P'tit Basque

Product PlacementSpokane

We quite enjoy Main Market's cheese section: The inventory is updated fairly regularly; the mix between local and global is well balanced; and, most importantly, there's little room for crap there.

P'tit Basque, manufactured by the French dairy Lactalis, is a good, cheap cheese made with sheep's milk. It has its origins in the French Pyrenees, and if you're one for sheep milk cheese -- like Manchego -- you'll enjoy this, without really being challenged by it. It's a semi-firm cheese, relatively mild in flavor, though not flavorless by any means. Think subtle hints of nuttiness, with an ever so light, fruity, caramel-y sweetness to it.

The latter actually makes this well paired with Dulce de Pera Casero, manufactured by Mitica. This is a pear paste, also available in the cheese section, from the Valencia region of Spain. It's not overly sweet, which really makes the logic here pretty simple: A not too sweet cheese + a not too sweet paste = a perfectly balanced mini cheese plate.

Make tonight a P'tit Basque night!