Ossau-Iraty

Since seeing the name of this cheese at the cheese counter I have always been intrigued by its name, so was greatly looking forward to trying it.

Ossau-Iraty is a sheep's milk cheese from south west France in the Pyrénées. It is in fact the first sheep's milk cheese on this challenge, and I think its the first sheep's milk cheese I have knowingly had. And very nice it is too. Last night I was ready to have this cheese as is on some bread with a few pickles. But after tasting it - a soft and delicate flavour, with a wonderful salty after-taste - I just had to give it a go in my tomato tartelettes (above). All it is is a disc of puff pastry, washed with beaten egg, a slice (thin) of tomato with some fresh thyme and then sprinkled with grated cheese; and then baked for about 20 mins. And enjoy ... great served as a canapé with a chilled glass of dry white. These are/were good, but I do think the flavour of the cheese is a bit too delicate for this recipe. I much prefer using a stronger cheese, such as Beaufort or Cantal Entre-Deux.

The double-barrelled name derives from the area that the cheese comes from: namely the Ossau Valley in Béarn and the Iraty Valley in the Northern Basque Country.