Cheese of the Week: Etorki Reserve

Etorki Reserve photo via French Cheese Corner's Instagram

The French Cheese Corner by Haute Fromagerie brings us cheese connoisseurs a magnificent list of some of the best cheeses France has to offer, crafted with the highest quality milk!

The great and wonderfully aged French Basque Country Pride, the Etorki Reserve, is a nutty, mildly creamy, sheep's milk cheese. One bite and you instantly become a part of the beautiful history of 4,000 years of cheesemaking in the Basque country.

Coming from the mountainous regions of the French Pyrenees, where local shepherds have made ewe's milk cheeses for four millennia, Etorki Reserve has followed this cheese making tradition. Aged for 3 to 6 months, pulp-pressed and uncooked, this rich in flavor cheese results in a velvety smooth inside that is simultaneously supple and firm. Artisan cheesemakers use six gallons of milk from small flocks of black and red faced Manech sheep for each precious wheel. After a two hour brine bath, each wheel is rubbed with salt and later in brine soaked cloths. The butterscotch colored rind is textured similar to honeycomb, a coarseness that develops from the molds during pressing. Personally, texture can make or break the experience of cheese for me, and this honeycomb texture sounds very intriguing!

Etorki Reserve photo via French Cheese Corner's Instagram

Etorki Reserve is oily with butterfat, yet firm and supple, with an earthy aroma, mild caramel afternotes, and creamy texture. I'm inspired to take my lasagna recipe up a notch by replacing the cheese with this rich Etorki Reserve! The nutty, earthy, creamy flavors would add layers of delicious complexity to such a simple recipe, ugh I cannot wait to dive into the kitchen with this cheese!

Through the French Cheese Corner's website I learned Etorki pairs beautifully with a sweet white wine. I can already see the cheeseboard I'm gonna make for my friends with this vibrant cheese, some cured hams, and delicious rich dark stone fruit jams! To be able to experience the tastes of different cultures around the world with friends is a blessing, head over to their website to learn more about the decadent cheeses they provide and taste the history of France for yourself!