The Cheese Mongrel Returns

First, corrections from the last entry… according to my mother, who should know, and apparently has better Google-fu than I do, La Chevre d’Or is actually in Eze, France… but we went there like the night we left Cinque Terre, and I’m ok with publishing this as errata.

It figures that my formative fromagering experience was in France, actually, since this week’s selection comes from Savoie, which is not terribly far from Eze, both being in the south-eastern part of the country.

Tomme de Savoie



This cheese tastes, to me… well, simple phenomenal. I guess I should try to use words besides “yummy.” I don’t know the vocabulary, honestly. It’s a little… fresh, outdoors-y, with some herby-nutty-creaminess to it. It has a mold-rind, and, per the professional cheese-peeps, some people choose to eat the rinds and some people don’t; apparently if you really like the flavor, the rind (in some cases) has a richer blast of some of the more potent flavors. I’m not a rind eater.

Regardless of what I thought of this cheese, I think Anna summed it up best: “It tastes like if Brie and Swiss had a baby, and it was the best of both parts!”

I will share one more cheese-thought, and then leave you to the choice of whether you’re going to fork over the $17/lb (well worth it, in my inexpert opinion) to sample some Tomme de Savoie.

The cheese-counter guy at Di Bruno was talking about when he has people over, how he serves cheese. He disdains using crackers, breads, or anything to actually put the cheese on – “Cheese is meant to be savored. I would never confuse and confound its flavor with that of a cracker… Sometimes, when I invite people over for wine and cheese, I leave out some breads and crackers. I watch who despoils the cheese flavors, and make sure not to serve my nice cheeses when they come back.” Now, we’re not quite at that level of arrogance and snootiness, but I will say it is, in my humble opinion, worth at least tasting cheeses on their own, to decide if they’re for you or not.


...also, we're moving this week, so Ms. Forty-Two Roads is quite busy. Forgive any posting pauses, and go enjoy some cheese.