Crottin de Chavignol fried in bacon fat

Av     Legg igjen en kommentar   Ost og vin, Ost

Bought a little cheese yesterday. Nothing much, a piece of Brillat-Savarin and a chèvre that we shared between us last night. The Brilliat-Savarin was on my daughter’s demand; excellent as always. On of few pasteurized cheeses I really enjoy. The Chèvre, slightly dry as expected and finely balanced. For breakfast this morning I had it; Crottin de Chavignol fried in bacon fat. What a pleasant surprise. Chèvre is a very friendly cheese to put in the oven, on the grill or as I did, fried in bacon fat in a frying pan. You really should try it.

A twist for the better?

Just as you know, I did not eat it with the bacon, not need for that 🙂 Warm Chèvre expresses quite other flavors than served natural. Of course, the fat added a pleasant note to the cheese. For the better. Not saying the cheese needs it, Crottin de Chavignol is excellent as it is. But every now and then a twist is for the better.

On toast

Have it on a toast, you can of course fry the slice of bread in the same fat as the cheese, but it might be a bit hefty. So perhaps better to just put the bread in the toaster, or on the grill.

To drink

With this there is nothing better than a good cup of tea. Assam with a touch of milk. At least if you have the little treat for breakfast. Otherwise a good Sancerre will do. Crottin de Chavignol and Sancerre are from the same area, so that usually works.

,

Crottin de Chavignol fried in bacon fat Read Post »

Heading for Portugal

Av     Legg igjen en kommentar   Cheese, Travel

We’re heading to Portugal for a few days. And I am going to explore Portuguese cheese. They have quite a few good ones, a lot with DOP (or AOP) protection. I found an article about Portuguese cheese, so I am a bit informed, but I also think I have to do my own field research. Have a few addresses to some good shops in Lisbon especially, but hoping to find something outside of the capital as well.

We’re starting off in Lisbon and ending up there before we’re heading home. In between, a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Portugal = Good food

Portugal is a food country. Like Spain food is rustic, not so complicated. Good food and good wine. As simple as that. A cup of coffee and an aguardente. Long lunches.

Bacalhau

Apart from the cheese I am particularly looking forward to having wet salted cod, bacalhau, prepared in numerous ways. They are masters at it. If you’ve never had it, this is the place to try it (in addition to Brazil). It is said that Portuguese men are able to prepare a different dish of Bacalhau for every day of the year. That’s 365 different recipes. Quite a few more than I know.

But I will keep you informed, bring my camera and snap a few fine shots to share with you.
I’ve been to quite a few places around the world, but I’ve never been to Portugal before. Shame really. So if you have any tips on what to do, where, I am more than happy if you share.

To drink

White from the Vinho Verde and others worth exploring, reds from the Duoro and Dao and other local varieties. Port of course. There is a lot of good wine in Portugal at a reasonable price.

,

Heading for Portugal Read Post »

Chèvre frais

Av     Legg igjen en kommentar   Ost, Ost og vin

Tenkte jeg skulle kjøpe noen norske oster, men det var dårlig utvalg. eller kanskje det ikke stemte med hva jeg hadde forestilt meg. Kanskje heller det. Jeg endte opp med en Chèvre frais, altså helt fersk geitost. Fra Loire. Berry-provinsen. Ca. midt mellom Bourges og Tours det, om du er på de trakter. Og et område hvor det tilvirkes veldig mye god Chèvre generelt.

Det var da mine øyne falt på en enslig, kritthvit ost i en rund plastboks. Så da ble det den.

Cornilly. Må innrømme at den hadde jeg aldri hørt om før. At det stadig dukker opp nye og ukjente oster sier litt om mangfoldet innen denne kategorien. Og selvsagt er det litt vei igjen før jeg har full kontroll, om det noensinne er et mål. Ingen overraskelser, ingen ting å strebe etter? Kjedelig tror jeg.

Cornilly frais fra Berry-provinsen i Loire.
Cornilly frais fra Berry-provinsen i Loire.

Vel, dette er en ost for deg som liker ferske friske saker. Og frisk i denne sammenheng har som så ofte ellers med syre å gjøre. For det er lite annet i en så fersk ost. Synes du ikke noe om syrefriske oster (det uttrykket stjal jeg akkurat fra vinens verden) skal du la denne være i fred. den er forholdsvis spinkel, her finner du ikke lag på lag med smak som velter opp i munnen. Denne bare smelter på tungen og gir deg en fin og syrlig smak.

Som ferskoster flest så har den ikke skorpe, er ganske myk selv om den er litt smuldrete. En ost du godt kan piske opp og bruke i ostekake eller lignende.

Å drikke til

Chèvre frais er jo også en chèvre, men for meg fungerer det ikke med en Sancerre eller annen Sauvignon blanc fra Loire til denne. Jeg vil ha noe som gir motvekt til syrligheten, og da velger jeg å dra i retning Tours. Til Vouvray. Den lages på Chenin blanc-druen som gir en fin sødme til vinen.

,

Chèvre frais Read Post »

Chèvre frais

Av     Legg igjen en kommentar   Cheese

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.

Cornilly frais
Cornilly frais

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.

,

Chèvre frais Read Post »

Skroll til toppen