| masraum |
11-23-2016 05:29 PM |
Another spectacular soft aged cheese, Epoisses
Neither of the photos are mine. Both were pulled from the Internet.
Epoisses de Bourgogne
"The origins of the Epoisses can be found at the Abbaye de Citeaux. It is here that the monks first produced this remarkable complicated cheese. We are told that Napoleon was partial to this cheese and ate it with Chambertin wine. It was very popular in the early part of the twentieth century but disappeared during the second world war. It was only in 1946 that two local Bourguignon families started to produce it. The well known Epicurean Brillat Savarin called it the King of cheeses. Many people consider it one of the most interesting French cheeses. It is often compared to the character of two well known French historic personalities, the Epoisses has the force of Charles le Temeraire and the sensibility of Madame de Sevigne. The cheese has a powerful rich flavour with a pungent smell; the pate, a mouth watering taste of sweet, salty and creamy milk flavours. The pate is fine textured. The rind is regularly washed in Marc, this adds to its complexity and fascinating taste."
The version that I had.
http://traveleering.com/wp-content/u...3/Epoisses.jpg
After letting it come to room temp for about 4 hours, it's almost as liquid as a good ripe Brie. It runs and is smooth and rounded, but when you try to scoop some out, it is cohesive and stretches into a long, gooey string almost like good hot pizza cheese.
https://chowbella4.files.wordpress.c.../pc-105952.jpg
It does, the rind especially, have a bit of a pungent odor, but it's not nearly as stinky as some cheeses that I've had. I've had some Bries and other soft ripened cheeses where the rind smells and tastes very strongly of ammonia, but this one doesn't, maybe, very, very mildly.
I'd seen it at the store a while back and took a photo so I could look it up when I got home. After reading about it, I thought "You've got to try that cheese!". It was $22 for an 8.8oz round at Whole Foods, but it is totally worth it.
Quote:
As early as the 16th century, Cistercian monks aged a semi-soft cow cheese over many weeks, washing each disk in brine and brandy (marc de Bourgogne). Small farmers adopted the local recipe following the French Revolution, and by 1900 there were 300 farms in Burgundy selling the regional cheese. Brillat-Savarin named Epoisses ‘The King of Cheese.’ Two world wars and modern agriculture brought a rapid collapse to artisan cheesemaking, especially labor-intensive varieties like Epoisses.
The Berthaut family saved Epoisses from extinction
The dramatic rescue began in 1954, when Simone and Robert Berthaut, two farmers from the eponymous village, saved the ancient recipe from a dying generation of farmer’s wives and brought it back from the brink of extinction. The 1991 AOC certification law - Appelation d’Origine Controlée - formally fixed the criteria for Epoisses, assuring the world will not be deprived of a gastronomic treasure.
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