the cheese blog

Cabecou Feuille Eau de Vie

This was the second cheese I picked up while visiting Murray’s in Grand Central Terminal’s Market in New York. Cabécou Feuille (a dialect word from Languedoc that means “little goat”) is a small button (30 grams) of goat’s milk cheese from Périgord in France.

This little morsel is wrapped in chestnut leaves and pinned with a toothpick. This particular version had been macerated in Eau de vie and coated with roughly cracked black peppercorn. The color of the chestnut leaves is an indicator of the age of the cheese and the current flavor and texture. The leaves in this case were no longer bright green, but not yet fully brown. This indicates that the cheese was likely to be at a stage where it was creamy and not dry. That’s pretty much how the Cabécou was.

The Cabécou was slightly off-white, with no rind since it had been protected by the leaves. The texture was not overly creamy. The taste was all over the place. The goatiness had mellowed so there was a slightly pleasant tang. The brandy gave it a hint of sweetness and the peppercorns gave it a slight spice, but those apparently had also been coated in brandy, so they were not sharp and their texture was soft with just a bit of snap.

Overall, this Cabécou was a truly interesting cheese. I would definitely recommend trying it if you have the opportunity. It’s a great combination of “packaging” and flavor.