As if to remind me that I'll never taste every cheese France has to offer, along comes another I had never heard of.
Saulnois is the pride of a small creamery in the region of Lorraine, in northeast France, an area that stakes its gastronomic fame largely on quiche lorraine and plum brandy. The Mirabelle plum, a small golden fruit about the size of a large cherry tomato, can be eaten fresh or made into jam, but brandy is its highest and best use.
Wheels of Saulnois are washed with this brandy, although it appears that they don't get too many baths because the rind isn't particularly damp, nor does it show the reddish bacterial bloom typical of washed-rind cheeses.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: San Francisco Chronicle
