FRESH CHEESES
Aged fresh

• Saint-Nicolas (goat, Languedoc, 2-3 weeks) – produced by monks who live off the land, this fresh cheese expresses flavors of the thyme, rosemary and lavender that the goats are grazing on outside the monastery.
• Mont Ventoux (goat, Provence, 2-3 weeks) – this young fresh cheese has been formed into a cone with its base dipped in ash to resemble the mountain in northern Provence.
• Pavé de la Ginestarie (goat, Midi-Pyrénées, one month) – a square shaped and very runny goat cheese with a nice hit of salt.
• Rovethym (goat, Provence, 3 weeks) – a pretty little goat’s cheese from Provence flavored with thyme and decorated with a branch of the herb.

SOFT AND BLOOMY RIND CHEESES
Bloomy rind

• Brie de Meaux AOC (cow, Ile-de-France, 6-8 weeks) – can taste of mushrooms, earth, wet leaves, mushrooms sauteed in butter, mushroom soup made with beef stock, or oysters. Some longer-aged versions have a strong ammonia smell which a few connoisseurs like. Hand-ladled usuing a perforated ladle (dates back to 12th century) that allows the curds to be transported to the mold unbroken in order to achieve the smooth, voluptuous custard-like interior.
• Brie de Melun AOC (cow, Ile-de-France, 7-8 weeks) – the coagulation of curds is slower (over 18 hours) than with Brie de Meaux because this cheese relies less on rennet and more on lactic fermentation. Flavor can vary wildly by the season, but it is usually more salty, meaty, savory and sometimes metallic and bitter when compared to Brie de Meaux.

Double and triple creams

• Brillat-Savarin (cow, Normandy/Burgundy, aged 2-4 weeks): this triple cheese is named after the food writer Anselme Brillat-Savarin – the version we had was stuffed with truffles.

UNCOOKED PRESSED CHEESES
Brebis

• Ossau-Iraty (sheep, Basque Pyrénées, usually 8-17 months but our version from Barthelemy was aged extra long to 24 months) – this crowd-pleaser is nutty and salty, becoming more compact and concentrated with age. A version produced by the Agour cooperative was awarded the title “meilleur fromage du monde” last year in the World Cheese Awards against 2700 competing cheeses.
• Napoléon (sheep, Basque Pyrénées, usually 10-14 months) – a cheese with a tender texture and nutty flavor.

COOKED PRESSED CHEESES

• Comté AOC (cow, Jura, usually 6-36 months – we tasted 18 and 24 months) – has a firm and supple texture that melts in the mouth and leaves a sweet taste (95% of cows used for this cheese are Monbeliarde, known for their sweet milk; the rest are Simmental). Can taste of melted butter, milk chocolate, hazelnuts, toast, leather, pepper, butterscotch, sweet orange. Strong salt but balanced with a nutty tang. This cheese has the highest production figures of all French cheese. Graded on a scale of 1-20. Those that score 15-20 wear a green band, those from 12-15 wear a red band. Below three can’t be labeled Comte. Aged for a minimum of 3 months but can be aged up to five years, although 18, 24, 30 and 36 are more common.

WASHED RIND CHEESES

• Epoisses AOC (cow, Burgundy, 4-6 weeks) – this recipe was based on Maroilles, the first washed rind cheese created around 960 AD. Monks were forbidden meat on fast days, and with more than 100 of these per year, not to mention compulsory fish on Fridays, cheese was an essential part of their diet. Washed with Marc de Bourgogne, a brandy made from pressed grapes (like Grappa), the rind has a terracotta color and is sticky. The aroma is reminiscent of smelly socks and the taste is meaty, eggy, salty and rich with a long finish.
• Soumaintrain (cow, Burgundy) supple, clay-like texture and a flavor reminiscent of Epoisses (meaty, eggy, salty, but less so), also washed with Marc de Bourgogne)

BLUE CHEESES

• Fourme d’Ambert AOC (cow, Auvergne, 2-3 months) aka Fourme de Montbrison – one of the mildest of all blue cheeses with a rich and creamy texture. Dates back to the 8th century.

WINES FROM LA DERNIERE GOUTTE