Andante 'Pianforte' Creamy Cow's Milk Cheese

French cheese lovers would put St. Marcelin on top of any soft cheese. It’s a small disc-shaped soft cheese that became famous after being aged softly by the affineur in Lyon. It’s from a lactic curd which formed overnight by the action of lactic culture and a very small dose of rennet. It’s scooped in a small disc-shaped mold, salted, and aged to develop a melting texture in three to four weeks.  I was honored to serve this cheese to the great chef Paul Bocuse for his birthday dinners in NYC for many years at chef Thomas Keller’s request. It’s a simple cheese to make, so it’s more difficult than any other cheese to make well. 

Pianoforte is the original name of the piano. It’s the instrument that can play piano and forte freely, and the cheese speaks softly and innocently when it’s young and develops the sound of forte as it ages.