Coulommiers (400g) (Cow) - Les Freres Marchand

Region: Ile-de-France, France
Milk: Raw cow’s milk
Type: Soft paste with bloomy rind
Weight: 400 g
Fat : 20 % MFFB : 70 %

Period of maturation: 28 days

Tasting advice
Coulommiers is best enjoyed at the end of the meal, with a slice of cereal bread.
Wine pairing
Its fine taste pairs well with a wide variety of wine, such as a Machôn, a Beaujolais, a Gamay or a chilled Chinon. Each of these wines will underline its nutty aroma in their own ways.

Appearance: Thin white bloomy rind with pale brown veins. Unctuous and creamy inside.
Texture: Soft.
Smell: Robust smell of Brie.
Taste: Pronounced terroir taste. Fruity and rustic at the same time.

History
Due to its size, Coulommiers cheese is called Brie’s « younger brother ». Indeed, Brie wheels would easily break during transportation, and some cheese makers decided on making smaller cheese while following the same production process.
The young wife of Louis XV, Marie Leczinska (1703-1768), whose cunning mind commanded a fine taste in food, used Coulommiers to cook her aristocratic Bouchées à la Reine. For many decades Coulommiers paste was also used to make pies.

Fabrication
Rennet is first added to the milk. Once formed, the curds are molded with a ladle, in the traditional way.
Robert then drains and salts the cheese, before turning it over at regular intervals, with utmost care.
Coulommiers is left to slowly mature for 4 weeks, in a temperature-controlled cellar.