We’re well into April and the goats have long since ended their family affairs, while the ewes are in the middle of the lambing, at least here. While I do not regard ewe’s milk cheese as a typical spring cheese, goat milk cheese, or Chèvre, typically is.
The best Chèvre is fresh and unpasteurised, and may I say: French. Even though there is a lot of high quality Chèvre style around. I am well aware that a lot of my readers do not have the opportunity to participate in this delicacy that fresh raw milk Chèvre is.
Chèvre is fresh, soft, white with a fine acidity and comes either with a slightly bloomy rind or lightly covered in ash. Both are perfectly edible. And best in the spring, thats why I call it spring cheese. That extends into summer I must admit.
Another thing with Chèvre is that it comes in all sorts of shapes and as such makes its mark on a cheeses table. The typical log that is sliced in the shop is probably the most boring one as it is often industrial and pasteurised. Look for the cylindrical, square, brick formed, pyramids, tubes and so on.
If you want to learn more about the different types you can go here. A lot of different and excellent cheeses described there, along with suggestions what kind of drink to pair it with.
I once had a French teacher from Nice. She used to live in Norway and her ultimate food experience would typically be Chèvre and a glass of Sancerre on the balcony while the sun sets. And I can so well imagine the charm. Something like in Dolly Parton’s My Tennessee Mountain Home: «Sitting on the front porch on a summer afternoon, in a straight back chair on two legs leaned against the wall….» Not much chèvre and Sancerre there though. Other charms, like watching the kids playing and chasing fire flies. I am sipping to a glass of white wine and munching some delicate Chèvre. Enjoying the good life in other words. AT springtime – spring cheese.