St. Marcellin

Great things come in small packages. Proof positive: the three-ounce rounds of cheese called St. Marcellin.

Hailing from northern Provence (Dauphiné), they are among the world’s most creamy-dreamy varieties.

They’re fragile little things, with a slight acidity that perfectly balances out the lushness of the cream.

Intense and assertively nutty, St. Marcellin often comes packed in a cute terra cotta bowl, though it is occasionally sold with a chestnut-leaf wrapping.

Over in Banon, a market town a few kilometers to the south, they make a similar cheese. The main difference is that St. Marcellin is a cow’s milk cheese, while Banon is often (though not always) made from goat’s milk. (The general variety started off as a goat cheese; St. Marcellin was an innovation.)

The cheese actually improves if you allow it to ripen a bit after bringing it home. A week or two will impart a woodsy flavor to it that gives a wonderful complexity and balance to the overall taste sensation.

PAIRINGS: St. Marcellin is perfect as dessert, paired with tart apples, or really sweet summer melons. Wine couplings are many, including a robust Chateauneuf du Pape. If you prefer whites, try it with a Gewurztraminer. For beer, Trappist and Abbey ales complement--Chimay red label or Leffe Blonde might work.

Click here to buy some.