Causses d'Argental. New Favorite.

But seriously. 

This stuff is silly good.

Dangerous tasty.

Maliciously edible. 

Made from pure raw sheep's milk in the Argental region of France.... here it is: Causses d'Argental.

Origin: Argental, France

Milk: Sheep, raw.

Rennet: Animal

Affinage: 3-5 months

Notes: Looks delicious, smells delicious, tastes delicious..... feels delicious..........

Thoughts: Notes of hay, bark, and meat combine in a Grand Unified Flavor that would make a physicist cry. But seriously, this stuff is awesome. Hints of fruit peak through an otherwise rich paste, which in its soft chewy paste has an almost chocolaty deliciousness. Roll it over your tongue, let it break down, let the milkiness carry you into another world of cheese enjoyment. Reasons I love French cheese: Causses d’Argental.   This cheese has a multi-stage minutes long flavor progression, it’s actually absurd. It bites, it makes up, it overwhelms with meaty saltiness, it turns nutty and tangy, it sates with sweetness and calms with casein. It is 5 cheeses in one, it is the something steady and the somefin’ somefin’, it is the cheese, the Käse, the formaggio, and the fromage. Also the kaas. It is at Cheese Importers and, not even just because I work there and honestly not with any kickback to this particular stout yeoman, you should go find it and buy it and devote a baguette to it. Maybe a song, light some candles to get the mood right, just really get to know this cheese. It is a beaut. 

This post is brought to you by post-finals ten hour cheese shift delirium. 

Not a bad delirium to have, actually.  

Dear Reader

I regret to inform you that this weekend's posts will be rescheduled to next weekend due to my lifelong pursuit of high education. In the absence of my usual cheese-related musings I give you an offering from the far more capable John Cleese.

Reason #140 why finals are lame: They preclude the blogging of cheese.

Sottocenere, Soottottottottottottottottottttttttooooooo Good!

I.... I don't know.

Hello dear reader.
To be totally honest I'm a little surprised that I haven't already posted about this cheese, as it is both decadent and delightful. Both enticing and exquisite. Both om and nom-worthy.
Some time ago I posted about a truffle cheese, Caciotta al Tartufo, and if any of you aspiring and accomplished cheese sleuths managed to track some down then I have good news for you. There is something ever better to tickle the tongue and overwhelm with umami; Sottocenere.

Made in the Veneto area of Italy, which is to say way up North for us lay-folk, it is a one-of-a-kind cheese. Using quality truffles and a solid paste to back them up, this cheese is a little slice of cheese indulgence. Alternatively it's a large slice of cheese indulgence, but then who's counting calories here anyways.

Origin: Veneto, Italy,
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: ~4 months
Notes: The rind is covered in the ash of cinnamon, licorice, nutmeg, cloves, and fennel, giving it an enticing texture as well as a complex and mysteriously dark sweetness.
Thoughts: This is one of those cheeses that you really don't need too much of to really enjoy. Get a small sliver and what you'll find is a taste both decadent and deliberately well balanced, bursting with flavor and yet not overbearing. The semi-soft paste gives way with a mere suggestion and melts even more easily on the tongue, every worthy bite a full and nuanced display of carefully pasteurized cow's milk. Let's see, there was something else hereOH! Truffles, yeah this cheese has some of those too. Like the shavings so nicely visible in yonder photo. For those of you following along at home, those are hand selected black truffles that are thinly sliced and mixed in with the curd before aging. It's like when you're eating a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie; the cookie itself is great and full of flavor and you really wouldn't complain too much if that was all there was BUT.... what was that?
Chocolate chip flavor explosion.
In all seriousness, though, the truffle slices are not just for decoration in this cheese, they take their flavor-enhancing duties very seriously and the dark savoriness is the perfect foil for the mild but full creaminess and airy sweetness of the cow's milk.

Trust me. I've eaten a lot of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in my day.

Nocetto di Capra, Because Italy Needs Goat Cheese Too

Ladies and Gents, today we have a quick post. Quick post. Here's the thing. This cheese addict is about to host a cheese party, which means signs, platings, and all host of other cheese-related busy work. But, thanks to my pre-New Year's New Year's resolution, I will keep the posts on time. No matter the cost. The cheese must flow. The Cheese Must Flow. 

Every nation has a goat cheese of some sort, but fresh goat cheese is not typically associated with Italy. They do have their own examples, though, such as today's Nocetto di Capra. Made in the Lombardy region of Italy from herd of Orobica goats, it is a bold entry into the goat category. But is it enough?

Origin: Lombardy, Italy

Milk: Goat, pasteurized

Rennet: Animal

Affinage: 3-5 weeks

Notes: Soft, snowy white rind.... edible.

Thoughts: Notes of sweet, cream, and decadence (that’s a note, right?) flood the palate within seconds of trying this Italian treat. The rind brings a more savory, earthy, and almost grassy feel to Nocetta, but on the whole it is a very mild cheese. Even in it’s sweetness it is almost aloof, even in its decadence almost reserved. Think a cheese can’t have human characteristics? I beg to differ. Floral notes add some variety to an otherwise one-dimensional flavor making for a decent if not outstanding cheese. The problem with fresh and young goat cheeses is that there are so many one really has to stand out to be noticed. Now I'm out of stance-related figures of speech.

Having trouble making your goat cheese stand out among the rest? This joke has no punchline!