Last week I went to a supermarket which was both familiar and unfamiliar to me. It was a different ShopRite grocery, or, the same store that is my local one, only located about 20 minutes away instead of 8-10 minutes away. It was a bit weird too--the store stocked many or most of the same products, but there were some differences. And the store itself was laid out in a different manner, so I didn't know where many aisles and sections were, despite it looking basically the same. To be overly dramatic, it was the grocery version of one of those stories where someone or something is possessed by aliens or demons--it appeared the same, only significant aspects were "off." Anyway, long story short, I got some new fodder for this type of blog post. Today it's Saint Andre cheese, from France.
Given Europe's long history of cheese making, I kind of expected that this cheese would be hundreds, or even over a thousand years old, made by monks or something. But this was incorrect--Saint Andre is only about 50 years old. It was first made by the Soulie cheese factory in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, in the Aveyron department of the Occitanie region of Southern France. I said a slightly vague age, since it was reportedly invented in the late 1960's or early 1970's. The cheese itself is made from cow's milk, and is only aged for about a month. It also grows a powdery skin or rind, which is edible. St. Andre is a "triple creme" cheese, as extra creams of both thick and sour, and whipped and sweet are added during the manufacturing process. This results in a cheese with a very large fat content of 75%. This fat content is so high that it can adversely affect the taste of some common cheese pairings, such as many white wines. So it's advised to eat Saint Andre with crusty baguettes, light beers, or champagne for the best results. Many folks who try it compare its flavor to brie. And like many other soft cheeses, Saint Andre has a brief shelf life--it should be completely consumed about two days after opening the package.
The Saint Andre cheese I bought was made by the Savencia Fromage & Dairy. This company owns many cheese brands, and operates out of several countries around the world, including the U.S. I had at least one of their other brands before--see my post about goat cheeses with weird things stuck in them on August 19, 2017 for more information. Savencia is a late (2015) name change, and the company began in Illoud (Eastern France) in 1956. The label for Saint Andre sometimes has "1974" printed on it, so that's evidently when they started making this cheese type. The Saint Andre brand is part of the French Cheese Corner by Haute Fromagerie section of Savencia. The cheese itself is made in Pace, in Normandy. Pace is tiny--only a population of 368 in 2016! Normandy seems to be a hotbed for Saint Andre production, as the town of Vire is also known for this particular cheese type.
Savencia Fromage & Dairy, Haute Fromagerie Saint Andre cheese: Had a pale yellowish-white color, and a slight pleasant odor. The rind was greyish white, and powdery in texture. Cheese itself was very soft--I could have probably eaten it with a plastic spoon if I'd wanted to. Flavor was mild, smooth, and creamy. Not much tartness. Reminded me very much of brie. So, all in all it was delicious. Not only was it easy to finish it, it would have been difficult not to finish it in one serving, at least to a gluttonous cheese fan such as myself. The rind was okay, too--kind of tangier and dryer. I give this one my strongest possible recommendation. Unless you really hate soft cheeses like brie, I can't imagine anyone not liking Saint Andre cheese. The only downside was its price, as it was $6.40 for a .32 pound amount, or $19.99 per pound. And with its fat content being so high, I'm guessing it's probably a bad idea to eat it like every day. But if you're like me you'll want to!
Oh, and if you're curious, the only Saint Andre I could locate online was St. Andre Bessette (1845-1937). He was canonized in 2010. He's also the first saint who was living in Canada after its 1867 Confederation.
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