Cheesy Tidbits - Saint Agur Double-Crème Blue + Deep Fried Xangos

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Occasionally, I encounter note worthy morsels I want to blog about, but there's not enough to say about them to justify an entire entry.  In such cases, I usually write 1 to 3 paragraphs about my find and post the entry as a "Micro Blog".  However, I recently came across two such delights within one week, so I'm going to combine both tidbits into this single full length blog entry.
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Subject: Saint Agur Cheese | Date: 08/30/2007 | Photographer: Micah Anderson | This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Micah Anderson at the En-wiki project. This applies worldwide.

I was looking for Cambozola, a  combination of a French soft-ripened Camembert and Italian Gorgonzola, at Tanasbourne's Whole Foods Market.  They didn't have it, but their cheese monger gave me a sample of Saint Agur Double-Crème Blue Cheese instead.

Saint Agur is a blue cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk.  Since 1988 Saint Agur has been crafted in the village of Beauzac of the Monts du Valley, which lies within the mountainous Auvergne region of central France. Containing 60% butterfat, the French blue qualifies as a double-crème cheese.

Saint Agur has the appetizingly pungent aroma of hearty blue mold.  As for the flavor, it's definitely saltier than Cambozola.  Yet, while I found it to be sharper than its Camembert bearing counterpart, a fellow eater thought it was milder the aforementioned cheese.  In any event, Saint Agur unarguably delivers the pleasing taste of blue cheese, but unlike typical blues the texture is smooth and creamy, rather than crumbly.

This easily spreadable variation of blue cheese would be great as part of a cheese plate, or on crackers alongside a garden salad and crisp white wine. At $7.50 for a quarter of a pound, I give Saint Agur Double-Crème Blue Cheese 9.5 out of 10 stars.

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Subject: Xangos | Source: Lupe's Escape'sLupes Escape's Desserts & Beverages Menu Page |

Stress can often increase one's appetite.  I'd just finished activating my new debit card, after having fraudulent charges appear on my old card, and I was HUNGRY.  Upon finishing an order of Chili Rellenos and refried beans, I wasn't quite full.  It was then that I discovered a dessert I hadn't heard of before.

A Xango is cheesecake wrapped in a tortilla, then deep fried until crispy, drizzled with the diner's choice of sauces (I had the chocolate sauce), alongside dollops of whipped cream. It's crunchy, sweet, slightly salty from the fry batter, and mildly tart from the rich cheesecake. Best of all, they were only $5.00 at Lupes Escape in Aloha, Oregon.

Even though I'm not big on desserts, I have to give Xangos 9 out of 10 stars for sheer yumminess and balance of flavor.

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