What is on your Mt Rushmore of cheeses?

[KennethT]

51 minutes ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Tough one. I love goat cheese so I’d probably start with crottin de chavignol (fresh or aged, it’s wonderful with a glass of Sancerre). Humboldt Fog is nice but its inspiration, Valencay, knocks it out of the water. Also a good Pouligny-Saint-Pierre which has a truncated pyramid shape like Valencay, but without the ash. And a Selles-sur-Cher to rounds things off. 
It would be nice to have a couple of sheep cheeses too, Corsican brin d’amour or fleur du maquis with dried herbs, and maybe a really fine fiore sardo (a type of pecorino). This is making me SO hungry.
Lastly I am adding a Mont d’Or so I can have some cow milk-based cheese in my selection.

ooohhhh that's a tough choice - Valencay or Selles-sur-Cher?

[FrogPrincesse]

@KennethT Does one have to choose? I love Valencay; the texture and tangy flavor are just perfect in my opinion, and the shape is striking. But I spent many weekends and summers in the area where Selles-sur-Cher is produced and used to buy it directly from a very small farm where I could see the small herd of goats who produced the milk, so it has a special place for me!

Note that these 2 places are only 15 minutes from each other.

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, FrogPrincesse said:

@KennethT Does one have to choose? I love Valencay; the texture and tangy flavor are just perfect in my opinion, and the shape is striking. But I spent many weekends and summers in the area where Selles-sur-Cher is produced and used to buy it directly from a very small farm where I could see the small herd of goats who produced the milk, so it has a special place for me!

Love this

 

 

1 hour ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Note that these 2 places are only 15 minutes from each other.

Yes, I know. We spent about a week in the area and sampled lots from small farms. By the time we flew home they had to roll us on the plane.

[Shel_B]

2 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

[...] Humboldt Fog is nice but its inspiration, Valencay, knocks it out of the water. Also a good Pouligny-Saint-Pierre which has a truncated pyramid shape like Valencay, but without the ash. And a Selles-sur-Cher to rounds things off.

 

Thanks for mentioning those cheeses. I'm not a cheese maven by any standard, but I enjoy experimenting. I'll look for these cheeses ... we have a couple of great cheese shops in the area and maybe I can find one or two locally, which would be ideal.

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

26 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

 

Thanks for mentioning those cheeses. I'm not a cheese maven by any standard, but I enjoy experimenting. I'll look for these cheeses ... we have a couple of great cheese shops in the area and maybe I can find one or two locally, which would be ideal.

 

 

You are welcome. These can be hard to find, especially in good condition. It’s all about proper storage and affinage. French goat cheeses I have bought at cheese shops in my area haven’t been up to par, sadly. Ask for a sample first if they will give you one.

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, FrogPrincesse said:

You are welcome. These can be hard to find, especially in good condition. It’s all about proper storage and affinage. French goat cheeses I have bought at cheese shops in my area haven’t been up to par, sadly. Ask for a sample first if they will give you one.

 

If it is a store devoted to cheese and they won't give you a taste... I'd leave.

[FrogPrincesse]

Well, some cheeses are sold whole, so they cannot easily give you a sample.

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Well, some cheeses are sold whole, so they cannot easily give you a sample.

 

good to know  

Edited 6 hours ago by gfweb (log)