Chèvre or goat cheese is white colored and somewhat tart in flavor. The West has popularized cow’s milk whereas in the rest of the world goat’s milk is preferred. As a rule, because it is usually manufactured in areas with little refrigeration, it is preserved with salt. As a result, most people believe that goat cheese is naturally far saltier than cow cheese. Perhaps the best known goat cheese in the US is Feta, which is qite salty as a result of being brined, having tasted the latest offerings from Les Petites Fermières, I can assure you that goat cheese also comes with more subtle flavors. The higher proportion of fatty acids such as capric acid present in goat’s milk, gives it that characteristic tartness.
I tasted all three of their available flavors: Goat Cheese Medallions with Fine Herbs and Garlic, Goat Medallions with Cranberry and Maple Syrup, Goat Cheese Medallions. My favorite was the last one, though I thoroughly enjoyed the other two as well.
I came up with the following easy recipe to go with these type of cheese:
Herb and Garlic Goat Cheese and Onion Dip
Ingredients
- 2 packages Les Petites Fermières Goat Cheese Medallions with Fine Herbs and Garlic
- ⅔ cup low fat sour cream
- 3 onions, chopped
Directions
- Place all ingredients in a blender.
- Pulse 1–2 minutes until well combined but not completely pureed.
- Refrigerate several hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Makes about 1¼ cups.
I also crumbled some of these cheeses into a salad and enjoyed it with a Baron Herzog Sauvignon Blanc 2008. When CS had the cholov Yisroel Chèvre from N&K, he paired them with a Chilean Alfasi Malbec-Syrah 2009, a perfect and inexpensive choice for someone who grew up on the Northern shore of the Rio de La Plata (River Plate, for us gringos).
SYR
