David Price Robinson
SerpAPI
Had a new experience yesterday. Went to my first-ever Fromagerie...(that's fancy talk for a cheese shop).
They prepared a cheese board for us, complete with bread, fresh Blackberry Jam, white rum raisins, and roasted nuts.
Cheeses:
Smoked Mozzarella - VERY deep smoke flavor. It tasted like sitting by my BBQ bit smoking a brisket.
Comte - comparatively mild, med soft (slightly firm than the mozz) almost a beefy, oniony, flavor. I could see this working well on a sandwich or AS a sandwich, toasted paired with a brown mustard.
Green Chile Cheese - this was not my selection so I don't recall the base cheese to carry the flavor. My assumption is it was a Cheddar. It was semi-hard with very mild green chile notes. Green chile can be an over powering flavor. This was just light enough to bring to mind the memory of Green chile and its floral notes. This cheese is just a good "eating cheese" :-D
Truffled Gouda - this has the body and mouth feel of a typical gouda, though maybe a bit stronger. I am not particularly schooled in the world of truffles but I did not notice much flavor differences between it and others I have tried, other than it being stronger. I will say it was elevated by placing on a piece of bread with the jam and rum raisin.
Raclette - this one was on the side of the cheese board closest to me. I do not always have the keenest sense of smell. This cured that! It assaulted me from the time it was placed in front of me. The aroma became milder as it sat there.
My first bite had me scrambling for water, bread, jam...anything to get that growing taste and aftertaste out of my mouth. BUT...I had 8 more slices in front of me and after my guest had 1/2 a piece, swore under her breath, an wiped her tongue with a napkin...I knew she would not be helping me. LOL.
Well, I'm stubborn and cheap. After paying money for it, I wasn't about to waste it so I stiffened up and began eating it. I paired it with mustard, with bread, with the raisins and nuts. The cheese remained as subtle as an MMA fighter in a grudge match. However, it did begin to grow on me a bit.
It was interesting to me because I came home and read up on this vile substance that once was cow juice to see why anyone would dare eat it. The first sentence in several of the article began by saying, "This cheese is not intended to be sliced and eaten alone." THAT would have been good info to have!!
Apparently in the Alpine regions. The cheese is heated near a fire or warming apparatus. The melted exterior is then scraped onto a dish of boiled potatoes, Sometimes, it is poured over grilled meats and vegetables, as well. The name "raclette" is derived from a French word meaning "to scrape." So, now, I am intrigued and would like to try it the way it is supposed to be enjoyed to see if that improves the flavor of this first-cousin to unwashed, three-day old gym clothes.
All in all, a good experience and I will be returning to this cheese shop in Denton, Texas .