We had some friends for dinner on Saturday, which was, of course the perfect excuse for another cheese plate. I decided to go the creamy cheese route, and wanted to pair something nice and safe with something I'd never tried. One trip to Whole Foods later (I know, I need to branch out) and I had three cheeses that seemed like they would match up well.
- Port salut (always a favorite);
- French Munster (which looked nice and oozy, but sounded safe - all the Munsters I've had have some flavor, but are pretty calm ); and
- A Chimay Grand Cru- which I had never heard of, but was described as an unpasteurized, nutty, semi-firm cheese with a rind washed in Chimay beer.
It turns out that French Munster is nothing like other Munster -- rather, it has a decidedly pasture-ey flavor, which is delicious in a creamy cheese, particularly when eaten as a gob on top of a single dried apricot and never-mind the cracker. The majestic sounding Chimay Grand Cru was rich and pleasant: it paled a bit beside the French Munster, but rounded out the trio nicely. With ryvita crackers and a few almonds and apricots on the side, we even had a good array of cheesy accompaniments.
note: for more info on Chimay Grand Cru, see CurdNurd's entry on the cheese.
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