Xavier's Cheese

I am writing lying on my stomach. I'm not sure why I've chosen this position, as I have a large, noticeable bump in my middle: a cheese baby. I have now been in France for 5 weeks. This baby looks at least 3 or 4 months old. But unlike a real baby, which makes an exit after about 9 months, what happens to a cheese baby? For how long does it grow? And is the only solution dire and extreme, to stop eating cheese?

I hope not.

And I am sure that my cheese baby is only going to grow because I had the pleasure of partaking in something amazing: Xavier's Cheese Shop.

It's a cheese shop in the center of Toulouse, next-door to the sprawling Victor Hugo Market. This is not your normal cheese shop. This is a cheese refinery, a part of the cheese process which I had previously known little about. Refining the cheese is like dry aging your beef. Perhaps you have great cattle; they've been well-fed, they're nicely plumped, and their meet is well-speckled with fats. But you and I know how much of a difference a little time hanging in a tightly moderated temperature without moisture and with fantastic little bacteria will make. The same goes with cheese. Xavier's cheese receives exceptional cheese from all of over France. These cheeses are already amazing, and frankly, unlike most of what's available in the US. But Xavier takes what is already a joy and elevates it, or shall I say, refines it. By aging the cheese in tightly regulated rooms Xavier's Cheeses are able to bring each individual cheese to its perfection. Depending on the cheese, Xavier ages for certain durations, ranging from days to months. The art of refining cheese is based on several properties: temperature, moisture, and time, which regulate their exposure to bacteria / molds. Goat cheeses, which are typically smaller bundles, are periodically rotated (twice per week at Xavier's) to guarantee a consistent creme, that supreme gooey good bit on a soft cheese, between the outer layer powdered with molds or bacteria and the white interior (as shown below).

To demonstrate this creme our guide tenderly squeezed a round of cheese, revealing a spring to the crust. That springiness demonstrates that the cheese has a well-formed creme.

He led us into a large room, which reeked of ammonium and alcohol. The ammonium smell came from the gas itself, which is released from some very gigantic rounds of cows milk cheese. The alcohol smell, however, is from the variety of liquors and wines poured on top of some cheeses to assist in its aging. Some muensters received splashes of riesling. A lovely round cheese, for example, was periodically doused with a brandy, producing a strong orange color and a sappy texture. The alcohol helps to form a seal on the cheese, which prevents it from loosing salt. I was surprised by its taste. There was a mild sweetness, but nothing that gave away its secret of regular liquor baths. As for the salinity, I found it to be surprisingly mild and balanced. 

The women with whom I was visiting the shop took home a bundle of cheeses. Though the spunky, funky, creamy goat cheeses were not surprisingly my favorites, I also was delighted by a blue cheese from Sauterne. It was speckled with dark blue-green welts. I expected it to have the bite of a roquefort, but to my surprise this cheese had an elegant balance: the taste of cream and butter softened the peppery molds. It was bold, but refined.

To view Xavier's Cheese shop from a distance, you may want to take a glance at their website, which I found fascinating. Complete with cheese tutorials and essays on everything you can imagine about cheese, the site is a great source of information and has options for purchasing cheese. 

Thank you Patti, DeDe, Analisa and Michelle for a great day!