Chevre V: Sainte-Maure de Touraine

"The curdled milk is delicately put in the cylindrical mould with a ladle. Extreme caution should be taken to prevent the curds from being broken." (I never knew how careful a cheese maker must be.) -911 Chef Eric









Oh, what a name! I had trouble remembering it between the refrigerator and my office (mattress on bedroom floor). Sainte-Maure de Touraine comes from Touraine in the Loire/central area of France. There are many buches de chevre (goat cheese logs) out there, but this one is different. As the photo shows, something runs through the middle of this cheese. It has two purposes: to keep the cheese in its log form and to allow air into the middle of the cheese so that it matures more uniformly. The straw is made of rye and is sometimes written upon with a laser so that the consumer knows where the cheese originated. I bought this buche at the supermarket, so it didn't surprise me when I didn't find anything engraved on my rye straw. (if it's even rye!) The cheese is also coated with black ash, which is eventually covered with mold as it ages. Ours was of an average age; it hadn't begun to turn soft on the outside.

Poor Dave slaved away at this cheese because every time we ate it, he had to peel off the ashy mold. We ended up with some pretty lopsided cheese coins. We ate it on toasted baguette slices, either as an appetizer or on a salad, and both were delicious! We melted the cheese on the baguette, and we also spread cold cheese on toast; this kind of chevre is tasty however it's prepared! Sainte-Maure is pretty basic and subtle, so it would be good for someone who hasn't tried a slightly aged (2 or more weeks) chevre cheese before. Unfortunately, this buche de chevre is made from unpasteurized milk and isn't aged for the mandatory 60 days, so it isn't available in the US.

Stay tuned...I plan on explaining the difference between cheeses made from pasteurized milk and those made from unpasteurized milk. It will probably be more of a learning experience for me than for you. I will also cite my sources...

Chevre IV: Banon de Provence

"Banon de Provence was already being celebrated in the era of the Gallo-Romans by Emperor Antonin Le Pieux, who claimed he would eat this cheese until the day he dies." -Jean-Louis aux Chataigniers (translated from French)






I hereby present to you another scrumpdiddlyumptious goat cheese, except this one is wrapped in mystery...

My research on this cheese has been a slightly difficult process. My first hurdle was the name of the cheese! The sticker that came on ours said "Cavet" which is not the name of the cheese, but is actually the name of the farm where this one was made. Banon de Provence, as I soon learned to be its name, comes from Provence in the southeast of France. Ours came from a little town within Provence called Dieulefit.

Banon de Provence is made from unpasteurized goats milk, then wrapped in chestnut leaves and tied with raffia. Here is where the real mystery bubbles up to the surface; some sources claim that the little cheese package is dipped into white wine, while others say brandy. One website mentioned that it's soaked in sarriette, or savory. I don't actually know which ours was soaked in, but I'm going to guess it was white wine. It didn't hint at the flavor of brandy, nor did it remind me of thyme, which is a close equivalent to savory.

This chevre was still soft on the inside, though it was slightly aged. At first, I thought it had a bitter aftertaste, but I no longer noticed this flavor as I continued to eat it with toasted baguette. It is a little more tart than the other goat cheeses we've tried, but still has a subtle chevre flavor. I really enjoyed this cheese and especially liked the novelty of it being wrapped in a chestnut leaf. How French!!

We can supposedly order this cheese online, but on one site they claim Banon de Provence is made from cow's milk. I hope this doesn't prove to be a problem when I get home- that they aren't using the right kind of milk to make the cheese! It's tough enough that the cheeses available in the USA are all made from pasteurized milk. I suspect this specific cheese might be difficult to find at home. Is it safe to trust cheese that's delivered through the mail??

Chevre III: Rocamadour

"Monographs of the 15th century describe Rocamadour as a means of payment for the share-cropping and the taxes." -AF Touch Cuisine

This thin disk of cheese is ideal for the varied tasks of fromage de chèvre. It’s small, so we bought a few of them to test out its different uses. Naturally, it’s delicious when spread on baguette, and more-so when the baguette is toasted. What is special about this type of chèvre is how it melts perfectly on a slice of baguette when placed in the oven. We are huge fans of chèvre salads, so we were able to toast a couple pieces of Rocamadour and baguette for the top of our salad. It’s amazing! And so much better than a regular salad at a restaurant. It’s such a treat to bite in to the toasty, little circles.

The petite Rocamadour cheese has the typical, very discernible, goat cheese smell. It is also quite soft and seems as though it is melting when cut in to. It spreads easily on bread and crackers, which are especially complimentary to the cheese’s light saltiness.

This cheese gets its name from a small town called Rocamadour in the Southwestern départment (state) of Lot. We haven’t visited this town that’s built into a cliff, but it looks amazing. I believe they have a cheese festival there during Pentecost weekend. Of course, they have many different types to sample, not just Rocamadour. Maybe we will get a chance to go since it isn’t far from us.

You can enjoy this goat cheese as an appetizer or as a part of dessert, but as I mentioned, it goes remarkably well with a green salad. I have a feeling that something similar can be found in the U.S. Just be careful – it is not like the very soft rolls or pyramids of goat cheese found at the grocery store. While searching, remember that it has a soft, pale rind, which you do not need to cut off. I am really looking forward to keeping our chèvre salad tradition alive when we return home.

Update: Chevre Month

I didn't get to post more than my usual quota of 2 entries for this month, like I said I would. I know I still have time, but I'm going to Rome tomorrow, then Morocco for a week. I won't be back home until the beginning of March. I promise to bring you some very exciting tales of my adventures with cheese in Italy and Morocco when I return. And I will be extending Chevre Month through March. You have much to look forward to. Check back in 2 weeks!

Chevre II: Selles-sur-Cher

"The rind is firm and smells like ash and animal, with a hint of cellar and earth." -Joanne's tasting notes on ForkandBottle.com





Selles-sur-Cher goat cheese is the most delicious of its kind that I have ever had the great pleasure of tasting.

It is certainly on my top 5 list of best cheeses. I think Dave agrees with me on that. We picked this delicious devil out at Intermarche (supermarket) and we've been taking our sweet time with it, savoring each piece that we spread on little slices of pignette (better than a baguette).

It takes a bit of work to cut off the moldy charcoal rind, but the little square of firm, flaky, snow-white cheese is worth all the trouble. A little bit goes a long way, especially as it melts in your mouth and gives off its distinctive goaty-nutty-salty flavor. Our brick of Selles was aged, but when it is consumed earlier, the cheese is much softer and less intense. Of course, I didn't know this when we bought it, but I'm glad we tried the more aged version first. I wouldn't mind having a taste of the younger Selles, although I'm a bit afraid it won't be able to stand up to our first round with the cheese.

The cheese is made in the Loire Valley, the very center of France. The regulations surrounding the production of real Selles-sur-Cher are very strict, thus, it is not a common cheese at the market, especially outside of central France. I believe it is possible to find a version of this cheese in the USA that is made from pasteurized milk. But, as almost all French people are known to testify when faced with this change in tradition, it is not true Selles-sur-Cher chevre. Gotta take advantage while I still can... No question about it, we are absolutely going to be buying another brick of Selles-sur-Cher as soon as we return from our winter vacation. (I wonder what kinds of delicious cheeses we will stumble across in Rome, Marrakesh, and Essaouira...)

Chevre I: Picodon

"During the maturing process, the rind of the cheese covers itself with blue and white mold. This delicate and supple cheese can become crumbly after a prolonged maturing process. It can be eaten as a snack, in a sandwich, or cooked, grilled and left to soak in white wine, brandy, or even olive oil." -Cheese Online

Check out this website, which shows us how Picodon is produced.




The photo and quote found above easily summarize our experience with this cheese. The Thierrys introduced us to this cheese in Lyon last November. Picodon comes from the Rhone-Alpes region (where Lyon resides) and is usually produced during the autumn months, which explains why we haven't found it in Mont de Marsan. Thankfully, Joelle fixed up a jar of picodon, olive oil, and spices for us to take home. We have let it sleep for almost three months, but it won't be able to rest for much longer. My mom is visiting us next week, and she would probably enjoy a taste of our special French cheese. Of course, we'll open it up in a couple days and make sure it is as good as we've been promised.

That is just one way to enjoy picodon cheese. While in Lyon, we had the opportunity to try picodon at its different aging processes. It is a very delicate cheese, but it certainly delivers the characteristic chevre taste. While white and young, it is soft and spreadable. Anyone can appreciate its flavor and accessibility. As the picodon ages, it grays and grows scary-looking mold all over its rind. Its inner character also changes from soft to hard, so that it breaks apart when you cut into it. It becomes difficult to spread and even more difficult to keep from tumbling off a little piece of baguette. Despite this odd and sometimes frustrating transformation, the picodon's flavor is more pronounced and savory than ever before. It isn't very strong, though it has quite a different taste compared to that of the young picodon. No matter what, deciding on the best stage at which to eat picodon is up to your cravings. Remember, if you are in the middle of autumn, you can just go back to the cheese man for more. The most sure way is just to move to Lyon.

Unfortunately, I don't know if this cheese is available in the USA. As in past posts, my suggestion is to check the specialty stores, such as Trader Joe's, Bristol Farms, etc. There are some websites that offer delivery of picodon cheese, which I might have to try when I return. Of course, I will wait to place that order until the autumn.

News!

I have been reviewing my past posts and I realized that I haven't written about la fromage de chevre yet!! How could I be so neglectful? We have been consuming goat cheese since we landed on this continent and I hadn't even considered writing about it until now. I apologize...

Thus, I declare this the month of CHEVRE! All my posts will be about chevre cheese. Though I usually keep the number of cheese reviews to two per month, I might make a slight exception to help reconcile my complete disregard of a very important feature in my Penicillin-consuming, French life.

(A more personal note: I wish eating moldy cheese would immunize me against the moldy walls of my apartment. I am getting sick (horrible allergy infections) every 2-3 weeks. It's unbearable.)