Crottin: first attempt

10.20.09 | 5 Comments

Crottin, especially “Crottin de Chavignol” is one of my favorite goat cheeses. It is small (about 2 inches wide and 1.5 inches high), it can be eaten at various stages of maturity – either mild and soft or strong and dry.

It normally looks like this: (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)
Crottin_de_Chavignol

The rind is slightly moldy, the shape is fairly even and the center is fairly solid and smooth. It actually can get quite chalky and crumbly as it ages. A beauty.

I found a recipe in my favorite cheese recipe book right now, “200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes” by Debra Amrein-Boyes. I also got 4 crottin molds from The Beverage People a couple of weeks ago when we visited our friends up in Santa Rosa.

Yesterday, the crottins reached their 10th day of maturity, which is technically when you can start eating them. The result looked pretty good!
crottin-entier
Except, it looks not as high as the one above and a little softer/wrinklier than intended.

Uhhh maybe a lot softer?
crottin-piece
I mean look at this gooeyness!

This looks way more like a mini goat camembert than a crottin.
crottin-moitie
It also tasted like a mini goat camembert! Super creamy, with a strong tasting rind and deliciously balanced with a glass of Côtes du Rhône.

I’m not sure what I did wrong in the process, but I am embracing the mistake.

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