Saint Albray

The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills | Domenico's Foods Verified independent store

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Saint Albray is a pasteurized cow's milk washed-rind cheese from Aquitaine, in the southwest of France. It's shaped into a distinctive flower-petal wheel with a hollow center, desi gned so the rind has more surface area and the paste ripens evenly from the outside in. The paste is soft and supple, pale ivory, with a buttery creamy texture that loosens as it comes to room temperature. The orange-pink rind is bloomy with a light wash, and it brings a gentle mushroomy, faintly salty note that sits underneath the cream rather than pushing through it. On the palate it leads with warm butter and fresh cream, picks up a quiet earthy pull from the rind, and finishes short and clean. This is a washed rind for people who think washed rinds are too much. It has the look and the rind character of a stronger cheese but the flavor sits in mild, creamy territory, closer to a brie than to a Munster or a Pont-l'Évêque. A good gateway into the category, and an easy soft cheese to keep on hand. Show more