World Cheese Encyclopedia - Each Sunday learn all about a new cheese. 

This week Pavé d’Affinois from France. 

Country: France 🇫🇷

Region: Isère, Loire, Ain

Made from: Cow’s milk

Pasteurised: Yes

Texture: Soft, runny

Taste: Creamy, milky, mild, hint of mushroom

Certification: No

Ageing: 2 weeks

Pavé d'Affinois, also known as Fromager d'Affinois is a French double cream, soft-ripened cheese. It looks quite a lot like a Brie but is much creamier. It is the result of an innovation called « ultra filtration ». This unique technology used by the producer of Pave d’Affinois – the Fromagerie Guilloteau Company - breaks down the fat molecules in the milk to mix them through the paste. It involves removing the excess water contained in the pasteurized milk. This concentrates the protein and other nutrients and speeds up all the aspects of the cheese-making process. 

In traditional cheesemaking, the curds must be drained to rid them of excess whey. Some protein, milk sugar and calcium drain off in that whey but with ultrafiltration, as much of the water has already been removed, there is no draining needed. More protein and calcium remain in the cheese, yielding a product with higher nutrient content and a very silky, rich and creamy texture in just 2 weeks.

It has a relatively high-fat content of 60% which qualifies it as a double-cream cheese. The rind is very fine, white and bloomy. The paste is an ivory color with a creamy texture that is often runny and oozy at room temperature. The flavor is sweet, milky, and mild with a hint of mushroom or grass. 

History

Pavé d’Affinois is a very young cheese, first created only in 1981. It was originally made at Crémieux in the Isère department of France. In 1983 the Fromagerie Guilloteau at Pélussin in the Loire was created to produce what was then called Pavé Dauphinois. The name was subsequently changed to Pavé d’Affinois. The cheese is now sold all over the world as both Pavé d’Affinois and Fromager d’Affinois and comes in a number of flavors and versions including a low-fat version and a blue mould cheese.

How to enjoy it

The very mild, rich creamy flavor of Pavé d’Affinois can be accentuated very well by serving it with champagne and fresh fruit. You can also try serving it with some fig chutney and fresh crusty bread or some thin crispy crackers. 

Sources: Wikipedia, Cheese.com, pavedaffinois.com, SF Gate, Murray’s cheese, Frerejean Frères Champagne

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