Sunday, December 19, 2010

Cheese Report - Demon or Angel



I had a cheese emergency the other day. It was after cheese-store hours and I needed something right away for an evening get together. The best option in such cases is usually Whole Foods, but they are a big step below one of the local cheese shops. Whole Foods pre-cuts and wraps their cheese which is bad news as you can't tell how fresh it is, though their quality tends to be better than most stores which pre-cut and wrap, probably because of a fairly high turnover.

Anyway, because of the pre-cut and wrap issue, I was looking for an uncut round and I have to admit, I was intrigued by Le Demon Du Midi, less for its devil character than for a pleasingly pungent smell emanating from the cheese.

The Demon is a cow cheese from the Franche-Comté region of Eastern France. I expected a washed rind, but opened the wrapper to find a brie-like bloomy rind.

Unfortunately, this cheese was much less demonic than advertised. It was mild and buttery, almost like an Explorateur. Of course, everyone loved it, probably more than they would have the high-stink type of cheese I like, but damn it, if you put the devil on something, it should have some demonic qualities.

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