P'tit Basque

P'tit Basque is a cheese that was introduced in 1997, and was created by the French dairy giant Lactalis. P’tit Basque is made by using traditional methods that shepherds and farmers used over 100 years ago. The cheese is made from pure sheep's milk that farmers set aside when milking their ewes. It is then pasteurized and is aged for 70 days. It is covered in a thin light brown rind that has a basket weave pattern that was created in the curd pressing process, and then is covered in plastic wrap to prevent molding. It comes in relatively small wheels that weigh about 1.25 lb. It has a fat content of 45%. P'tit Basque is a medium-firm cheese with a pungent smell and a mild flavor for a sheep's milk cheese. In France’s Basque region restaurants regularly serve sheep’s milk cheese with black cherry preserves, an attractive comparison of salty and sweet with more diverse flavors of earthy, nutty, and fruity. It's great on many types of thinly cut breads and accompanied by Bayonne ham and a pinch of Espelette pepper, if you need some light eats for your aperitif platters, sandwiches, etc this cheese is perfect for the job. If you want to enjoy P’tit Basque with a nice red wine. Beaujolais, Merlot, and Viognier are the ones for the occasion.