Super Fancy Cheese ... Fancy Schmancy, Indeed!

Whole Foods, Town & Country, MO, August 2nd ... Yet Another Cheese Tasting Class!!!

When the cheese lady mentioned this class how could we pass it up? It was scheduled for a Saturday night instead of Tuesday like the last two classes - she did that on purpose to make this more of a date night event. Hubba Hubba!!

Here's the irresistible class description: You literally will not find these cheeses anywhere else in Stinktown (OK, they didn't call STL Stinktown, that's my irreverent voice). All of these scrumptious jewels are painstakingly handcrafted by master cheese makers with milk often coming from a single herd. Whether you call them art, artifact, or snack, there is no denying that cheeses such as these have provided not just sustenance, but also great pleasure! And of course, we will have to wash all this fancy cheese down with some fancy wine.

Cost per person $30; a little more expensive since there are supposedly uber-wowser cheeses involved, but still not a bad deal.

Your cheese-guides for this report: Colonel Chevre and his trusty sidekick Frau-mage.


We managed to take a couple of pictures this time - three really is a charm! **As a side note, it also helps to bring a camera** There were only eight cheeses to sample at this class as opposed to nine cheeses at the previous two classes ... what a letdown (wink wink). With the exception of one, all of these cheeses were from France ... ah, France some among us may call you weak-kneed collaborators but no one can match your skill in the art of blissful, cheesy goodness.

More cheese, please!


Starting at midnight and moving clockwise around the plate we had the following tasty treats:

Cone de Port Aubrey - This is an aged raw goat's milk cheese from France, known for its distinctive shape ... think inverted bra cup. The texture was firm, but not hard, and it was crumbly. On its own I thought it tasted kind of sour, but when I tried it with some Tuscan honey it was absolutely wonderful. A note on the honey - it was almost clear in color, similar in appearance to a thick, simple syrup.

Sechone de Pays - A blooming cow's milk cheese that was rich and delicate; the taste reminded us of a very light blue cheese. I apologize if I spelled this wrong ... I try to double check all of these with on-line references but I can't find this cheese anywhere so I must have really butchered the spelling. Too bad, really, because it was was quite tasty and I'd like to try it again some day.

Charolaise - An aged goat cheese with an herby aroma and a very spreadable, creamy texture. We tried this with some purple basil jelly which was interesting and actually pretty good once I grew accustomed to the flavor. To quote Homer Simpson, "It's purple ... purple's a fruit."

Ossau-Iraty - Hey, we know this cheese and it's one of our favorites! And we've purchased it right here in Stinktown so you, Whole Foods, are guilty of false advertising and we may want our money back ... as soon as we finish eating. Anyhoo, this is a raw sheep's milk cheese with a firm, creamy texture and a slightly nutty taste. We had some lavender honey with this but in all honesty I would have preferred some balsamic vinegar.

Pave du Nord - This is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese that looks like cheddar and has a sharp, thick taste. The aroma was distinctly unpleasant ... just like a field of cows who've recently shat all over the pasture. If my notes are correct this is a cheese from Herve Mons and it's produced in the Normandy region of France. The yellowish color is from the seed of the annatto plant ... whatever that is.

Brebis Something or Other - Alrighty... well, here's the problem: the cheese lady spelled this cheese wrong so that I cannot for the life of me figure out through process of elimination (no gross pun intended) what the hell it was that we actually tried. My notes indicate that this was a raw sheep's milk cheese with a washed rind. It smelled like a barnyard but mercifully did not taste like one; the texture was creamy and soft while the taste was actually kind of earthy.

Stanser Flada - The best part of this cheese is the translation! Stanser is for the town Stans, in Switzerland, where the cheese is produced, and Flada is for cow pie. Literally I think this translates as Cow Pie of Stanz!! Bwaaaaahahahahahahaha!!! As you may have guessed, this is a cow's milk cheese ... a washed rind, uncooked, unpressed cow's milk cheese that is aged for only a few weeks. The aroma was definitely barnyard and the texture was uber-creamy - the taste was very strong and distinct and not enjoyable for my tastebuds at all.

Persille du Beaujolais - A cow's milk cheese from the Burgundy region of France, this is considered a medium strength blue cheese with a creamy texture and an almost nutty, spicy flavor. The condiment provided with this was a Black Mission Fig spread with black pepper. As far as blue cheeses go I suppose this wasn't bad but it was still pretty damn strong and stinky by my standards. Everyone else in the class thought it was fabulous.

To make up for the lack of a ninth cheese our lovely cheese lady provided us all with a plate of Bissinger's Caramel Corn drizzled with chocolate and some delicious Valrhona chocolate nibs. Bissinger's is a local chocolate confectioner ... it used to be called Karl Bissinger's and it was owned by the Bissinger family since beginning operations here in Stinktown back in the 1860s. Prior to that, so the story goes, Karl Bissinger used to create bonbons for French royalty. All I know is that their chocolate is to die for but their popcorn could kill me. So, I ate the Valhrona (I did share with my lovey ... I'm not a total cow) and Jay took care of the corn. Both were very tasty with the red wine that we were finishing off and don't know the name of.

Dessert and cheese? Boo-yah!!!


Final verdict? We liked this class very much but weren't exactly sure why it carried a slightly higher price tag. I haven't priced the other seven cheeses that were served, but Ossau-Iraty is usually about $22 per pound, so I'm not entirely convinced that we were eating the most rarefied of cheeses available if you know what I mean. However, we did think that the portions and accompaniments were generous and we liked many of these cheeses very much. The dessert was a nice touch, too! This will probably be the last cheese class we participate in for a while - our schedules just won't allow for it, especially if the classes are primarily offered during the week.

As I've said before, for any of you lucky enough to be close to a Whole Foods, try one of their classes; they appear to be a great value for the price and are educational and fun. Thanks for sharing the cheese luv!!