Let's Get Back to Our Sheep

"Revenons à nos moutons," is quite possibly my favorite idiomatic expression in the French language. It's silly, fun to say, makes me think of Le Petit Prince, and surprisingly, is common-enough a phrase that one might even hear it while walking down the street. In fact, I did hear it while I was walking down the street about a week ago. Catching snippets of conversation is always entertaining in any language, but when the gem of a phrase you catch is one as great as this, well, it was all I could do not to burst out laughing. So this fabulous phrase is used to say, "getting back to the subject at hand" but the imagery involved is really delightful.

So, let us now get back to our sheep at hand: it's been a while since I wrote about cheese.

Comté, aged 24 months

I think I've written about comté before, but this just stands to show how much I love this cheese. For me, it's like a good cheddar - better the longer it's aged. The mild (whimpy) 4-6 month comté is light, simple and a bit sweet. Around 12 months the cheese is drier and a bit sharper, with a bit of a crisp edge to the flavor. At the (best) 24th month, the comté is dry, with a strong, sweet flavor. And comté with a granny smith apple is just about the best combination.

My second hyacinth has blossomed and is a beautiful, bright, rich pink! The two add some great spring colors to my room and will hopefully combat the less sunny week predicted to come. And I love how when I come into my room at the end of the day I can smell the strong, sweet fragrance immediately!