Veteran cheesemonger Patrick Ambrosio on Fleur de Maquis
The island of Corsica is home to a small variety of rustic traditional cheeses, mostly from sheep’s milk. The most well known of these is the widely-available Fleur de Maquis.
The ‘maquis’ refers to the area of dense thickets of herbs and scrub that imparts its flavours to the cheese, and is further reinforced by the coating of Mediterranean herbs, juniper berries and the occasional local small red chilli pepper.
Firm with a bright, almost citrusy tang upon release for sale, an aged model will be yielding at the edges with a full flavour that will be flattered by a touch of floral honey.
About the author
Patrick Ambrosio is managing partner of the Village Cheese Merchant in Rockville Centre, NY. www.villagecheesemerchant.com
Taken from our sister magazine France Today
