SKU: 5092
  • Pecorinu Sheep's Milk Cheese
$89.99

Description

Temporarily out of stock

approx 3 pounds (size varies) - Corsica

Shipping included in the price.


Current Silver Award winner at the Salon D'Agriculture in Paris.

Price is adjusted depending on size. Wheels can vary by 3/4 pound.

Tomme Traditionellem (or Pecorinu) Pasteurized Sheep's Milk cheese.

Fresh from a visit to his native Corsica, Olivier returned to the US with his favorite cheeses to share with a small but appreciative crowd of fervents de brebis. Devotees of sheep's milk cheese know what waits in each bite of the stuff, and forsake all other types of cheese for it. For the uninitiated, sheep's milk cheese is considered superior for its smooth, buttery taste and a firm but yielding texture.

This Tomme Traditionelle, a semi-hard, aged cheese, is an award-winning pick. It recently earned a gold medal at Paris's prestigious Salon D'agriculture, a yearly exhibition of the world's best farm and dairy products.

Pecorinu tells a story of the Corsican countryside, flavor by flavor. Taste the sweet grass that flavors the ewe's milk, savor the caramel notes it picks up during the cave-aging process, and inhale the aroma of the oak, eucalyptus and chestnut trees that help develop the rind's mold.

Yes, this is a cheese that bears some similarity to pecorino, the hard Italian cheese; it could easily be grated over pasta or onto hot grilled bread.

But where the aforementioned cheese can be rock-hard and eye-squintingly salty, pecorinu is mild and soft enough to melt on your tongue. We recommend tasting it simply sliced and accompanied by a dry white wine.

You might also enjoy it with a dollop of sweet jam, as we did on a breezy day when slanted late-summer light filled up the ChefShop.com warehouse. We slathered pieces of cheese with a rich fig and walnut jam(included with the cheese) from Corsica, mulling over the distinctly autumnal combination of cheese, nuts and fruit.

As we discussed the inevitable demise of summer and the looming upcoming election, it was obvious that some comfort was needed. Thank goodness we had gifts of artisanal, handcrafted goodies within our reach. The enticements of a Mediterranean world, languorous and rich, prolonged our enjoyment of the good life.

Shipped in its own box, separate from the rest of your order. Size varies, but is typically over 2.2 pounds.