Monday, August 24, 2009

Truffle Tremor


The birth of Cypress Grove’s Truffle Tremor warranted a cheese party. The California goat-cheese empresarios are well-known for their award-winning Humboldt Fog–a cheese with a layer of ash between the morning and evening milk (to eat it is to float away)—so the company’s new release, a truffle-laced goat cheese that won a gold medal at the Fancy Food Show, sent me off to the cheese man for a gorgeous wedge.

Last night, I invited several cheese hounds over for nibbles and drinks. No one wanted to miss a taste.

I set out the Tremor at five ‘o clock for a photo shoot on a slab of marble. By 5:10, it had oozed an inch, releasing itself like a snail from its shell. By six, it was melted ice cream. We scooped it up with espresso spoons and spent a good half hour oohing and decoding its layers.

The Blue Cheese Goddess detected “earthy swirls” in the center, the taste of “unsalted butter laced with mulch.”

Monsieur Camembert went right for the peppery rind, which he called “the crust mantle,” deeming this part most delectable.

The Blue Cheese Brit, a regular at these follies, ate a core sample and was moved to screech, “It’s like truffle-hunting naked!” As if. Thank goodness he left his truffle pig at home.

Truffle Tremor has superb layers of flavor. The whiskery bits of truffle are barely visible but as alluring as a man with fine stubble. The texture is topographic–from ultra-creamy, to liquid, to leather-soft. The experience is much like eating a chocolate truffle, one that breaks nicely on the teeth to reveal a soft center.

If you like complex cheese, one that blooms slowly in your mouth rather than bowling you over, this is worth tasting. Invite some close friends, open a good white wine (we enjoyed an Oyster Bay 2008 Sauvignon Blanc that was light and citrusy), and turn off all the lights. Then wait for a subtle earthquake.

5 comments:

  1. How did you get your hands on Oyster Bay! No wonder I could never find any - Madame has squirreled it away for cheese soirees! It all sounds gorgeous!

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  2. I love to add shavings of this cheese
    over grilled asparagus. Sublime flavors.

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  3. New blog follower here! This sounds amazing -- I wonder if I can get it at Fromagination on the square, or maybe at Whole Foods?

    Thanks! I have had the Oyster Bay and it's delightful, as well.

    www.forkfulofnews.com

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  4. I just found your blog, and it's really great. I have been wanting to "get into" cheeses in the last few years but never had a buddy to join me. And to think, I lived in Philly! Too late now. Anyway, I enjoyed this entry immensely.

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  5. I'm just a puddle of mush after reading this. We just bought some of this tonight (along with 4 others--feeling like this might be a farty evening) to celebrate our tax return and I was searching around about it. So happy I found this stellar, hilarious, and highly informative post! Because it just prompted the wine man (husb) to decide a better bottle was in order. Win-win! Thanks---awesome, awesome blog.
    -Carey + Rob of Corks + Caftans

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