Cheese: Selles-sur-cher

Selles-sur-cher

I love this subject, but more importantly, I love doing the research on this subject.  Sometimes, it can be a bit grueling, tasting all that amazing cheese and all, but I sacrifice myself for the knowledge and for the possibility of sharing that with you.

This month’s cheese is Selles-sur-cher; another unpasteurized goat cheese, which is timely for the season.  Most goat cheeses are at their peak in spring and summer, and some fresh varieties (think softer, younger cheeses) are only available for short amounts of time.  Selles-sur-cher is available year around due to industrial production, but if artisanal, it has limited availability.

The first notable characteristic about this cheese is its rind, which is bluish-black and is a fine mixture of ash and salt.  A thin layer of mold forms on this which is not to be removed when eaten.  The rind is responsible for the cheese’s lightly salty and smoky taste.  The white interior is mild, firm, and slightly nutty.  Overall, this is a creamy dry cheese, but it is considerable light.

Selles-sur-cher is produced in the Centre region of France in the community of Selles-sur-cher.  Selles-sur-cher is a mid-sized town of approximately 4,500 inhabitants and is located about 115 miles southwest of Paris.  The town is also known for its historic château and its abbey (Notre-Dame-la-Blanche) which was constructed in the 12^th Century. 

The origin of the cheese is humble.  It started out as farmed produced for family consumption, but it grew in development during the 19^th Century.  In 1986, it was declared AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée) and later gained the title AOP (appellation d'origine protégée) in 1996 making Selles-sur-cher a cheese controlled by its conditions of production and its geographic origins.

Château at Selles-sur-cher

Cheese: Rocamadour

Cheese and spring.  One might think they do not go hand in hand, but I beg to differ.  Cheeses, just like fruits and vegetables, are seasonal and nothing compares to the plethora of flavors springtime brings to cheeses.  Evidently, what animals graze upon influences their milk and thus the cheese produced from it. Springtime flora is particularly rich and abundant, and the cheeses made from it can vary considerable.  One of the most popular cheeses of the season is chèvre, or goat cheese.  There is a very wide range of goat cheeses, ranging from creamy fresh spreadable cheeses to crumbly and dry.  And while I love them all, one chèvre holds a particular place in my heart: Rocamadour.

Rocamadour is a non-pasteurized cheese made from the Alpine or Saanen goat breeds.  It’s small (35 grams or less than the weight of two tablespoons), soft rind, and extremely creamy.  It comes from the Midi-Pyrènèes in Mid-Southern France and is named after the medieval village baring the same name.  In 1451, a law allowed la dîme, or tax, to be paid in rocamadour by the peasants.  It gained AOC or l’Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée standing in 1996, which means it has a controlled designation of origins and must be manufactured within a certain region.

Rocamadour has a distinct aroma.  Once familiar with it, it is difficult to miss this very present characteristic, which grows stronger as it ages.  Full bodied wines, such as those from Cahors, are well paired with this cheese.

Each year on the Sunday of Pentecost, (May 27^th, this year) the village of Rocamadour holds La Fête des Fromages to highlight the values of this cheese and those who produce it.  While I don’t know if it will happen this year, I plan one day to make my pilgrimage to pay my homage to those who preserve this gastronomic patrimony.

America's Test Kitchen "Dish It Your Way" Challenge: Burgers!

Over the course of the summer, I’ll be participating in the America’s Test Kitchen “Dish It Your Way” Blogger Challenge.  The “Dish It Your Way” asks blogger to recreate an American classic dish throughout the summer, share the recipe, and tell a story.  This week: Burgers.

Each year when we return to Chicago, we have a few mandatory stops, and a local bar – restaurant tops our list.  It’s a small place that boasts the best burgers, a ghost, and has peanuts on the table that are shucked right onto the floor.  To Christophe, it is folkloric, and I often try to schedule our stop on a Monday so we can watch Monday Night Football in the bar just to put the icing on the cake for him.  This place is Americana at its best and encompasses all that I want when I go out for a burger and a beer.

The first time I took Christophe there, he ordered a buffalo burger; not buffalo as in the hot sauce he now loves, but as in buffalo meat.  He was hooked on his first bite and hasn’t strayed from his order since.  I thought hard about our evenings there for this round of America’s Test Kitchen “Dish It Your Way” challenge.  With the bar raised so high, there is no way I can compete by creating simply a ground beef burger, so I’ve decided to take a completely different route.  Many of the ingredients in my burger are typically French and might not be even available in the United States (Can regionally controlled unpasteurized goat’s milk cheese be imported in the United States anymore?), but that’s what make this Galette d’ Epinards au Rocamadour.  It can also be pronounced Spinach Burgers with Goat Cheese.

Save us a place in the bar this winter.  We like the table by the chimney under the mounted boar’s head where we have an unobstructed view of the football game and a basket full of peanuts.

Spinach Burgers with Goat Cheese

The burger:

1 8 ounce packet of frozen chopped spinach

1 cup bread crumbs

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup grated emmental cheese

3 beaten eggs

½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of Herbs de Provence

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

The toppings:

1 portion Rocamadour cheese (This is an unpasteurized, whole milk goat cheese with a creamy rich texture and a pungent odor.  The semi soft Mothais-sur-feuille can be substitute, but dry, crumbly goat cheeses should be avoided since they will not melt well.)

A few slices of Toulouges sweet onions

Batavia salad

Cook spinach and drain well.  Once cooled, combine all ingredients and form into 6-8 burger-sized patties.  Freeze overnight.

To cook, place the frozen patties in a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Cook undisturbed for 5-6 minutes allowing bottoms to brown.  Turn patties over, cover, and cook 5-6 more minutes on low heat.  When interior temperature reaches 160 F, place one portion (35 grams) of Rocamadour cheese on the burger.  Cook for 1-2 minutes more, allowing the cheese to melt.  Top with Toulouges sweet onions, and a few leaves of Batavia salad.

Serve with fries.