Cheese....

I can give you one sentence that sums it up for me....The stinkier the better.  


There's even a Corsican cheese tha's soooo smelly that it takes your breath away.  Sorry, don't have a pic of that one, it's so powerful it might break the camera.  It's actually quite tasty though with some jam, but I can only take a little at a time since it's soooo strong.


I must have been born in the wrong country, coz I'm a huge fan of stinky soft cheese.  I slather it on my bread and can make a whole meal out of it.  There are soooo many cheeses available and to learn about, that I'll be busy with this lesson for years!  A little scared of what this may do to my middle regions.


So far my favorite is the really creamy Brie, the Coulommier, the Camembert, any blue veined cheese, the not as smelly but extremely soft and yummy Mont D'or, and the actually quite mild but soft Le Petit Tentation- a fromage du lait cru. The cheeses that just ooze across the platter are on the top of my list.

This is only the start of how much oozing this Brie will do...the key to these soft stinky cheeses 
is to let them sit out and warm a bit.

A sublte smell, super runny and a lovley nutty flavor.
Only available in the winter as it's made from special milk from special cows.  Crazy as it sounds.
You should click on the link up top and just give the article a quick look at!
It's so soft it's like soup.

It sits in this cute little holder as if it needs to be suspended because it's so delicate. 

And in the store I could actually pop this top off and touch it.  Not that it's OK to do it,
but in America packaging is never that accessible to public touching.

Ever since I was a kid and my Grandma introduced me to blue cheese dressing, I've been a huge fan of the blue veined cheeses. I especially love to eat it in the same bite as a red grape.
The flavors really compliment each other for me.  


There's a Califormia blue cheese called Humbolt Blue that I just LOVE!!  Such a delicate taste, like butter.

Tonight we attempted baked Camembert.  Fabulous!  And super easy to do.  Take off the top, open the wax paper, bake in its wooden box (without the top) on a cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes at 350F, it has to get FULLY liquified so don't be too eager to pull it out, (keeping it in its box) gently cut open the top of the rind and start dipping with slightly stale baguette bits, or try cooked fingerling potatoes.

Even the kids love this fondue!

Yes, that's all mold coating this cheese, a much milder taste than I usually like.
But don't be afraid...under all that mold, yum!  
And I've eaten it and am still here to tell you about it.
Have with some jam and it's delicious.

And cheeses here are very affordable.  About 1-3 euros ($1.50 to $5), each.  So I can stock up my cheese tray for all tastes.  It also makes it much easier for me to try all the different types and find some new favorites!  No more simple American cheddar for me.  And individual slices of an orange flavorless cheese in little packets?????  I've been living in the dark all these years.


Just pass me a fresh baguette and some butter (my apologies to the French) and I'm a happy girl.