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Get Breaking News on your cellCheese o' the Week: Salers
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August 2008
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Beginning with this post, I'll be blogging weekly about artisan cheeses of all types and origins. It's one of the subjects about which I'm most enthusiastic. Actually, let me quote expert Max McCalman, from his book The Cheese Plate: "From my perspective, there's no question that cheese is one of the many wonders that adds up to the tremendous miracle of life on earth. So what's wrong with a little obsession?" Amen, brother. So let's start tasting: As with all things culinary, it's the best way to learn. Salers is not one of those cheeses to be munched absent-mindedly at a cocktail party. You need to stop and focus on its flavors, and how they bloom on the palate, to fully appreciate it. Pronounced sah-LAIR, the cheese is one of the oldest produced in France. According to Steven Jenkin's Cheese Primer, Pliny the Elder wrote about it 2,000 years ago after Rome invaded Gaul. It's similar to the much-better-known Cantal, though most Cantal has transitioned into mass-production while Salers is still crafted in small batches. One major difference: Cantal is typically made with pasteurized milk. Saler, however, is always made with the raw milk from Salers cattle, an ancient breed indigenous to the Cantal Mountains in Auvergne where the cheese is produced. At a recent informal tasting, the cheeseheads and non-cheeseheads alike pronounced Salers their favorite. It has an instantly lovable, Cheddary texture, and its taste starts off mild - deceptively mild. Wait a sec. Lovely flavors start to percolate: a pleasantly acidic, almost wild onion tang at the back of the palate, countered by a sweet, herbal note on the front. Everyone sat around the table, silent and nodding and enjoying. The Salers you'll find in local stores is probably pre-cut from the wheel: Look for a long, tapering piece that gives you plenty of pale, creamy-looking cheese beyond the thick rind. If you're looking for a wine pairing, I'd go white with an Alsatian Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris. Salers is available locally at Central Market. Next week's cheese: Camellia from California's Redwood Hill |
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Comments
Posted by Margie @ 6:19 PM Tue, Apr 01, 2008
Well, I sure hope CM has plenty in stock because now I'm craving to try some. Unfortunately, I probably won't get there until the weekend.
Posted by Bill Addison @ 6:21 PM Tue, Apr 01, 2008
They had a big ol' wheel when I was at the Lovers location last week, Margie, so I think you're good until the weekend.
Posted by cjw @ 10:56 PM Tue, Apr 01, 2008
surprised that a raw milk cheese is offered for sale ... I didn't think that raw milk products were. Any thoughts/comments?
Posted by Bill Addison @ 7:55 AM Wed, Apr 02, 2008
Hey CJW: As it currently stands, the sale of unpasteurized milk in cheese is legal only if said cheese has been aged 60 days or more. (This length of aging is said to mostly kill all the bad, scary pathogens that raw milk cheeses are feared to breed.) Salers falls into the over-60-day age category.
Posted by cjw @ 10:43 PM Wed, Apr 02, 2008
Bill -
thanks for that clarification...my ServSafe course didn't cover that level of detail