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Time for another Fête du Fromage!
(A tasty event organised by Loulou)
My offer this month: a French cheese (well I am in Paris every other week, so what would you expect?)
LE CHAOURCE
So scrumptious...
Chaource cheese comes from the Champage area of France (that’d be east-south east of Paris) and from the eponymous village, where it has been produced since the middle ages. Made of cow milk, it is small, round and soft – an effect of the edible rind of penicillum candidum. The height is slightly greater than the diameter.
The cheese production is controlled and rewarded by an AOC since the 1970’s. Two of the rules assorted to that AOC specify that - Coagulation must be principally lactic (i.e. very little added to the milk to make it curdle), and last at least 12 hours (well, yes, if you add very little curdling matter I expect it would take some time for the curds to form and settle). - Drainage of the cheese must be slow and spontaneous (no press ganging the curds, pease!). All this to ensure it has that nice melt in the mouth texture and taste (quick curdling can have effects on the acidity of the cheese).
So it is a slow making process, a little similar to that of the next door neighbour, Brie. On the other hand the affinage process is fairly short (2 to 4 weeks) and the cheese is eaten young. On very young specimen, the taste can show faint traces of acidity but overall the texture is extremely smooth (creamy, buttery – no wonder with a fat content of about 50%) and redolent of mushrooms (maybe another effect of the penicillum?) and a hint of hazelnut.
The cheese can be made using both pasteurized and un-pasteurized milk (or mixed). This one I bought in the airport (due to safety regulations, soft cheese cannot go through security checks – you could stick a bomb inside – and has to be either checked in or bought at the secure airport shop) so it is pasteurized.
In many ways it is lucky that the delicatessen shop in Roissy has such a nice array of cheese on offer and that the products are “affinés” just so, otherwise I’d have to check in my luggage and waste up to an hour to retrieve it in Rome…
How much does one has to suffer to satisfy one’s gourmet tastes!
Chaource is perfect eaten just as it is – with the usual complement of fruits: apples, grapes - but if you feel creative – and you have easy access to the succulent creature - you can cut it into slices (horizontally) and place it to melt on a support of your choice, such as (but not limited to):
- Toasts
- Roasted mushrooms
- Flamiche aux poireaux (leek quiche)
Etc.
Or alternate the slices with warm roasted eggplant.
Or roasted apple slices.
The sky has no limit.
Of course the locals swear that Chaource goes wonderfully with Champagne – they would, wouldn’t they? – but it is also nicely coupled with aromatic dry white wine (think tokay pinot gris) and medium robust red wines alike (only medium robust, I think something too strong would swamp the delicate taste).
(A tasty event organised by Loulou)
My offer this month: a French cheese (well I am in Paris every other week, so what would you expect?)
LE CHAOURCE
So scrumptious...
Chaource cheese comes from the Champage area of France (that’d be east-south east of Paris) and from the eponymous village, where it has been produced since the middle ages. Made of cow milk, it is small, round and soft – an effect of the edible rind of penicillum candidum. The height is slightly greater than the diameter.
The cheese production is controlled and rewarded by an AOC since the 1970’s. Two of the rules assorted to that AOC specify that - Coagulation must be principally lactic (i.e. very little added to the milk to make it curdle), and last at least 12 hours (well, yes, if you add very little curdling matter I expect it would take some time for the curds to form and settle). - Drainage of the cheese must be slow and spontaneous (no press ganging the curds, pease!). All this to ensure it has that nice melt in the mouth texture and taste (quick curdling can have effects on the acidity of the cheese).
So it is a slow making process, a little similar to that of the next door neighbour, Brie. On the other hand the affinage process is fairly short (2 to 4 weeks) and the cheese is eaten young. On very young specimen, the taste can show faint traces of acidity but overall the texture is extremely smooth (creamy, buttery – no wonder with a fat content of about 50%) and redolent of mushrooms (maybe another effect of the penicillum?) and a hint of hazelnut.
The cheese can be made using both pasteurized and un-pasteurized milk (or mixed). This one I bought in the airport (due to safety regulations, soft cheese cannot go through security checks – you could stick a bomb inside – and has to be either checked in or bought at the secure airport shop) so it is pasteurized.
In many ways it is lucky that the delicatessen shop in Roissy has such a nice array of cheese on offer and that the products are “affinés” just so, otherwise I’d have to check in my luggage and waste up to an hour to retrieve it in Rome…
How much does one has to suffer to satisfy one’s gourmet tastes!
Chaource is perfect eaten just as it is – with the usual complement of fruits: apples, grapes - but if you feel creative – and you have easy access to the succulent creature - you can cut it into slices (horizontally) and place it to melt on a support of your choice, such as (but not limited to):
- Toasts
- Roasted mushrooms
- Flamiche aux poireaux (leek quiche)
Etc.
Or alternate the slices with warm roasted eggplant.
Or roasted apple slices.
The sky has no limit.
Of course the locals swear that Chaource goes wonderfully with Champagne – they would, wouldn’t they? – but it is also nicely coupled with aromatic dry white wine (think tokay pinot gris) and medium robust red wines alike (only medium robust, I think something too strong would swamp the delicate taste).
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