Right, so first things first. The astute and devoted reader of this blog will have noticed with the greatest of disappointment that there was no blog post yesterday. Blogger, the device through which I disseminate this dastardly delicious dossier, was effectively down for the better part of two days, rather throwing off the whole cheese-a-day scheme. No matter, for today you get three posts! One for today, one for yesterday, and a third because, who am I kidding; I thoroughly enjoy writing these.
Perhaps the biggest problem with bringing the great cheeses of Europe to the non-European table is the issue of quality control. The industrial revolution had devastating consequences for genuine cheesemaking traditions in Europe, but while the good stuff can again be found on a small scale the same cannot be said for what is exported in bulk. As a result we have cheeses such as today's Saint André; a cheese with flavor, texture, and good looks, but lacking a soul.
Origin: Normandy, France
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetable
Affinage: Roughly 30 days
Notes: Here we see our first fake leaf, and even though this cheese is legitimately from France it still suffers from being, well, dumbed down for export. French cheese importing giant Ile de France is probably responsible for most of the French cheeses available at your supermarket, but for all the good they have done in spreading the word it has come at the cost of integrity of the cheese. Sure we can get Fol Epi, Saint Agur, Bleu d'Auvergne and other cheeses of French origin, but they are typically only facsimiles of the original. Worse yet, real-deal cheeses are often discontinued domestically to favor the more profitable export of these pseudo-cheeses. Oh PS it's a triple crème too.
Thoughts: The first thing you'll notice about this cheese, once you remove the paper leaf, is the texture. It is surprisingly dense for a triple crème, so much so in fact that it will hold its shape even at room temperature. Unfortunately, with the supermarket cheesecake-like texture comes a supermarket cheesecake-like flavor. While obviously very rich and creamy, Saint André is otherwise underwhelming. It is sweet and slightly salty but otherwise pretty one-dimensional. This combined with the dense texture means that it does not cover the palate as evenly as some smoother cheeses and, overall, there are just better "dessert bries" to be had. Don't get me wrong; this is not a bad cheese, and it will certainly be a crowd pleaser alongside sweet fresh fruit, but it lacks soul. The original notes from my tasting read "flavor is good but not incredible", and really it could be so much more.
Caution
Going the extra distance for the true essence of that one French Cheese might just mean flying to France for it. On the other hand, dairies in the US are making ever-better originals, and why pass up the cheese tours right in your backyard?
Perhaps the biggest problem with bringing the great cheeses of Europe to the non-European table is the issue of quality control. The industrial revolution had devastating consequences for genuine cheesemaking traditions in Europe, but while the good stuff can again be found on a small scale the same cannot be said for what is exported in bulk. As a result we have cheeses such as today's Saint André; a cheese with flavor, texture, and good looks, but lacking a soul.
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetable
Affinage: Roughly 30 days
Notes: Here we see our first fake leaf, and even though this cheese is legitimately from France it still suffers from being, well, dumbed down for export. French cheese importing giant Ile de France is probably responsible for most of the French cheeses available at your supermarket, but for all the good they have done in spreading the word it has come at the cost of integrity of the cheese. Sure we can get Fol Epi, Saint Agur, Bleu d'Auvergne and other cheeses of French origin, but they are typically only facsimiles of the original. Worse yet, real-deal cheeses are often discontinued domestically to favor the more profitable export of these pseudo-cheeses. Oh PS it's a triple crème too.
Thoughts: The first thing you'll notice about this cheese, once you remove the paper leaf, is the texture. It is surprisingly dense for a triple crème, so much so in fact that it will hold its shape even at room temperature. Unfortunately, with the supermarket cheesecake-like texture comes a supermarket cheesecake-like flavor. While obviously very rich and creamy, Saint André is otherwise underwhelming. It is sweet and slightly salty but otherwise pretty one-dimensional. This combined with the dense texture means that it does not cover the palate as evenly as some smoother cheeses and, overall, there are just better "dessert bries" to be had. Don't get me wrong; this is not a bad cheese, and it will certainly be a crowd pleaser alongside sweet fresh fruit, but it lacks soul. The original notes from my tasting read "flavor is good but not incredible", and really it could be so much more.
Caution
Going the extra distance for the true essence of that one French Cheese might just mean flying to France for it. On the other hand, dairies in the US are making ever-better originals, and why pass up the cheese tours right in your backyard?
I was actually really bummed about blogspot having troubles, for my own blog, as well as yours. They had taken down the Comte post for a bit and I thought I missed it! Thanks for the additional posts though. I love reading about cheeses.
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