Delice de Bourgogne = Delicious!

To get you all in the Christmas spirit, I wanted to feature a bit of decadence. A staple on any of my cheese plates, I'd like to introduce to you the Delice de Bourgogne. 

There is not much to say about the Delice de Bourgogne other than the fact that it is a wonderfully creamy, rich, decadent treat - and that it's one of my favorites.

If you're one of the many people that look for really creamy, buttery triple cremes, this is the cheese for you. It hails from the Burgundy region of France and is made by Fromagerie Lincet. The Delice de Bourgogne falls into the same category as the Brillat Savarin and Explorateur in that it is a mold ripened, pasteurized, cow's milk, triple creme cheese (yum!). The definition of a triple creme cheese is that fresh cream (or creme fraiche) is added to full fat cows milk and in order to be called triple creme, the cheese must have a butterfat content of at least 75%. While this may sound like a lot, the cheese itself is not 75% butterfat. The trick is that the dry matter of the cheese must be 75% butter fat. Cheeses like Delice de Bourgogne are very high in moisture, so the dry matter only makes up about half of the cheese - make sense?

Let's look at it from a different perspective. Say I take a 1 oz piece of Parmigiano Reggiano and a 1 oz piece of Delice de Bourgogne. The Parmigiano Reggiano has very little moisture, so it is virtually ALL dry matter (fats, proteins and amino acids). The Delice on the other hand has way higher moisture, so there is more water present resulting in less dry matter. This means that if you compare 1 oz of these cheeses side by side, the Parmigiano Reggiano actually has more fat (and protein) than the Delice de Bourgogne. Pretty interesting right?

Ok, enough sciencey stuff. I know you all want to know how this cheese tastes! You can imagine that because they add cream to this cheese that it is, in fact, creamy. On top of being creamy, the rind that is formed by Penicillium candidum adds a touch of bitterness that allows this cheese to have a bit more flavor than just straight butter and cream. When you taste this cheese, it literally melts on your tongue. I love to pair it with many different types of wine. I've had it with the go to Champagne (and this pairing is always a good one) but I've also paired this cheese up with some really fruity Pinot Noirs or jammy Zinfandels and it's like having a bite of berry cheesecake... heavenly!

Whether you're a fan of Fromage d'Affinois or Brillat Savarin, I'm sure that you will love this cheese and that it will be a welcome addition to your repertoire. Come by the cheese counter anytime and have a taste!

I also wanted to mention that we received 4 more wheels of Rush Creek today (see my post - Rush Creek Anyone?). This will probably be our last shipment of the year, so if you didn't get a wheel last week, now's your chance!

I hope you see you all soon, but until then, eat, drink and be happy!