A Cheese Blow Out

A chapter in R. W. Apple, Jr.’s recent book “Far Flung and Well Fed” mentioned the Michelin three star rated restaurant La Pyramide, in Vienne. It reminded me of our lunch there, sitting in the garden, finishing a late lunch with St. Marcelline –Fernand Point’s favorite cheese-- accompanied by Condrieu. A confirmed sentimentalist, I tried to simulate that experience and went to Zabar’s in search of St. Marcelline. In addition I bought three more cheeses and was on my way for another cheese dinner. I toyed around with the idea of buying a bottle of Condrieu, but I wasn’t ready to spend $50. Instead I opted for a fruity Alberiño.


The Cheese Plate
Queso Leonora
Langres
Pont L‘Êvêque
St. Marcelline

Accompaniments

Fresh Green Figs
Pink Lady Apple
Roasted, Unsalted Almonds
Pumpernickel bread
Sour Dough Roll
Grissini
Wine: Rías Baixas Alberiño, 2009
Dessert: Biscotti
Madeira

Tangy and robust, the soft-ripened goat cheese Queso Leonora from Leon, Spain was my favorite. The little known Langres was another winner. It is a soft ripened cow cheese from the Champagne region with a nearly sweet and subtle flavor. The cheese is washed with an orange pigment from the Annatto tree and flavored with a local Marc de Champagne

I didn’t have Pont l'Êvêque for a long time, but recalled it as being very creamy and pungent. Sure enough, it was so creamy it practically ran off the cheese board. It also had the pleasant after-kick I remembered.

Oddly enough, the eagerly anticipated the St. Marcelline, was a disappointment. It came in a small plastic crock, was buttery all right, but had little else going for itself. Perhaps the cheese is too young and delicate to travel and best to buy it at the source.

The Rías Baixas Albeirñro ($18.) from the northwest region of Spain in Galicia, was an excellent choice. The wine is made from the Albariño grape which is likened to both Riesling and Viognier. No wonder, I liked it.

Once More with Cheese

We struck gold: Whole Foods had just received a shipment of Hervé Mons, a French camembert which, although pasteurized, is as close to genuine French camembert as one can get in the U.S. George, always on the lookout for such news, read an article by Harold McGee, heralding the arrival of “A Camembert That Pasteur Would Have Loved.” The camembert in question resembles a raw-milk one. It has a fairly thin, edible rind, a golden, soft interior, earthy, and strong flavor. Made by Hervé Mons, a French affineur, it is exclusively available at Whole Foods Market throughout the US.

George called the cheese department at Whole Foods on Columbus Circle to inquire and asked them to put one camembert aside for us. I went, I bought, and we savored the cheese after a ridiculous first course of grilled cheese sandwiches, based on a recipe by the famous Swiss chef Fredy Giradet. The recipe called for thinly sliced Swiss cheese to be baked in a 400 degree oven until browned, but still soft in the center for about 5 minutes; thick slices of country bread brushed with softened butter and sprinkled with a few drops of white wine; to put the cheese slices on top of the bread, return to the oven until the cheese bubbles and melts for about another 5 minutes.

Reading the recipe I should have known better. The baked Swiss cheese stuck together like glue. I scooped it up and transferred the cheese onto the bread and hoped for the best. The best was that we ignored the globs of cheese, rescued the butter/wine treated bread, and indulged in Monsieur Mons’ camembert, accompanied by a Côtes du Rhône Saint-Esprit.

George found the camembert too creamy. Truth be told, I barely remembered what genuine camembert tastes like. But we had fun.

Whole Foods Market
10 Columbus Circle
(212) 823-9600

Cheese Update

My cheese dinner entry brought a flood of responses from enthusiastic cheese lovers. With the exception of English Cheshire or a Cheddar, all of their favorite cheeses were French. High of the list were Reblochon, from Savoie, Epoisses from Burgundy, Camembert from Normandy, and Munster from Alsace—the crème de la crème of French cow’s milk cheeses--unpasteurized, all of them, hence unavailable here.

I could just as cheerfully compose an all Italian cheese plate; a Swiss or a Spanish one, or a combination of top European cheeses, not to forget our own American artisanal cheeses. And how about The Roaring Forties, that creamy, full-bodied cow’s milk blue cheese, named after the ferocious winds that whip around its native King Island south of Australia?

With your input I could compose a series of cheese dinners, each with its own libation. Please let me have your thoughts and suggestions.

A Cheese Dinner

We had dinner company; a rare occasion since our present dining facilities do not lend themselves to entertaining. To make the most of it, I decided to serve our favorite food: cheese.

The Cheese Tray
Roquefort Gabriel Coullet
Carré de Chevre
Taleggio
Old Amsterdam Gouda

The Bread Basket
Pane Francese
French baguette
Delba German whole grain pumpernickel
Ak-mak whole wheat crackers

The Accompaniments
Braeburn apples
Dried Turkish apricots
Walnuts

The Wines
Montagny 2007
Les Buys, Louis Latour
Côte d’Or
Staete Landt 2008
Marlborough
Sauvignong Blanc

Cheese aficionados consider Roquefort, France’s sheep milk cheese, to be the “King of Cheese.” Meanwhile, a good Roquefort is hard to come by. I tried three different Roqueforts at Zabar’s before I picked Gabriel Coulet’s. It was a good choice. The Roquefort had an ivory-colored interior, delicate blue-green marbling, creamy texture and that tantalizing sharp taste so beloved by connoisseurs. .

Carré de Chevre comes from the Poitous/Charantes region of France, known for their goat cheeses. Nearly snow white, the Carre was so creamy, the paste kept oozing out. It’s lively, fresh taste was a good contrast to Roquefort’s macho character.

Young Taleggio, the cow's milk cheese from Italy’s Lombardy region, is one of my favorite cheeses. Semisoft, pale, somewhat stinky, young Taleggio is mild and flavorful.

Old Amsterdam Gouda, from The Netherlands, is one of the most reliable cheeses around. I like its pure, sweet and nutty taste; its solid texture reminds of the sturdy Dutchmen. With its deep yellow color, it added to the overall appearance of the cheese tray.

The two white wines, although carefully chosen, did not live up expectation. I had hoped for a fuller, richer Burgundy. Most likely, a Kabinett Riesling would have been a better choice. Eric Asimov had just sung its praise in the Times' Wednesday food section. But none of the three wine stores I deal with had any of the wines in stock. The New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc faired better. Next time, I may go back to red.