Mariolles, Raw France France Raw Raw France

Named for an abbey deep in the Ardennes forest, surrounded by the mighty trees of Ardennes forest, imbued with the aroma of the Ardennes forest, aged in the shadow of the Ardennes forest, packaged in boxes made with the wood of the Ardennes forest, reminiscent of the flavor of the bark of the Ardennes forest, there is a cheese. 

This cheese has a name. 

That name is Mariolles. 

It is from the Ardennes forest. 

Origin: The Ardennes forest... France

Milk: Cow, unpasteurized

Rennet: Animal

Affinage: 3-4 weeks

Notes: Beer washed rind, 45% fat, ripened with herbs and brushed regularly to keep only that good red bacteria growing on the surface. It's got AOC status, too. So there you go. 

Thoughts: Every part of this cheese screams washed rind, from the goey-brie-like paste to the warning-orange-red rind to the savory and meaty flavor. A little sour, a little salty, in fact at first this cheese has a bold almost spicy flavor. For the bold at heart, though, there is a great reward. The rich flavor at the beginning warrants a taste by itself but it quickly drops off and reveals a mellow and intensely savory aftertaste, highlighted by a hint of fruit here and there. Thoroughly delicious and a prime example of why fortune favors the bold.

No hurt... no curd.....

No pain.... no Brillat Savarin?

Also:

You can't actually get the unpasteurized version of this cheese in the US... sorry. 

Camembert et Brie, They've Created a Monster

A delicious, delicious, breaded monster. 

Usually I'm a traditional kind of guy, I'll hold open doors and while wearing wingtips and sneezing into a cloth handkerchief, and it definitely carries over into cheese. For example I don't want Cambozola, I want a wedge of good Gorgonzola Dulce and and some true blue Camembert de Normandie. I was, then, skeptical though intrigued when I came upon the sign for this cheese reading: Camembert et Brie. 

What could it mean? What mysterious quality linked these two cheeses somehow together? What made this disk that dimensionally was in between the two and looked like the result of a DIY deep frying process worthy of these two epic monikers? By the time I had the chance to try it I suddenly stopped caring, though, and got to enjoying this oh-so-nommable delight. 

Origin: Calvados, France

Milk: Cow, unpasteurized

Rennet: Animal

Affinage: 2-3 weeks

Notes: It is no normal Camembert and no normal Brie, that is for sure. It is treated briefly with brandy from the Calvados region and then pressed with a spiced breading, and for those of us not familiar Calvados is in fact in Normandie, making this more Camembert than Brie. Kind of. 

Who cares, it's seriously delicious. 

Thoughts: Smells sweet, taste begins milky and builds to a rich mushroomy flavor that lingers on into the aftertaste.  Throughout the bite both sweet and spicy play off one another in a dynamic mix that highlights the nuances of both. The paste is light and smooth as anything, creamier than most Bries more like a firm pudding that immediately melts in the mouth. An incredibly bold presence and complex spicy flavor mixed with a lighter than air texture is to die for. Rich rich rich, like eating a meal is this cheese.

This could spark off a whole brandy/breading of cheeses trend.

This should spark off a whole brandy/breading of cheeses trend.  

Ossau Iraty, That Cheese Is Like Brebis Brebis Brebis Ohhh

Get it? Because brebis is a French word?

In stark contrast to the one hit wonder of evil that today's title alludes to, our cheese is an ancient and thoroughly delicious curd. Ossau Iraty is one of those delectable French sheep's milk cheeses coming out of the Basque region of France and holds the honor of being one of only two French sheep's milk cheeses to have name-controlled status. The other is Roquefort, kind of a big deal.

Origin: Northern Basque Country, France
Milk: Sheep, unpasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: ~3 months
Notes: Although it's not cheap it is well worth every penny; snack it, cheese plate it, five course meal it.
Thoughts: Ossau Iraty is a lovely cheese in that it manages a great complexity and range of flavors and textures. It does of course predominantly showcase the oily and rich features of sheep's milk and it's region especially, but instead of this being an overpowering affair it is all balanced. The creaminess of this relatively young cheese comes through strong, despite the rather firm texture, and carries with it all of the nuance of the raw milk, grassy and a little meaty. For all of the decadence, and this truly is an indulgently fatty cheese, the aftertaste is surprisingly clean and leaves you wanting more. The French don't just hand out name/area controlled status, and this is a cheese that has clearly earned it.


I hope the mouse w/ flowers gag worked, thank heavens for an internet full of cute animal pictures.

#Cutepictureapology

Extenuating Circumstances, Explanation, Excuse, Etc.
Updates to resume with a Doppelpost on Monday.

Tomme de Savoie, The King of the Tommes

Here's the thing, there's this whole big range of "Tomme" cheeses, with the place of origin usually getting second billing in the title. It leaves very little to the imagination and even less to the amateur blogger attempting to write a witty post title. King of Tommes just barely edged out such bright hopefuls as Sah-vwuaaahhh and... and.... well there you go. It's late and I'm all out of wit. Sorry folks.

Here for you today I present Tomme de Savoie, a French Tomme style cheese from the Savoie region. Produced in relatively small disks for a mountain cheese, it has a gorgeous natural rind and an equally rich paste, so while it's not a particularly rare Tomme it has well earned its fame.

Origin: Savoie, France

Milk: Cow, unpasteurized

Rennet: Animal

Affinage: 2-3 months

Notes: 20-40% fat

Thoughts: This cheese warns you at first with it’s intense aroma, and unlike so many French cheeses the flavor is right there with it. The texture begins merely heavy but builds up a rich creaminess that carries the full degree of the stank right on through. The raw characteristics of the cheese dominate in a bold but pleasant bite, fruity and salty hang out in the background and just a bit of tang develops to sting the tongue. Incredibly savory with the full flavor of the cow’s milk coming to bear, it is both complex and bold, I’m a fan.

Epic Meal Time may have bacon money, but I'm getting cheese money. 

More hater curds for more cheesy nerds.