Adventures in Cheeses!

A week ago Tuesday, I made homeade macaroni and cheese from a blend of Emmental and Jeune Cantal.  Big success!  Eventually, I will make it again, remember to take pictures, and post it on the blog.  Unlike in the U.S. where I usually buy a can of pumpkin puree to thicken the bechemel sauce and add some healthy veggie-ness, in France, I would have had to buy my own pumpkin, roast it, and puree it.  Since I was busy earning my Master's degree via Skype defense, I did not have time to do that.  But I do have a Master's degree now!

Last Tuesday, I bought supermarket Brie de Meaux.  Big mistake.  Ate a bit that day for lunch, and while the cheese is characteristically fort, strong tasting, this particular slice was pushing it.  Badly overripe, my husband said it made the whole apartment smell like fart.  The smell intensified overnight to where even I couldn't eat it, and the remainder made its way into the trash.

 A typical, casual,ch lunch spread--I love Paris!

Yesterday, at the market near Metro Bastille, I bought an aged Cantal and a Trou du Cru, both cow's milk cheeses, for a picnic.  Delicious!  Despite having a name one-letter removed from the French word for "asshole" (honestly, that amused me enough that that is why I picked the cheese), it was creamy, complex, a bit tangy and just plain delicious.

And a picture of our market picnic: those aren't ordinary strawberries, they are gariguettes.

Adventures in Cheeses!

So, with Passover approaching, I went to the local market (right outside my door) to buy a cheese that would be spreadable-matza friendly but not boring and not too strong for the husband's sake.  The fromagier recommended "Le Cabri d'Antan" a pasteurized goat cheese from the Poitou region.  Light, like fromage frais, but with the mild tang of fresh goat cheese, delicious.