Cheese Course: Tarentais

by Max Shrem, Posted Sep 9th 2008 @ 1:02PM

It's been almost two years since my first encounter with Tarentais at Chanterelle restaurant in Manhattan. I'll never forget my reaction. I was in awe by the cheese's exquisite floral aroma and its mildly grassy and almond-like flavor. At first, the texture seemed firm and crumbly, but on my palate it slowly melted into a creamy milky consistency.

Tarentais is a goat's milk cheese from the Rhône-Alpes region of France. It is produced with 100 percent raw milk on small farms where the goats have been grazing on natural pasture. Cheesemakers handcraft Tarentais from the spring through the fall. Its zesty goaty taste stands apart from many other goat's milk cheeses. A fresh Tarentais tastes perfect on its own. As it ages, it develops a pleasant lemony zest. I recommend pairing an aged, more firm, Tarentais with an apricot jam to cut some of the acidity.

Where can one purchase Tarentais cheese?
There are few stores in the U.S. that carry this cheese. Since it's produced with raw milk, it is more delicate than other goat's milk cheeses. Nevertheless, you may find it at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge. And, Chanterelle might still have the cheese on its cheese board.

Filed Under: Cheese Course, Food Politics, Ingredients
Tags: cheese, cheese course, CheeseCourse, france