Still to this day, one of my most memorable dining experiences revolves around cheese. It occurred in Tuscany, where my local friends Giulio and Pierre-the-herb-shepherd prepared an ultra-simple, 6-course dinner made only of local, rustic cheese, Super Tuscan wine, along with Pierre's spices and a drizzle of olive oil. Absolutely nothing else. No other ingredients. A minimalist culinary tour-de-force.
I was born, raised, and trained as a chef in a country that General De Gaulle once described as an ungovernable nation because of its 246 varieties of cheese. Vive la France!
But really, cheese is not a French invention, nor is it any more French than wine. In fact, some of my favorite cheeses come from Spain, Italy, and yes, the US. We'll see that in a minute.
Note that I'm quite an oddity. I hated cheese as a kid. My mom can't help herself to remind me that every time I hummer over Munster or St Marcellin. But what saved me from missing out on what I call the "heavenly trilogy" (wine, bread and cheese) is artisanal cheese. Note the emphasis on "artisanal", because that, and that only, is what we're talking about here. Forget about supermarket dairies, stupid factory-produced Camembert and other condom-looking, odorless rubber-tasting cheese that looks dead tired and plain boring.
There is a huge difference between cheese and artisan cheese. An artisan cheese has been hand-crafted in small batches according to time-honored techniques, recipes, and traditions. In other words, farm- (or micro-factory-) produced cheese made by locals. Why is that a good thing?
This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2009.