Mountains of cheese
By esther on Wednesday, April 4 2007, 20:21 - Say cheese - Permalink
Good cheese is more than just good cheese. It is transcendental. There are those who appreciate a creamy Mont d'Or or a prickly Epoisse and then there is us. We belong to the group of religious cheese fanatics that crave the stuff, constantly. My young years were spent devoted to cheddar and in particular, to my love of really, really sharp cheddar and peanut butter sandwiches. Once I came to France, the flood gates opened. It was as if I had come home. The hub is even more devout than I am. I think that if he had to choose only one thing to bring to a desert island it would not be cheese; it would be a goat so that he coulld have a neverending supply of chevre. When we lived in New York we would loiter around the cheese counter at Dean & Deluca so much that I think we began to made the employees uneasy. We were like hungry lions encircling a herd of unsuspecting antalope.
This past weekend we were some of the lucky few who were able to take a few days off and head up to the mountains for four lovely days of skiing. The weather was unbelievable and the pure mountain air was a welcome change from Paris. Not only was there snow but we even had an overnight storm and woke to the most delicious dusting of powder. And there was sun, lots of sun, and I have a very sunburned nose to prove it. There are two equally desirable things about spending a vacation skiiing in the Alpes: the skiing (of course) and yes, you guessed it, the CHEESE.
In the span of only four days and three nights we managed to gorge ourselves silly on a Fondu and a Raclette. I don't know what motivated us more to get out on the slopes early each morning. Perhaps it was the very idea and not so distant memory of how much cheese we actually ate for dinner the night before or the knowledge that if we got out there and skied all day, we could eat just as much the following night.
This Tomme de Savoie is the only piece that made its way home with us because there is a point at which even we cannot go on.
Comments
Tomme is one of my favorite. We have a chalet in the Briancon region and my favorite memory is eating Tomme early morning outside on the patio with my dad after he had gotten fresh bread....Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Sounds like fabulous vacations!
Tomme is one of my favorites. Just like you, it is too complicated to choose only one category of cheese. I love all of them! I remember a spectacular Tomme in Briançon, to echo Helen. My Mother-in-law lived there until recently. Fortunalety for me , Montreal has more and more good cheese makers and stores.