Sometimes, cheese-mongers forget about certain cheeses in the flock. It happens. Worrying about the money making triple cremes can be all consuming. I pulled some forgotten, or as I like to call them, "store aged" cheeses from the cooler today. You know, the esoteric varieties that don't quite fit anywhere in the case so they just wait patiently for you to remember they exist. The two I found today were Tommette des Alpes and Fleur de Maquis. I lost track of them, and then when I found them, I was worried if they had already turned; however, I saved them in the nick of time.
The Tommette des Alpes (a thermalized cow/goat milk blend) has a rugged, natural rind that mottled with yellow and white as it aged. The flavors were reminiscent of Tomme de Savoie--notes of mushroom, forest floor, and barnyard. A rustic selection begging for Ommerang's Hennepin saison or Dogfish Head's Raison D'Atre.
The Fleur de Maquis when fresh is like edible velvet. Made from milk of the Lacaune sheep, the same breed that provides milk for authentic roquefort, but Fleur is made on the island of Corsica. These 2 wheels have aged for about six months and have taken on a different texture, but a similar flavor profile. I was pleasantly surprised with the same herbal flavor and sheepy sweetness as when young, but with a firmer texture and more pronounced sharpness. It aged nicely with some manchego-like nuttiness.
Lost cheeses, but found again. And enjoyed.
The Tommette des Alpes (a thermalized cow/goat milk blend) has a rugged, natural rind that mottled with yellow and white as it aged. The flavors were reminiscent of Tomme de Savoie--notes of mushroom, forest floor, and barnyard. A rustic selection begging for Ommerang's Hennepin saison or Dogfish Head's Raison D'Atre.
The Fleur de Maquis when fresh is like edible velvet. Made from milk of the Lacaune sheep, the same breed that provides milk for authentic roquefort, but Fleur is made on the island of Corsica. These 2 wheels have aged for about six months and have taken on a different texture, but a similar flavor profile. I was pleasantly surprised with the same herbal flavor and sheepy sweetness as when young, but with a firmer texture and more pronounced sharpness. It aged nicely with some manchego-like nuttiness.
Lost cheeses, but found again. And enjoyed.