I Smell a Smelly Smell That Smells Rather Smelly

Here it is, December in Chicago. Cold, rain, freezing rain, snow, wind and washed rind cheese. For those of you who weren't with me last winter let me catch you up. I LOVE washed rind cheeses.

The washed rind category is huge. It includes cheeses that have been rubbed, painted, or otherwise coated in either some type of alcohol or in a brine solution. Washing the cheese in addition to a certain strain of bacteria gives you an orange colored rind.

Yes, there are the obvious washed rind cheeses like Grayson, Taleggio, Langres, and Hooligan: All of them cheeses that you can smell even before seeing, but not all washed rind cheeses have that big beefy funk to them. Comte, Raclette and Pleasant Ridge Reserve are both good examples of washed rind cheeses that don't have a "hoof".

But today is about my new stinky friend. Pave Henri is a new to me cheese from Fayette Creamery which is the artisan cheese line of Brunkow Cheese in Wisconsin. It is a big and beefy with some slight smokey, nutty, goodness. A super creamy paste with a creamy, buttery, rich mouth feel. Perfect cheese for the upcoming cold winter. I haven't done it yet, but I was thinking about taking this cheese and melting it on the top of some roasted potatoes and onions-Raclette style. Yes, it would stink up the apartment, but just like with the Grayson I plan on doing it at my brother's house and letting his neighbors suffer instead.*


Oh washed rind season how I adore you!


*Hey bro, I'm only kidding about this. Pay no attention to what I'm saying here. It's just a...um...a...coincidence that I have a little brick of this cheese hiding in the crisper and I'm coming over this Sunday to cook for you guys. Total coincidence.