Cheese of the Day: April 20 – Mont St. Francis

Washed Rind Thursday guys! Presented by ACS CCP® Erin Clancy:

Today we look Mont St. Francis from Capriole. Capriole was started by Judy Schad and is based in Greenville, IN. Judy is one of the OG’s “goat ladies” in the USA. Judy and her husband first started making the Loire Valley styles of chevres in America back in the 70’s but they revved up commercial production in the 90’s. Mont St. Francis is a washed-rind cheese made with goat’s milk (Alpine, Saanen and Nubian breeds). This particular category of wash rinds (goat milk) is quite small but the few there are, are big in flavor. It’s named after a monastery near the Capriole Dairy. Cheese production began in 1994. The wheels are approx. 1lb which gives the cheese huge funky flavors due to the rind-paste ratio. It’s made with animal rennet, cut into large curds, scooped into molds while the curds are still quite moist, and then washed in a salt brine. When I used to sell it the cheese was made with raw milk but certain sources say it’s pasteurized. Can someone who currently carries this help a girl out? Back to the cheese. It’s a firmer cheese, with that goaty tang, and typical washed rind pungency. Intense, beefy, earthy are the words Capriole uses to describe their cheese. One of Capriole’s customers has described it as “a cheese you would not want to eat on a first date, but maybe on the second if the first one went well.”*

Because of the intensity of this cheese, it pairs well with bourbon or fruity, fortified wines and sweet condiments. Also excellent with bitter beers. Capriole also suggests chocolate, but their favorite condiment is a pear or pumpkin mostarda (Do you hear me Matt? 😀)

*taken from Culture’s article on the cheese. Had to add. It’s too cute.

http://capriolegoatcheese.com/Cheeses/Aged/MontStFrancis/tabid/193/Default.aspx
http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Mont-St-Francis-a-rare-washed-rind-goat-cheese-2368458.php
https://culturecheesemag.com/cheese-library/Mont-St-Francis
http://cheesenotes.com/post/68080518481/mont-st-francis

 

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