Brunet (Piedmont, Italy)

Served with porcini honeycomb

They say: "Brunet is one of the many fresh Piedmontese cheeses that are so delicate, they have to be transported in cupcake holders. The goat that makes the milk for Brunet is actually a brunette; the label shows her sporting a long, luxurious coat of brown fur and fine stiletto hooves. Even Italian goats know how to dress! Brunet cheese looks like a flattened out, wrinkly Brie. It has a supple coating of mold with a dense, almost flaky paste and a runny, creamy texture towards the rind. It ages for about a month. At this stage, it is tangy, salty, lactic, and acidic yet not overpoweringly goaty."

Cmoore says: Ahhh, the Brunet. At points it vies with Truffle Tremor for the spot of cmoore's favorite cheese. The small, soft disk of fermented goat's milk bears the brilliant white coat characteristic of bloomy rind cheese. Right now it is ripe (read: runny), creamy, salty, and generally delicious. The porcini honeycomb we serve as an accompaniment is, to bring back a moderately antiquated expression, simply to die for: savory, slightly earthy porcini oil drizzled over a runny honeycomb. Divine, and lovely with a crisp sparkling or white wine to cut through the rich paste.

Suggested Pairings: Rose, Cava, Rose Cava, Pinot Gris, Frambozenbier, Lambic

Sidebar Updates

*Metropolitan Bakery, a Philadelphia bakery where my roommate happens to work/pilfer-goods. Don't get me wrong -- I certainly don't want her to stop bringing home armfuls of pastries, breads, spreads, dressings, salads, and cheese. Metropolitan has two locations, one in yuppie Rittenhouse Square and another in food central Reading Terminal Market. Their spiel: "Most of the products sold in our stores are made by small producers like ourselves who are trying to preserve artisinal techniques and traditions in such areas as farming and cheesemaking." They also own Farmicia, an Old City restaurant with an emphasis on local, organic, and artisinal producers. Definitely a couple notable links!

*I added some fellow foodie blog links, namely Diet, Dessert, and Dogs (a "95%" vegan with similar gastronomic inclinations); Every Woman Has an Eating Disorder (a great site grappling with the pressures and challenges women face regarding body image and eating); and the ever-popular 101 Cookbooks (is there anyone in the foodie world who HASN'T run across Heidi Swanson's beautiful, articulate, interesting blog of culinary adventures? And yes, like most good things in the world, she's based in SF).

*The Ethicurean, about "tasty things that are also sustainable, organic, local, and/or ethical — SOLE food, for short." It's a pretty compatible philosophy, methinks.

*And, finally, Local Harvest, with links to organic farms and farmer's markets across the country.

Cypress Grove "Truffle Tremor" (Humbolt County, CA)

Served with local honey

They say: "Cypress Grove is well-known for their American original Humboldt Fog, a bloomy-rind goat's milk cheese with a line of vegetable ash running through it. Truffle Tremor is Cypress Grove's newest cheese, with the same velvety texture and fluffy white rind as Humboldt Fog. It stands out with the addition of fresh black truffles, whose earthiness contrasts nicely with the lemony tang of the goat's milk."

Cmoore says: Well, 'they' said it pretty well. Truffle Tremor was on our autumn cheese list as well, and it was then (as it is now) my favorite selection on the menu. Soft, oozy, and delicious, the paste is tangy and creamy with flecks of savory black truffle infusing an earthy flavor. The slightly sticky, smoothly sweet honey provides a lovely accompaniment.

Suggested Pairings: Cotes du Rhone, Cahors, Cava, Golden ale, Tripel, Saison

Vermont Butter & Cheese "Bijou" (Websterville, VT)

Served with chamomile cranberries

They say: "Vermont Butter and Cheese Company have created their own line of French style goat cheeses, including the popular Bonne Bouche, Coupole, and Bijou. Bijou is modeled after Crottin de Chavignol, whose name means "horse dropping," while "bijou" is the much more appealing "jewel."

Cmoore says: This dense little crottin features a mild, nutty flavor contrasted with a peppery burst from the natural rind. The gummy consistency may soften as the crottin ripens. Bijou is made with pasteurized goat's milk and a vegetarian rennet, and thus quite amenable to lactose-intolerant vegetarian preferences!

Suggested pairings: Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Saison

St Maure de Touraine (Tours, France)

Served with red beet jam

They say: "St Maure de Touraine looks like a cheese on a stick. It is skewered with a piece of straw that ventilates it while aging. The stick should not be cut; instead piece of the cheese are pulled off the stick like a kebab. 241 farm producers make St. Maure, and traditionally the name of the farm was printed on the straw to identify the producer."

Cmoore says: Fresh, slightly chalky texture with a slight creamline under the rind. The interior is lactic and goaty, with a peppery accent from the ashy rind. The beet jam (a puree of roasted beets and dijon mustard) adds a lovely tanginess that complements and enhances the cheese. Nice with crisp or bubbly beverages to cut through the fluffy paste.

Suggested pairings: Vouvray, Champagne, Loire valley white (e.g. Sauvignon Blanc), Flemish ale, Kriek, Hefeweizen

Lancaster Milk Stout

THEY SAY:
We are proud to offer one of the few surviving examples of this traditional English style sweet stout. A bold, dark ale, bursting with roasted barley and mellowed by hints of chocolate and coffee. Malts used: 2 Row Barley, Caramel 120, Chocolate, Black, Roasted Barley. Hops used: Cascade, Styrian Golding. OG: 15; ABV: 5.3%; IBU: 22.

I say: Stouts are generally divided into two categories: Dry/Irish and Sweet/English. This is, as indicated above, the latter variety, sweetened by the addition of lactose. The yeasts, like myself, don't do well with milk sugars, so they leave them unfermented for you to enjoy instead. The Lancaster version of milk stout is somewhat sweeter than traditional English versions, but still light-bodied with notes of chocolate and a hint of coffee bitterness. Lancaster Brewing is about 60 miles outside of Philadelphia, and while I've never been crazy about any of their beers (this one included), I do like supporting local business!