On cheese

[Wilfrid]

I have no idea when I last looked at the cheese selection in Zabar’s. But what a good selection of (expensive) French cheeses. They have Formaggio and even Murray’s beat.

I got a poor Pont L’Eveque from Citarella recently. Zabar’s has that, but also a more promising one. And a Livarot. Plus L’Ami du Chamertin and Soumaintrain, both of which seem to survive the trip that turns Epoisses into a hockey puck. These aren’t easy to find in New York.

I bought the Soumaintrain for almost $30.

[StephanieL]

My parents were recently in Norway, and among their gifts to me was a set of jams that are each meant to be paired with a specific cheese.  It'll be interesting to see if cherry and licorice(!) jam really does go with Manchego.

Edited February 26 by StephanieL

[Wilfrid]

That sounds like fun.

[Wilfrid]

I will say that the Soumaintrain goes on forever; not only large but so rich. 

[small h]

I think this might be a perfect cheese. Slight sourness, and simultaneously firm and creamy.

https://www.murrayscheese.com/dp/murray-s-cave-aged-original-buttermilk-basque

Also a lot cheaper in the store than online.

[Wilfrid]

Woke up this morning and the apartment was richly stinky.

I had left the Herve Mons Camembert out last night. 👃

[voyager]

I remember making a special trip to the Abbey at Citeaux, southeast of Dijon.    We brought a ripe Soumaintrain back to our chambre d'hote north of Beaune.    I joyously told our hostess of our treasure and her response was, "I'm sure the housekeeper will be pleased."    Oooops.  

[StephanieL]

Heh.  Reminds me of our time in Paris, when we bought a nice ripe cheese specifically to have for breakfast on the day we left....3 days after purchase.

It was glorious, BTW--we devoured it with Poilane bread right outside of the bakery.

[voyager]

Reminds me of the time at fromagerie Ferme St.Hubert when after making a decent purchase the salesperson offered us "very ripe Epoisses", offert.    We declined, trying to get across that a full sized palpitating Epoisses and two people in a hotel room with time constraints was a sketchy proposition.

[Sneakeater]

My  sick-food dinner last (Thursday) night was a Gyspy Ham sandwich (on She Wolf Bakery's unbelievable Sprouted Rye Bread with L'amuse Signature Gouda and Polish whole-grain mustard.

The Gypsy Ham (a sort of ham loaf seasoned judiciously with paprika) was great.  And She Wolf's Sprouted Rye Bread bests any German/Nordic rye bread I've heretofore gotten in New York.

But I want to talk about L'amuse Signature Gouda.  This Netherlands product is quite simply the richest, most complex Gouda I've ever had -- and I've been to actual Gouda (maybe I just visited the wrong stalls).  It has a strongly nutty undercurrent beneath some sharpish top notes.  It is delicious.

I got it from Farm to People, but they seem to have sourced it from Essex Street Cheese.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Wilfrid]

By Essex Street, do you mean Formaggio?

[Simon]

46 minutes ago, Wilfrid said:

By Essex Street, do you mean Formaggio?

I was curious, and I think Sneak means this: https://essexcheese.com/lamuse-gouda (though it looks like Formaggio does source from Essex St.)

[Wilfrid]

Ah, okay.

[sourbroughten]

Essex Street Cheese is a company that selects and imports a small number of cheeses to the US.  L'Amuse Gouda is one, as is their signature Marcel Petite Comte which had for a short while been sold at a dedicated stand in the original Essex St Market. They can be found now in many better cheese shops.

[Sneakeater]

19 hours ago, Simon said:

I was curious, and I think Sneak means this: https://essexcheese.com/lamuse-gouda (though it looks like Formaggio does source from Essex St.)

Yup that's what I mean.

[MitchW]

Apparently, Fresh Direct sources that gouda from Essex St. as well.

[Sneakeater]

I really do commend it to you.

[Wilfrid]

I didn’t finish the Livarot from Zabar’s before my trip to LV last week. It’s still good (the exposed surface paste had dried but I cut that off).

Boy does it stink. I keep cheese in my wine fridge; I really wouldn’t want this one in the regular fridge that I am opening all the time.

[Wilfrid]

Please go to Formaggio while they have vast wheels of Tomme de la Coze, and I mean vast, at least a foot across. A cheese to get excited about.

[Evelyn]

Jealous!

[small h]

On 4/7/2024 at 8:47 PM, Wilfrid said:

Please go to Formaggio while they have vast wheels of Tomme de la Coze

Okay. I need capers anyway.

[small h]

On 4/7/2024 at 8:47 PM, Wilfrid said:

Tomme de la Coze

I like it fine, but I'm not all that excited about it.

[voyager]

Cheese is difficult.   It is alive and constantly morphing.   Like they say you never dip your foot in the same river, you never eat the same cheese.     We've had cheese that was very disappointing that we somehow neglected to toss, only to find it buried in the cheese bin later, now ethereal, if a little stinky.

[StephanieL]

On 4/18/2024 at 1:47 PM, voyager said:

Cheese is difficult.   It is alive and constantly morphing.   Like they say you never dip your foot in the same river, you never eat the same cheese.     We've had cheese that was very disappointing that we somehow neglected to toss, only to find it buried in the cheese bin later, now ethereal, if a little stinky.

Just like when we kept a block of feta in the fridge a little too long, and found that it had changed into something wonderful and funky (and irreproducible).

[voyager]

1 hour ago, StephanieL said:

Just like when we kept a block of feta in the fridge a little too long, and found that it had changed into something wonderful and funky (and irreproducible).

Husband did the same thing.     Horrible odor but absolutely sublime interior flavor,    He now keeps one mouldering/aging in a sealed container.    Quite amazing stuff, so very different from normal feta.