At Cheese of the Month Club, we’ve got a new shipment of four new cheeses in. Let’s see what the good people of Penn Mac had in store for us in February!
This month’s installment was called “A Taste of France.”
First up, we had Etorki, which was a nutty and Swiss-like sheep’s milk cheese.
Next in line was Gourmandaise Walnut, which was a very sweet and creamy cow’s milk spreading cheese — it actually had chunks of walnut in it!
Third came an Old Fashioned Brie, which was creamy, soft, and very pleasant.
Last on the roster, we had Comt’e, a cow’s milk cheese that was mild in flavor and creamy in texture.
We were very eager to try these cheeses out, both because they looked delicious, and because we currently have no kitchen and can’t cook anything that requires more than a microwave. (Notice that the stove in this picture is not in the kitchen, but the dining room.)
Fortunately, we were able to make a very nice charcuterie board with these cheeses, adding on a variety of meats, dips, and briney snacks.
Ultimately, each cheese gave us a different kind of opportunity to contrast its flavors. The Etorki paired very well with tart Granny Smith apples and with honey. The Gourmandaise Walnut was best served by spicy flavors, such as those found in hot soppressata and spicy stone-ground mustard. The Old Fashioned Brie…well, it was your classic Brie, which went great with savory flavors, or just spread on some baguette with a little honey. The Comt’e, with its mild flavor, went well with just about everything on our board, from beet horseradish to baby dill pickles to proscuitto to our all-star dip for the month, honey.
We had a blast trying out these French cheeses; with their versatility there are a lot of ways you can use them. We suggest you go to the Strip District early some Saturday and get a few ounces of one…or all four.