used on his uber-sandwich?  Ridiculous!  I protested my innocence, blamed it on the dog, and we finally decided that it would just remain a mystery.  So, if you pick up some La Florette, be forewarned!  It has a tendency to disappear.

It is quite a spectacular cheese, so I don't blame it for having a tendency to vanish.  See the sample at twelve o'clock?  With the waterfall of butterfat oozing out of the middle?  That's our cheese!  It's called a brie-style cheese because of it's gently flavored bloomy rind and soft, creamy paste.  It is a goat cheese, so it does have a little more tang - my tasting notes say "barnyard lite."  I would never try this cheese out on Man Who Sneers at Goats (Cheese), but it had a really lovely, delicate, complex grassy flavor that reminded me that spring was coming (eventually).  

We may have to get more La Florette soon.  Not only is a perfect, spreadable cheese for DH's lunchtime sandwiches, but it is great with a nice Chenin Blanc and good conversation too (when it isn't sneaking out of the fridge and disappearing all on its own!)

Cheese for a Wednesday - pt 24 Breakfast Cheese!

It's been quite a week.  As nice as my dentist and periodontist are, I'm still terrified of the dentist's chair.    Lucky for you, this blog is about cheese and not about excruciating dental work that includes extractions and implants.  Sadly, however, my tender gums haven't been up for anything other than soup and soft, soft, soft food that can be easily chewed on one side of the mouth only.  I haven't really been eating cheese since last Tuesday's Loire Valley cheese orgy.  That has probably been more torturous than the healing process!

Anyway, I finally got bored enough to dive back in to the wonderful world of cheese, and decided to start with breakfast.  Why not?  It's the most important meal of the day!

That adorable little white hockey puck (above) is actually an incredibly soft, delicious French goat cheese from the Midi Pyrennes called Cabecou.  I know that Man Who Sneers at Goats (Cheese) won't like it no matter what I say, but this little cheese is so mild, sweet and spreadable that I knew it would be perfect for a woman sporting a bit more exposed gum than usual.  The goats who help make this cheese nibble on hawthorne, mulberry and juniper leaves, making delicious, complex milk and a cheese perfect on english muffin with a little honey and an espresso.  The flavor is subtle, and there isn't any of the "tang" that MWSAG(C) hates so much in goat cheese.

I tend to only think about cheese after dark, or in an elaborate omlette at Sunday brunch.  The closest to a simple cheese breakfast I usually get is a tub of cream cheese and a bagel.  If I could afford to have a refrigerator full of Cabecou, every morning would be as delightful as this one was!

How/when do you eat cheese for breakfast?  Let's start a revolution!

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!

Cheese for a Wednesday - pt. 21 Appeasement Cheese

I don't know how it works around your house, but if I bring treats (cheese, cupcakes, cookies, etc) into the house with the intent of serving them at a party or taking them to a friend's house, there will be some loss due to the Husband Tax.  Instead of 24 cookies, there will mysteriously be 23.  Instead of 1/4 pound of cheese, there will be 1/5 of a pound (very cleanly cut and put back into the wrapper...).  I don't mind really.  In fact, I've stopped worrying about it all together.  I just bring home a little extra something for us to enjoy together right away (I have impulse control issues too...)

So, last Friday, when I went shopping for cheese to take to meet our friends' new baby, I knew I needed something to take home and eat immediately.  When I explained my dilemma to Andrew, he laughed and called it the "appeasement cheese."  And that's just what it was.  In fact, the Brie from the Ferme de Jouvence in France could appease the most cranky troll.  A hungry husband wasn't even a challenge!

One rule about Brie:  make sure that it has warmed up to room temperature before serving, or you won't be able to taste all the complex flavors inside the bloomy rind.  (Actually, this is true for all cheese.)  The other problem with a cold Brie is that it doesn't have the requisite "gooey-ness" that my husband, and I'm sure legions of others, loves so much about cheese.  I know it's hard to wait (impulse control issues...), but it's really worth it.  In fact, do a little taste test.  Since you won't be able to wait, have a little bit right after you take it from the fridge.  See?  Meh.  Now, wait 30 minutes and try again...fireworks, right?  Told you.

This cheese is so delicious!  It is sweet and mushroomy, with just a little tang from the rind (Please eat the rind of Brie!  Have you ever seen a Brie where all the paste has been scooped out leaving the sad little rind?  Give it a try.  Just once.  It really adds to the flavor of the cheese - transforming it from just rich and buttery to rich and buttery and a little sassy!)  This particular Brie also features the amazing flavor of spring garlic - fresh and light and not enough to make you need to brush your teeth.  So much so, in fact, that I thought for a moment that our baguette was a loaf of garlic bread.  So creamy and yummy.  And when at room temperature, so gooey and spreadable.  The perfect cheese.

One more thing - as I've been kind of obsessed with self-sufficient farming of late, I'd like to briefly add that according to Andrew, this farm is completely self sufficient in energy, including the use of anaerobic digestion (from the cow patties!!).  I've promised a post on how this works, but haven't yet gotten around to doing the research.  Stay tuned!

In the meantime, keep your eyes out for artisinal Brie, full of flavor and ready to appease anyone!

Cheese for a Wednesday, pt. 18 - Hilarious name edition

From the Basque region of France comes a cheese with the best name ever.  Etorki.  From what I've been able to determine, it is, in fact, pronounced the way it is spelled.  Ee-tork-ee.  Ha!  I love it because it sooo doesn't sound like a French word.  When I was at Andrew's Cheese Store on Tuesday night, another cheese caught my eye (You'll be hearing about that one later.  I promise.).  That one was all wrapped up, and I was almost out the door when I noticed the tag for Etorki.  Again.  I've been bypassing this cheese for six months!  Shame on me.

Anyway, this sheep's milk cheese was described by Andrew as "the Sarah Lee of cheese."  As in, "nobody doesn't like" Etorki.  I have to say, it's probably true.  This is definitely a sheep's milk cheese.  There is a certain salty, oiliness to sheep's milk cheese that is present in Etorki.  What is missing is a kind mealiness - like dry mashed potato (not sure of that analogy, but it will do for now) - that I've had in other sheep's milk cheese.  This cheese is almost unctuous.  Creamy, melt in your mouth goodness that does leave your lips with that sticky, "I just ate something really rich" feeling.  This cheese is mild, and you have to really pay attention to find the nuance, but it's there.  I tasted some mellow black olive, a little bit of grass on a sunny hillside, and a some sweet caramel.  In fact, I was just inspired to make some buttery salted caramels.  Yea.  That's it.

So, besides being a real crowd pleaser, this cheese is special because it is made exclusively from milk created by cute little black-faced Manech sheep.  After the curds are shaped, the cheeses are soaked in brine for 3-6 months, making a for a rind that is capable of protecting the cheese during the rest of the aging process.  We tasted the rind, and while the texture wasn't great, it wasn't shoe leather, and it had that extra bite of salt that I was missing (I'm only starting to appreciate mild tasting cheeses) in the rest of the cheese.

I don't think Etorki is going to be something that I dream about every night, but if I'm taking cheese for a party where I don't really know people's palates, this might be the sheep's milk cheese on my cheese tray.  It is unusual enough to be a conversation starter (not to mention the fun name as a conversation of it's own), but the complexity of these cheese is subtle enough to please the fussiest taste buds.

Even if you never get to try this cheese, you've got a new alternate cuss word.  Someone cut you off in traffic?  Etorki!  Someone use up all the hot water?  Etorki!  Need some cheese for sandwiches?  Oh yea, etorki!

Cheese for a Wednesday, pt. 17 - Pyreneese Cheese

Imagine - you are walking along through the Pyrenees mountains on a beautiful late summer day.  It is cool enough to wear a light sweater.  The sky is bluer than you have ever seen, the air is crisp and smells of fresh grass and wild flowers.  The hills are alive with the sound of music....You stumble upon a darling little cave that seems to welcome you in.  There is even grass growing into the front of the cave.  A shaft of sunlight beckons you in.  A butterfly flits past.

Got it?  If you aren't completely nauseated by the pastoral vision I've created for you, keep reading because this is how Tome de Couserans smells.  And it is how I imagine the Ariege region of France smells.  Well, perhaps with a slight whiff of cow poop.

Tonight being the first Wednesday in 2010, I thought we should celebrate with a little something special.  Cheesemonger Andrew didn't disappoint!  Couserans is a very special cheese.  It is quite rare, coming from a very small region in France, where I'm sure the livestock out number the people three to one.  It is also a cow's milk cheese in a very sheepy region.  Beyond that, it is just an incredible cheese that melts onto the tongue, leaving it's musty sweetness behind to savor (as I did with a glass of red and a bowl of brussels sprouts).

The natural rind looks like a perfectly baked whole-wheat dinner roll, textured but not wrinkly.  I did try eating this.  Not a great idea.  Better for smelling in this case.  The paste inside is an almost buttermilk cream color, with delicate little holes throughout which add to the tender tooth.  And the taste!  Summer butter, fresh green grass (from that cute butterfly ridden cave), just enough tang in the middle and end to hold your attention, and get you reaching for the cheese knife for another bite!  If I could find that cave, and eat this cheese in that cave, perhaps life would be complete.

Or maybe it's just another Wednesday night cheese dream!

French Tasting Day!

I finally got through France in Steve Jenkins' Cheese Primer yesterday morning. Yea me! There is so much amazing cheese made in France, from Normandy to the Pyrnees to the Alps, not to mention the Loire Valley and Provence. And there is so much information! I'm not ready for a formal quiz, but I thought it was definitely a moment for celebration. And so I was off to Andrew's Cheese Shop to claim my discount from going to his Cheese 101 class and collect a few delectable French cheeses. Woo hoo!

I find that I learn better by doing (and tasting!). So, I wanted to taste a few of the cheeses that I had been reading about in hopes that I would remember details and tastes in order to better be able to talk about them. I tasted the washed rind Pont-L'Eveque from Normandy - a very sophisticated "stinky" cheese, with a mushroomy richness that filled my mouth and delicately crawled up my nose (and I mean that in a good way!). I tried the Epoisses de Bourgone from Burgandy, which had the most amazing creamy, goopy texture and a stronger "barnyard-y" taste that wasn't my favorite, but I could totally appreciate why it has legions of fans.

It was the hard cheeses today that I fell in love with yesterday. First, and most famously, was the Beaufort (bottom), made by happy, Alpine cows. It was so sweet and nutty, and the DH and I decided that it was a "confident" cheese. It was just delicious. The second was the Grands Causses (top) from the mountains of Auvergne in south, central region of France. This cheese comes to us from the happy sheep that wander up and down the mountains eating grass. It was sweet and smooth, and I just thought it tasted like mountains and sunshine. Just light and delicious, and full of joy. Finally, and the biggest surprise, was the ugly, but divine, Dalle Charentaise from Western Central France. The rind on this goat cheese was so dry, ripe and stinky, even I was afraid! But inside, this cheese was just amazing! Complex and sweet with a slightly mineral-y, stone taste (DH likened it to tasting "an old French cathedral" in a good way!). I didn't notice any of the tangy-ness that usually accompanies goat cheese. Under the rind, the cheese was almost translucent, and the center was chalk white and smooth. We sucked on this one, savored it, and just relished every moment! The find of the day!

Next stop - Italy!