French Saint Marcellin Cheese

Saint Marcellin is a magnificent cow's milk cheese produced in the Dauphine region of France which is located above Provence. There are two versions that are produced, pasteurized and unpasteurized. The finished cheeses are small round 3oz disks. Both versions are excellent but when given a choice purchase the unpasteurized one.

Details: Saint Marcellin may come wrapped in chestnut leaves that have been dipped in white wine and tied with ribbon or raffia. The leaves are used to help ripen the cheese and they impart a fruity flavor to it. Most of the Saint Marcellin you will find in the US come without the chestnut leaf wrapping. It often comes in a ceramic or earthen crock type dish covered in plastic wrap with a label. When the cheese is young it will be crumbly and if it is wrapped the chestnut leaves will still be green. Many people enjoy it at this stage but an aged cheese will produce a much more pleasurable experience. As Saint Marcellin ages its  leaf wrapping will turn darker and become somewhat wet as the whey begins to weep out of the cheese. During this process it begins to soften and liquify but does not get runny.

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Flavor: Saint Marcellin is imported to the US as fresh or aged. If eaten at its fresh stage the flavor will be tart and somewhat sour and the paste will be somewhat crumbly. As the cheese ages and the leaves lose their green color it makes an exceptional transformation.

Saint Marcellin at this stage will have developed a creamy texture and a wonderful  fruity and nutty walnut flavor. It may also have acquired a few spots of blue mold, this not a bad thing, it is a sign of a mature cheese that is ready to be enjoyed..

As wonderful as the wrapped cheeses are the unwrapped variety is truly spectacular.  They have a very slight crusty cover which may have some blue mold on it.  As noted above this is not a sign of a cheese gone bad. Some Saint Marcellin will be labeled "cremier" these are produced  by small local dairies in small batches and may be hard to find in the US. Most of the Saint Marcellin found in the US is labeled "affine" indicating that it is aged or ripened.  Always try to find these versions, you will be amazed by their silky texture and strong walnut flavor, they are cheeses to be truly savored.

Serving and Storing: Saint Marcellin is wonderful as an appetizer with French olives and ham. It also preforms well with most salad courses and  as a dessert cheese with fresh sweet fruits. 

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When purchasing Saint Marcellin in the small crock press down on the plastic wrap to see if the cheese is soft or hard and buy accordingly. Always remove the plastic wrap as soon as you get it home. If you purchased a young cheese and want to let it age you can keep it in the crock but wrap it loosely in waxed paper or tin foil and store it the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.  If it is aged follow the same procedure if you do not plan to eat it right away. Saint Marcellin is usually quite easy to find in most good cheese shops and at Wegmans or Whole Foods.

Wine Paring: Sweet dessert wines or any Rhone reds

Spanish Mahon Cheese

In Spain Mahon is second in popularity next to Manchego, Spain's most famous Cheese. Mahon has been given Denomination of Origin ( D.O.) and is produced exclusively on the small island of Menorca off the coast of Spain in the Balearic Sea.  

Details: Mahon is produced in two versions, pasteurized which is factory made and unpasteurized which is farm made and considered to be artisanal. The fresh curd is chopped, then pressed to remove the whey and placed on square sheets of cloth. Each cloth is then gathered up by the corners and tied up in the center. This process forms a distinctive shaped square cheese with rounded edges. The newly formed cheeses are then ready to begin the aging process which can last up to two years. Mahon can be found in various stages of aging. Fresco is aged about two to three weeks, semi Curado is aged for two to three months, Viejo is aged for six months and Anejo is aged from eighteen months to two years. The aging process produces an inedible hard smooth light golden rind which darkens as it ages.  The inner paste is light amber when young and progresses to dark gold at the Viejo and Anejo stages. Older versions with also have many small holes throughout the paste.

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Flavor, Serving and Storing: The overall flavor of Mahon is determined by its age. The fresco version has a mild nutty flavor and  is very aromatic. As its age progresses its flavor will become bolder and more complex and gives off a sharp, salty, buttery flavor with a hint of nuts. Mahon has a pleasant fruity aroma at all ages. A young Mahon should be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator's vegetable bin, aged Mahon can be wrapped in tin foil and kept refrigerated where it should last at least two weeks. Mahon can be served thinly sliced, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with tarragon and black pepper. It can also be served sliced with thinly sliced smoked ham in a sandwich or as an appetizer with fresh sweet fruit.

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Purchasing: When buying Mahon try to find ones that are aged at least two months. If you can find a Viejo or Anejo version do not hesitate to purchase it because they are quite uncommon and you will be in for tasty surprise. Do not purchase Mahon if it is overly soft, discolored, looks dried with a cracked rind, or has mold on the inner paste. You can buy Mahon in most good local cheese shops, Whole Foods, Wegmans or online at Amazon.

Wine Paring: Mahon pairs well with all red Spanish wines and surprisingly well with beer.

Swiss Emmental Cheese

SwissEmmental is an unpasteurized partially skimmed cow's milk cheese that produced in both France and Switzerland. Both of these cheeses are world renowned for their excellent flavor and the iconic holes in their paste. The holes are created by bacteria that give off carbon dioxide gas which expands during the aging process forming pockets within the paste.

Details: Swiss Emmental is made in the Emme River valley in the Canton of Bern and is known as an alpine style cheese.  Animal rennet is used to form the curds which are heated to create the desired texture. After draining, the curds are manually pressed to remove any remaining water and whey. They are then placed in molds and aged for at least six months. The cheeses that are produced are massive with weights ranging between 175lbs to 220lbs and are about 9 inches thick. The rind will be flat and smooth and  have a beige or slight yellow color and the red Swizerland trademark stamped on its top.Swiss Emmental has a low salt content and no salt is added to the curds during production. Any saltiness that may be noticed is produced by the brine bath which helps to form the rind. The interior paste will be a pale yellow and have random and various sized holes throughout. The flavor of Swiss Emmental expands on the palate and will reveal a nice nutty flavor and mild bite on the finish.

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Details: French Emmental is produced in the Jura mountains and is also considered an alpine style cheese. It is made  with partially skimmed raw cow's milk. The methods of production for French and Swiss Emmental are identical the main difference is that French Emmental has varying ages and has a more complex flavor The young age is mild and is best for fondue, mid-aged has more complex flavor and the extra aged version has a full bodied nutty flavor and works well melted over gratins or potatoes and is an excellent table cheese.  Authentic French Emmental will be stamped with "Emmental Francais Grand Cru on its rind but it is much less common in the United States than its Swiss sister.


Overall Emmental is a great cheese when thinly sliced and used on sandwiches or shaved over salads. It also goes well with most fruits, meats and crusty breads. It is often the major cheese used in fondue.

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When shopping for Emmental do not purchase any that are significantly weeping its butterfat or that has any mold on the rind or the interior paste. Emmental dries out fast when sliced thin so try to avoid any that has been pre-sliced and left to sit out. It is best to keep it in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Try to find  authentic Emmental and stay away from the banal pasteurized domestic versions like and other pasteurized imposters. Keep in mind that authentic Emmental is not sold by brand names.

Wine Paring: Light fruity reds like Beaujolais and Rhone reds or spicy whites like any Alsace and dry Vouray for French Emmental.

Swiss Emmental pairs well with light fruity reds like French Bandolor big reds like Saint-Joseph and light fruity whites like Swiss Fendant or Muscadet.