Oh, what a fine, fine cheese! Le Bethmale de Chevre is a raw goat’s milk cheese with a washed rind which hails from the Pyrenees. It has a very smooth and creamy texture, but not runny–it is a semi-firm cheese. I knew this was going to be a wonderful cheese.
I was not disappointed. I pulled it out of the fridge tonight and took a quick sample–delightful! I knew once it came up to room temperature it would not disappoint and it absolutely delivered. Bethmale has a very mild, subtle taste, with a very light touch of the citrus overtones you often get with a good goat cheese. It feels great in your mouth, practically melting with flavorful goodness. I think anyone would really enjoy this cheese, the tastes are so mild and subtle that I think even someone who “didn’t like goat cheese” might like this one. It is not an “in your face” goat cheese, it’s a great snacker and I think it would be great on a cheese plate, paired with strong, peppery California Zinfandel.
Archives for June 2006
Le Bethmale de Chevre
Pata de Mulo
“Pata de Mulo” is a raw (unpasteurized) ewe’s milk cheses, which gets its name from the sort of elliptical shape. Made from the milk of Churra and Castellana sheep, it’s a young cheese, aged three to four months. It’s slightly creamy–but solid, with a nice level of fat that gives it a really pleasant mouth feel, with a slightly curdy texture.
I think this is a wonderful “introductory” cheese if you are interested in trying a sheep cheese, but worried about some of the acidity or “sheep” that can accompany some of the other sheep’s milk offerings. There is a very, very slight hint of acidity and the gamey aftertaste, but on the whole, this is a very mild snacky cheese unlikely to offend any palate. Give it a try!
Five Blades Are Better…
…or maybe it’s the vibrating.
Taking an engineering tip from The Onion Gillette actually did bring out a five-blade razor: Fusion. And like a sucker (a sucker who hates shaving) I recently bought one.
First, let me tell you about my man hairs. I have a five o’clock shadow by 8:30 in the morning. There’s a scene in the Simpsons where Homer shaves down to a “baby face” smooth, and _while he is looking in the mirror_ his five o’clock shadow returns. That’s me. I guess I just can’t help my god-given virility. Or I’m closer to ape than most on the evolutionary scale. You be the judge.
I was a little skeptical about the whole five-blade thing. I was even more skeptical about the vibration. Yeah, that’s right–this razor has a battery and _vibrates_. Now, if you’re like me, the idea of placing five sharp _vibrating_ blades on your _face_ isn’t the most sensible thing you’ve heard. Oh, but vanity, thy name is Dave! Debating the purchase of this new razor, I asked my wife what she thought. The conversation went something like this:
“What do you think of this? Five blades… and it _vibrates_.”
“I think it looks interesting. I’ll bet it does a good job.”
“But you always fall for marketing ploys. Besides, what do you know about shaving?”
“I shave far more sensitive places than you do.”
“Good point.”
So I bought it. And this week, I tried it. I have to admit, five blades are pretty good. And the vibrating thing works pretty well, too. It is a little weird at first, but I’ve found that overall, the razor does, in fact, shave closer than my old, three-blade dull hatchet. And it seems to irritate my skin far less, too. But Gillette is really missing out. The glory of this new razor is, in fact, the _sixth_ blade.
You heard me. This razor actually sports a sixth blade, they call it the “precision trimmer blade” and it’s mounted along the top edge, facing the opposite direction of the other five main blades. This little ingenious feature allows you to get a close shave on your upper lip without doing nose yoga. Finally, no more pulling and tugging on my nose and lips only to cut myself a million times trying to shave those pesky whiskers just under my nostrils! Amazing. That feature alone is worth the price of the whole razor.
So there you have it… it’s not just marketing hype. Five blades do, in fact, rock. Key the music and the chorus girls.
Ford’s “Cruel Joke”
I caught this little tid-bit the other day: Is Ford’s parting gift to ex-workers ‘cruel joke’?. It seems Ford fired this guy 9 months before his 30th Anniversary with the company–which would have allowed him to retire with full benefits. Instead, he gets a reduced pension and he has to wait 10 years to start drawing on it. Then, to add insult to injury, last week, Ford sent him a congratulatory certificate “recognizing his 30 years of service to Ford”!
He’s already involved in a law suit over his termination. Now, this is how law school changes you… my first thought was, “Can he add an IIED claim?”
(That’s Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress to the non-law-talking-people who read the blog…)
Brunkow Cheese Spreads
My wife and I went to the farmer’s market here this weekend and what did I happen to spot? Brunkow Cheese had a stand!! I’d read about their cheese spreads over at Conglomerate so I had to sample some. I was not disappointed.
I ended up taking home three spreads: jalapeƱo cheddar, bacon cheddar, and horseradish cheddar. My wife loves the bacon cheddar, which interestingly is the only one made with pasteurized milk (because of the bacon). All of them are all natural, with no preservatives and are very tasty. My personal fav is the horseradish cheddar, because I *love* horseradish. These are wonderful, full flavored spread, so if you’re in the Midwest and happen across Brunkow at a market, buy some!
Oh, and I did get a bag of cheese curds while I was there as well… squeaky fresh good cheese!