Cheesy Groovy Fabulous

My great friend Kristen came to visit this weekend and, through her, I realize that I have already learned so much in these first five weeks at MonS.  I took her on a mini tour of La Maison upon her arrival Friday afternoon and started explaining the purposes of the different caves and rooms and the processes cheeses experience.

To start with the basics, there are currently seven categories of cheeses:

• Fresh cheeses (eaten very quickly after fabrication, no rind)
• Natural rind (what you probably think of when you hear "goat cheese")
• Bloomy rind/soft white cheeses (think Brie and Camembert)
• Washed rind cheeses (my Langres, Epoisses and Maroilles)
• Pâte pressée non cuite/semihard cheeses (tommes often with a dark, earthy rind)
• Pâte pressée cuite/hard cheeses (those giant Swiss wheels like Gruyère)
• Blue cheeses (I recently discovered the sweet glory of Persillé du Beaujolais) 

But more than this, I've started understanding why the different techniques in affinage produce their results and the biochemical processes involved in cheese.  For instance, the geotrichum on the outside of a delicate, floral Lingot de St. Nicholas breaks down the proteins under the thin skin of the cheese, which causes its body to turn creamy from the outside in.  The next time you slice through a St. André, a Délice or a good Brie, look at the cross section.  You should notice cream under the skin and a "heart" at the center with a consistency that's more solid, crumbly and spongy.  The cheese nerd in me is thoroughly satisfied.