Herbed Cheese: Flavor Bombs for Spring
Herbs and cheese are a beautiful pairing. This week, we’re featuring three cheeses that are wonderful by themselves. But, when herbs, garlic, and flower petals are added, they are elevated to the sublime. Watch out for these flavor bombs! These cheeses EXPLODE with flavor.
Fromager d’Affinois with Garlic & Herbs
The classic Fromager d’Affinois (pronounced fro-mah-ZHAY dah-fee-NWAH) is one of our most popular cheeses at Tastings. As a special treat for spring, we’re sampling d’Affinois infused with garlic and French herbs.
An extremely rich, double-crème, Brie-like cheese, herbed Fromager d’Affinois is packed with bits of parsley, chives, and chervil, which give it a heftier tang than the plain variety. It makes a beautiful spread for a sandwich with fresh vegetables.
What makes Fromager d’Affinois different from Brie and unique in the world of double crèmes is that it maintains a firm paste in the center as it ages. It is made using a process called “ultrafiltration,” which breaks down the fat molecules and removes water from the milk. By concentrating all the other components, it accelerates the cheesemaking process and provides the cheese with a luscious texture and higher amounts of protein and calcium.
If you like Brie de Meaux or Saint Andre, you must try Fromager d’Affinois!
Origin: France (Rhone-Alpes area)
Producer: Fromagerie Guilloteau
Milk: Pasteurized cow
Rennet Type: Vegetarian
Age: 2 months
Look: Each wedge is dotted with garlic and French herbs.
Rind: Penicillium. Soft and coated in herbs and crushed garlic
Feel: Creamy, soft, silky
Smell: Milky with hints of herbs and garlic
Taste: Buttery, earthy, mushroomy
Pairs well with: Baguette, apple, nuts. For an unforgettable side dish, melt it over cooked new potatoes.
Tastes good with: Champagne, crisp white wines
Fran de Maquis
A first place winner in the 2017 and 2018 American Cheese Society competitions, Fran de Maquis was inspired by Fleur du Maquis, a sheep’s milk cheese smothered with Corsican herbs. This American homage to her Corsican sister is made from cow’s milk and covered in herbs commonly found in the Mediterranean evergreen shrub land: fennel seeds, juniper berries, rosemary, and savory. It is truly “a taste of spring on the plate.”
Origin: Dudley, Massachusetts
Producer: Couët Farm & Fromagerie
Milk: Pasteurized cow
Rennet Type: Animal
Age: Fresh. If you keep it around for a while, it hardens and creates a whole new cheese experience for you.
Look: Semi-soft, white, herb-covered, comes in 7 oz. buttons. Inside is an unctuous, creamy paste.
Rind: Covered in herbs
Feel: Textured mouthfeel, creamy
Smell: Herbal, musty, nutty
Taste: Tangy, nutty, buttery with a burst of herbs
Pairs well with: Charcuterie, a warm baguette
Tastes good with: Riesling, Tempranillo
Kris Lloyd Artisan Flinders
Kris Lloyd makes true Australian cheese. Rather than mimic European flavors and try to out-do the French (or Italian or…), she instead incorporates the unique tastes of her native country to make distinctive, delicious cheeses.
Flinders is a feast of Australian flavors. A fresh buffalo cheese, Flinders is rolled in South Australian saltbush and lemon myrtle. It is then finished using petals from native callistemon, commonly known as bottlebrush, to add a unique eucalyptus flavor.
Its rich, creamy, decadence is due to the high solids in the buffalo milk. Sourced from South Australia’s only buffalo dairy in the area, all milk is exclusive to Lloyd, giving her excellent control over animal health and milk quality.
Origin: South Australia
Producer: Kris Lloyd, Woodside Cheese Wrights
Milk: Buffalo
Rennet Type: Vegetarian
Age: Fresh
Look: A 5.25 oz. bar covered with South Australian herbs and flower petals
Rind: Washed
Feel: Semi-soft, velvety
Smell: Lactic with added aromas from the flower petals and herbs
Taste: Creamy
Pairs well with: Lloyd recommends tossing chunks in a salad of heirloom tomatoes, red onions, and drizzle of good olive oil.
Tastes good with: White wine, Rosé
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