plantronicsgamingheadsetssave

I've always loved the subtle flavors that leaves ,  bark ,  ash  and  herbs  lend to cheese. Montrachet is no exception. It is wrapped in a chestnut leaf and is one of a handful of goat cheeses produced in Burgundy, a region that is famous for its wine, bien sûr , but also for its cow's milk cheeses, especially of the washed rind variety. Cheeses like Époisses, Abbaye de Cîteaux , Soumaintrain and Ami du Chambertin . But the popularity of cows in Burgundy doesn't mean you should disregard the wonderful goat cheeses from this region, such as Mâconnais and Charolais, both of which can be made entirely from goat's milk, and sometimes from a blend of cow and goat's milk. Montrachet is made by a sole producer located in Saint-Gengoux-le-National, a tiny town about an hour north of Mâcon. It is a semi-firm, unpasteurized goat cheese shaped like a squat little barrel. The chestnut leaf keeps it moist and adds a slight note of earthiness. It is tied with a strip...

Walk into any fromagerie in France during goat cheese season (April to November) and you will be faced with a tempting array of wrinkly rectangles, fresh drums, blue mold covered cylinders, two-toned cones, grey pyramids, white diamonds, discs wrapped in leaves, and a distinctive four-leaf clover,  le Trèfle du Perche. In the French cheese world, this one is fairly recent creation. Back in 1999 a group of 7 artisan cheesemakers in the northern part of the Loire Valley and the southern part of Normandy established  l’Association des Fromagers Caprins Perche et Loir  (after numerous meetings involving copious amounts of local cheese and wine I like to think) and created a new goat cheese. Their goal was to come up with a fromage de chèvre that would be instantly recognizable and that would become associated with their region. During its inception, one of the members spotted an unusual, four-leaf clover shaped clay cheese mold in a local rural museum and the rest is h...

Let's talk about mold. When it comes to food, mold is a major turn off. But when it comes to cheese, it has a purpose. Mold* imparts flavor and gives cheese its texture, its tang, its aroma and its ability to ooze across a plate, among other things. Roquefort is the example that immediately springs to mind. Mold, specifically the  penicillium roqueforti strain that makes up those delicious veins of blue, is what gives Roquefort its raison d'être . On that note, I would like to introduce you to a delightful little moldy goat's cheese from the  Deux-Sèvres  department called  le Sauvaget . There is the obvious appearance of a bluish-gray mold on its surface, which is a wonderful thing. This mold means flavor! Le Sauvaget is earthy, grassy, somewhat sour, salty and lactic. Its texture is dense, crumbly and coats your mouth with rich,  fromage de chèvre  deliciousness. Goat cheese season is upon us, so enjoy this one while you can! A crisp, mineral w...

Every time I discover a new cheese my heart skips a beat. After tasting over 221 French cheeses , my Fête du Fromage project reached a bit of a dead end. I rarely came across a cheese that I hadn't already tasted and in general my passion for writing about cheese waned. So, I kind of gave up . Then this morning I spotted a locally produced fromage de vache  at the Bayeux market and my desire to share a new (to me) French cheese was rekindled. Le P'tit Vache Affiné au Pommeau is a young, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese produced on a small farm near Villers-Bocage . It has been aged for a mere two weeks, during which its rind is washed daily in Pommeau, a fruity mixture of AOC Calvados and apple juice that is enjoyed locally as an apéritif. The pâte has a very fine, crumbly texture and the flavor is sweet, lactic and mild, with stronger aromas and flavors on the rind. I expected it to pack more of a punch, so was pleasantly surprised by its softness. I think it will make a...