I was actually on the look out for some farmstead Norwegian cheese today, but the selection was rather poor. A single fresh chèvre caught my eye, though. Chèvre frais in French. Cornilly from the Berry province in the Loire.
Chèvre Frais
A chèvre frais is a very fresh cheese, so fresh there is no rind at all. And being it from goat or sheep’s milk it is chalk white as well. A chèvre is of course made from goat’s milk.
They are very special these fresh cheeses. Special in the sense that acidity is high. The taste has not so much more to offer but the fresh lactic acidity. Not much more to expect either from a cheese that has not been matured at all. So if you enjoy freshness and acidity, this is a cheese for you. If not, go for something a little more mature. A lot happens to a chèvre in the course of a few weeks.
From raw goat’s milk
From raw milk this one. A bit crumbly, but with a very creamy mouth feeling. Seems like there is a pasteurized version as well. It is an assumption since so many American web shops offer it to their customers. There is no way this cheese will be admitted into the US unpasteurized. It’s nothing near the 60 days. Not even ordinary chèvre comes near that limit.
To drink
Chèvre naturally calls for a Sancerre or some other Sauvignon blanc from the Loire. As this is a chèvre frais, I think I will move westvard along the Loire to Vouvray. The Chenin blanc grape gives more sweetness in the wine which will nicely balance the acidity of the cheese.