Bouchon de chèvre

This cheese made with raw goat’s milk was created by a cheesemaker located along the border of Sancerre; it used to be called « Bouchon de Sancerre ». However, the name was changed to avoid any confusion with Sancerre wine. Today, it is also manufactured outside the Centre region in Burgundy and Midi-Pyrénées. The maturation period lasts for at least seven days.
Like most goat’s cheeses, bouchon is better in the spring and summertime, when the quality and quantity of milk is improved. It can be enjoyed as part of a cheese plate or thinly sliced for an hors d’oeuvre. It can also be combined with other ingredients in the kitchen. For example, a bouchon can be rolled in a thin slice of bacon or coated with chopped hazelnuts, pine nuts or sesame seeds before being pan-seared and served hot with a green salad.

As the name implies, this cheese is the same shape and size as a wine cork. Its rind is very thin, downy and slightly bumpy. Its ivory color can sometimes be mottled with blue. Its paste is dense and smooth with a soft edge next to the rind.

Salty, tangy flavors with subtle notes of fruit, curdled milk, and a typical goaty taste that is very mild at first and becomes stronger as the cheese matures. When a bouchon dries, its flavors become very typical, peppery and longer-lasting.