September 15, 2004
Cabécou
Maxence and I have left the Vosges, and after a diagonal drive all across the Great Kingdom of France, we now find ourselves in the Périgord, the Land of Aplenty. We will spend a few days here, enjoying the breathtaking sights, walking around medieval villages, and eating as many Cabécous as we can lay our hands on.
Cabécou is this little jewel of a goat cheese, a thin little wheel of cheese perfection, ideally sized for a single serving (ha!). It can be enjoyed at its various stages of ripeness, from fresh and mild and mellow to aged and dry and sharp, but we tend to prefer them "bien faits", when they are starting to wrinkle and collapse, and the outer layer beneath the rind is getting to a thick, almost syrupy consistency. This is when the flavor develops fully, and this is when the piece of cheese can sit onto the piece of bread in all its majesty, arranging its soft edges like a robe around the firmness of its heart.
Cabécous are now protected by an AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, a certification of origin) which labels them Rocamadour instead (from the name of a nearby village), but Cabécou is the traditional name and it sounds infinitely better, so in our hearts, on our lips and in our tummies, Cabécous shall remain thus named.
Special announcement! My dear friend Marie-Laure has her birthday today : Joyeux Anniversaire Marie!
 Our Smelly Travelling Companions |
 Les Petites Horreurs de Cécile |
 Goat's Milk Faisselle with Chives |
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Those little cheeses are the best! Meg introduced me to them and I look at them longingly whenever an authentic French one shows up in our stores.
Are they pricey in Paris? They're outrageous here.
Perigord, eh? Visiting any foie gras farms? (I suppose I could've asked the same about your Alsace trip, but f.g. is more associated with the Southwest)
According to me, the best way to taste this cheese is to eat it with a fresh salad, a vinaigrette with a lot of mustard, and some caraway seeds... Just try it...
Régale-toi bien de Cabécous !
et bon anniversaire, Marie-Laure !
Single serving! Comme le Vacherin? Delicieux!
My little musician heart is happy - Rocamadour is one of the places we sang on the tour I mentioned in my other comment. I think it's also linked with Poulenc, one of my favourite composers... Anyway, back to the food. Goat's cheese is *good*.
Oh, I miss cabecou. I did research in Rocamadour from 1997-1999 and grew addicted to these cheeses (in all states of ripeness, from fresh and soft to really runny). Haven't been able to find them in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area yet.
Only once have I tasted this cheese.....i dream of it since.
My absolute favourite cheese of all time - I am so jealous, Clotilde!! We drove past Rocamadour this summer but I didn't even want to slow down because at the moment I can't eat soft unpasteurized cheeses...can hardly wait until January just so that all my dietary restrictions will be over. Lucky you!
Hi, Clotilde!!
I'm mania for chocolate, but I'm also mania for cheese.
I can't forget a distinctive smell of french cheese. As cheese industry is not well developped, it's not easy to taste french cheese like normal camembert.
From time to time, my french friends brought them for me. But due to awful smell, it was not agreeable for them.
At any rate, next time, I want to try cabecou.
We are spending a week centered in Perigord Noir at the end of June into early July. Other than the cheese (which we will certainly seek out), do you have other dining recommendations?