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Expos of 1969

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Aug 25, 2013
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A flying visit to the farmers' market last Saturday also included fleeting visist to the French bakery and the cheesemonger's: Cheese purchases included: Abondance cheese, (a rare enough find, and one which I love), Roquefort, Bleu des Causses, Munster au cumin, (Munster with caraway seeds), and seductively oozing Camembert Rustique.
Did you purchase an ultralight to enable you to avoid traffic on your journey to the market?
 
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Madhatter32

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Last Friday, I enjoyed some grated Tete de Moine, from Switzerland, on wafer crackers paired with White Horse pinot noir, from California, vintage 2014, which remained surprisingly vibrant. All I can say is that it was very good.
 

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The cheesemonger appeared on my birthday (April 11) with cheese, salami, chorizo, pâté, terrine, duck confit, an Easter egg, dark chocolate, and a few bottles of wine, among other goodies.

Cheeses included: Buchette (aux fleurs), a lovely goat's cheese, Gorgonzola cremosa, Parmigiano Reggiano, delice de Bourgogne, Flacon de Savoie, and Ossau Iraty.
 
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And, even more recently, I treated myself to yes, yet more cheese:

These included: Carre de Brebis (an astonishing cheese from Corsica that I hadn't made the acquaintance of until a few days ago), Camembert Rustique, Gres des Vosges (another amazing cheese I hadn't yet met - a sort of somewhat milder take on Époisses), Abondance, Bleu d'Auvergne, Munster with cumin, and Morbier.
 

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And last week, I treated myself to a serious selection of cheese:

Carre de Brebis (from Corsica), Bleu d'Auvergne, Cashel Blue (Mature), Camembert Rustique, Rocamadour (a stunning goat's cheese), Gouda (Noorlander, from sheep's milk), Gres des Vosges, Abondance, Munster with cumin, and Morbier.
 
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I treated myself to a very nice selection of (mostly French) cheeses at the week-end:

Two blues: Bleu d'Auvergne, and Bleu des Causses; Camembert Rustique (made with new season's milk, delicious); Sheep's milk Gouda; Queso al Romero (a cave aged Spanish sheep's milk hard cheese coated with rosemary, and butter or olive oil); Montagne de Bethmale - a rare and quite lovely French Basque region - squashed up against the Pyrenees - cheese (made with a blend of both cow's milk and goat's milk); and Vieux Lille (a rather lovely cheese, one of the aromatic cheeses, somewhat akin to Maroilles).
 

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Earlier today, I headed into the farmers' market, and also paid a visit to the cheesemonger's where I stocked up on some cheese. (A trip to the French bakery included some excellent French bread).

Cheeses purchased included: Aged (very mature), Cashel Blue, Bleu des Causses, and a third blue, one unknown to me until today, a Bleu de Basques, a sheep's blue cheese, hard and crumbly, from the French Basque region); Camembert Rustique (made from spring - new season's - milk), Montagne de Bethmale, another cheese from the Basque region of France, a mix of cow's milk and goat's milk), Carre de Brebis, ((a stunning, somewhat aromatic, cheese from Corsica,), Ossau-Iraty, (a delicious hard cheese from the Basque region of France, made from sheep's milk), and Noorlander Gouda (sheep's milk Gouda).

In the actual market, I also treated myself to olive oil, feta cheese, and bought anchovy stuffed olives and kalamata olives and semi-sundried tomatoes (once home, I prepared a salad with kalamata olives, chopped red onion, cherry tomatoes, and chopped feta cheese, drizzled - generously - with olive oil), and mozzarella (small balls of mozzarella cheese, which, once home, I prepared into a salad with semi-sundried tomatoes - also purchased in the market - very finely sliced new season's garlic, - about a head - and generously anointed with olive oil).

Other purchases included fruit (apricots, cherries, lemons, grapefruit, oranges), eggs (free range, organic), and vegetables, (aubergines, salad leaves, spinach, carrots, onions, French onions, and new season's garlic).
 
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decafjava

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Tried something different, had some left over Stilton and put it in my oatmeal porridge this morning. I have put Feta in the past and it was a darn good idea!
 

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I paid a visit to both the farmers' market (and the cheesemonger's) today, plus the French bakery:

Cheese purchases included two blues: Roquefort, and Bleu de Basques; two (semi-soft) washed rind cheeses one of which goes by the (wonderful) name of Drunken Saint, while the other is the classic St Nectaire; a Corsican sheep's cheese named Brin d'Amour; Cantal, which is the closest French cheese to cheddar - a less "dense" but still, quite delicious, rich and savoury cheese.

At present, the fridge also plays host to some Shropshire Red (a robust, cheddar style cheese) and Stilton.
 

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Saturday, which means paying a visit to the farmers' market, the French bakery, and the cheesemonger's.

Cheeses purchased: Mozzarella, (in the olive oil stall), along with olives and semi-sundried tomatoes.

In the cheesemonger's, I treated myself to a selection of cheeses: Two were blue: Roquefort, and a new blue from Italy, called BirbaBlu, (a lovely blue that has been soaked in ale); the timeless classic Camembert Rustique; Carre de Brebis from Corsica; Ossau-Iraty, a cheese made from sheep's milk from the French Basque region, and another brand new (somewhat creamy cheese, from Italy) called El novaleson dji Fra Fulvio.

And, as it happens, I still have some splendid Cantal and Shropshire Red.
 
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Does (freshly) grated Parmesan - that is, Parmigiano Reggiano - (rather than freshly grated Pecorino) - count in a cheese thread?

Anyway, this evening, I had a tweak on Pasta (Spaghetti) Carbonara, the tweak being that I omitted the pasta entirely, and had lightly scrambled (free range, organic) eggs, with grated parmesan (not pecorino - I didn't have any, whereas parmesan can always be found chateau moi) and sautéed guanciale, sautéed in butter, and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper.
 
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On Saturday, when visiting the cheesemonger, (while also taking in the farmers' market), I treated myself to a number of cheeses:

These included two blues, the classic Roquefort from France, and the stunning Birbablu from Italy; Cantal (a cheddar style cheese from France), and an amazing Raclette (which is usually sold too young, when it is bland); Carre de Brebis from Corsica, and two hard cheeses, Pecorino Romano, and Parmiagiano Reggiano, both from Italy.

Oh, yes: And some small balls of Mozzarella cheese plus olives, and semi-sundried tomatoes, from the olive, and olive oil, stall.
 
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Cheese shopping today included: Three blue cheeses: Roquefort, Bleu d'Auvergne, and Birbablu (the first two are both classic blues from France, the last, a lovely beer washed blue from Italy.)

St Nectaire, a lovely semi-soft, washed rind cheese from France.

Raclette, a gorgeous cheese normally sold far too young, with a stunning, slightly sticky, texture, and a serious (and tempting) aroma.

Raschera, a relatively mild - yet tasty - semi-hard Italian cheese.

Hard cheeses purchased included a stunning Gouda, but this one is a smoked Gouda, one made from goat's milk, and the always excellent Ossau-Iraty, a sheep's milk cheese from the Basque region of France.

Today, both the Camembert and Époisses were too young to bother with.
 
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Cheese shopping today included: Three blue cheeses: Roquefort, Bleu d'Auvergne, and Birbablu (the first two are both classic blues from France, the last, a lovely beer washed blue from Italy.)

St Nectaire, a lovely semi-soft, washed rind cheese from France.

Raclette, a gorgeous cheese normally sold far too young, with a stunning, slightly sticky, texture, and a serious (and tempting) aroma.

Raschera, a relatively mild - yet tasty - semi-hard Italian cheese.

Hard cheeses purchased included a stunning Gouda, but this one is a smoked Gouda, one made from goat's milk, and the always excellent Ossau-Iraty, a sheep's milk cheese from the Basque region of France.

Today, both the Camembert and Époisses were too young to bother with.
Have thoroughly enjoyed acquainting myself with the contents of my cheeseboard, and a fresh, French, baguette.
 

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Visited the farmers' market today, and I also visited my cheesemonger:

Cheeses purchased included three blue cheeses: Roquefort, Bleu des Causses (similar to Roquefort but made from cow's milk), both from France, and Birableu - an Italian blue cheese, one where the rind has been washed with beer.

For semi-soft cheese, my eye alighted upon the classic St Nectaire, wonderfully ripe Camembert Rustique, and Carre de Brebis from Corsica, plus an unusual (and award-winning) Irish washed rind cheese, that goes by the glorious name of Drunken Saint.

Hard cheeses included Cantal (a rare French cheese that is similar to cheddar); the Basque region cheese Ossau-Iraty, which is always excellent, Raclette, lovely and aged, with a glorious "sticky" texture, a smoked goat's cheese Gouda, and Pecorino Romano.

Other purchases included some Parma ham, several slices of Mortadella, and some Italian fennel salami, and French apricot jam, and French black cherry jam. And guanciale.

Locally produced honey was purchased in one of the stalls.

And a baguette - which had been kept for me - was purchased from the French bakery.
 
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I treated myself to several cheeses on my return from the Balkans:

They included: Gorgonzola (Cremosa), from Italy, Roquefort (from France), and Birableu (from Italy), three blue cheeses.

Washed rind style cheeses included Torta del Casar (a stunning Spanish cheese), Taleggio (nice and ripe and creamy, from Italy), Carre de Brebis from Corsica, and Camembert from Normandy, France.

Hard cheeses included a Tomme style cheese, and sheep's Gouda.
 
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This morning, I treated myself to some cheese while paying what was supposed to be a brief and fleeting visit to the cheesemonger's: As usual, it was nothing of the sort.

Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano (Carbonara beckons someday soon), both from Italy:

Gouda (made from the milk of sheep, rather than goats' milk) - Dutch, naturally.

Raclette from France.

Taleggio (from Italy), these days, it seems to be seasonally excellent.

Roquefort (from France) a perennial classic; a blue cheese.

Birbablu (from Piedmont, in Italy) a stunning Italian blue cheese; the cheese is washed - rather, it is actually soaked - in beer for ten days, then each wheel of cheese is covered by malted wheat and allowed to mature.

Camembert Rustique (a timeless classic, from Normandy, in France; today, this cheese positively oozed.)

Torta del Casar (an amazing cheese from Spain).

St Brigid, a mild (but deliciously buttery) washed rind (using natural starters) cheese from Ireland.

Other purchases included both Fig Paste and Quince Paste (membrillo).
 
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