St. Nuage - Like floating on a cloud...

Happy New Year to you all!

I hope that you all had a wondrous holiday season filled with lots of family, friends and food! My holiday season was great - I just can't believe it's over already...

Even though we are well into the month of January and are past most of the New Years parties and shindigs, I still had some sparkling wines leftover in my fridge. I didn't want these to go to waste (both my best friend and my girlfriend do not care for sparkling wine - crazy right?!), so I decided to pick up a tasty cheese to have with my leftover sparklers.

I was super excited when we brought in the St Nuage this season from Hervé Mons. It just recently made it to the stores, is on promo for the month of January and was a no brainer to pair with my sparkling wines...

 

Cheese: St. Nuage (or "Saint Cloud")
Affineur: Hervé Mons
Location: Produced by a cheesemaker in Burgundy, France
Milk: Pasteurized cow's milk
Rennet: Traditional (animal)

The St. Nuage is a triple crème, bloomy rind cheese that really embodies the meaning of its name - Saint Cloud. It is light, fluffy and airy yet still extremely buttery and decadent. It has an unbelievably smooth paste that basically oozes out when brought to room temperature.

When I took this picture, the cheese was still cold. By the time I got around to eating it, it was a divinely gooey treat. I spread it on some Raincoast Crisp crackers, but a baguette would have worked just as well. I was drinking a sparkling Vouvray at the time and the crisp acidity of the wine cut through the creamy, buttery flavor just right.

The St. Nuage is an extremely versatile cheese as well. You can pair it with either sweet or savory flavors. A toasted baguette with butter and roasted garlic would be heavenly if you slathered some of the St. Nuage on top. Or you can pair with pretty much any preserve of your choosing... Cherry and blackberry preserves are some of my favorites. I could also see this cheese being used in crepes or even in sandwiches. The choices are endless!

This is not a cheese we carry year round, so be sure to grab one (or two!) before they're gone. Until next time, eat, drink and be happy!!