Chèvrapéro
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In the foothills of the Alps, cheesemaker Cathy Berthet of France’s Chèvrerie des Daines has worked since 2001 to bring back the Chèvre de Savoie, a rare breed of goat. Unlike the uniform look of French Alpine goats, the rare Savoie goat has gorgeously varied color schemes, with splotches of white and beige or black and brown.
Chèvrapéro is a raw goat’s milk cheese, produced using milk from the Savoie goat that is then processed using slow acidification. Every evening, fresh milk is channeled into a refrigerated vat to which lactic bacteria are added, and left overnight to acidify. The next day, a bit of the morning’s fresh milk is mixed in, and the curd is further coagulated with rennet. After another 24 hours of ripening, the mixture is molded into small medallions.
Like other lactic-acid coagulated cheeses, these medallions have a bold and immediate goat’s milk flavor. The fresh cheese has a firm and crumbly texture that plays well on top of salad or crackers, perfect for apéro time served alongside a dry, fruity Crépy white wine from the Savoie.
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