Green ones, black ones, stuffed ones, tapenades made with them, oils made with them -- olive products are truly in abundance in the South of France. I think one can find especially delicate and flavorful olives here, much more so than on American shores. So I thought what better marriage Monday than one featuring the black Nicoise olives known in this part of the world.
When you think of Nicoise olives, you think of small, wrinkly black olives that are full of flavors, an herbaceous salty side that is just so perfect for the warm sunny summer afternoons on the Cote d'Azur. What could be better than an early evening aperitif with a bowl of fresh delectable olives? Not much if you ask me! Why not pair a cheese with those olives? That's what today's marriage Mondays is all about!!
All three of these cheeses are found at the Marche Provencal in Antibes.
Contestant Number One- Gorgonzola - Blue cheese stuffed olives tends to be a pairing you see often -- the piquant, salty side of the cheese finds its match in our olive friends. But is this today's match made in heaven?
Contestant Number Two - Petit Basque - Mentioned in one of last week's blog posts, this a buttery, rich, caramelly sheep's milk cheese from the Basque region of France. Being that it is a semi firm cheese, it could be perfect when thin cheese ribbons are wrapped around our olives in bite size amuse bouches. Found in its best form at the marche provencal in Antibes -fresh, fantastic, firm, barnyardy and delish!
Contestant Number Three - chevre avec des herbes - A fresh goat cheese with the classic creamy lactic tang, soft and luscious on the tongue, this herb rubbed cheese would bring out the herbaceous notes of the olives, maybe even could be used to stuff them, who knows...
Check back tomorrow for the winners and more updates of the delectable cheeses we sample here in the South of France.
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