Wednesday November 7, 2012

Cheese #1: Truffo
Country: France
Type: Soft rind cow

Cheese #2: Pont Leveque
Country: France
Type: Soft rind cow, washed rind

Double cheese, so intense!

We have a guest from France (our marketing manager at work, Benoit) so in honour of our visitor I'm having two cheeses from France. First, Truffo, a delightful soft rind cheese that is exceptionally creamy and sweet. It's like a really soft cream cheese and doesn't have that ammonia flavour I associate with a brie. Best of all it has a line of black truffles nestled right in the middle adding their earthy awesomeness to the flavour. For fun I melted some over the cabbage I had in the rest of my lunch, and it melted nicely and tasted fantastic. I highly recommend this one, it's delightful.

Up next is Pont Leveque, another soft rind cow cheese. This one seems to be slightly fermented (washed rind), and it has a punchy stink to it. Flavour wise it's surprisingly strong, almost yeasty and sour. I like it, but I'd only eat it in smaller amounts and with something to break the flavour up. In my case some trail mix (almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and raisins). Paired with the fruit and nuts it was nice, but I'd say not for the feint of heart.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Cheese: Etorki
Country: France
Type: Sheep Semi-Hard

I had appointments at lunch yesterday so I had to do my weekly pilgrimage today.

Etorki is a mild semi soft creamy cheese, I find it has a nice neutral palette half way between a gouda and a mozzarella in flavour, and melts in your mouth like a nice brie. What makes this cheese fun is the rind, which has a slight stickiness to it and a bit of a pungent punch. A little leathery in flavour, but not so overpowering that it drowns out the mild taste of the cheese itself. Etorki is an awesome eating cheese, and I wager it would melt nicely and hold up to a wee bit of baking.

Wednesday October 24, 2012

Cheese: Avonlea Cheddar
Type: Cow, Raw
Country: Canada

With a mild fruity aroma and a nice sharpness this is a lovely eating cheese. It isn't a super old cheddar, but it has been aged just long enough to get those delicious crunchy crystals in the body of the cheese. Today I paired it with some sweet pickled chipolini onions and a big hunk of pate. If you want a cheese that isn't to funky and low risk (and raw milk, a rarity in Canada) this is a good bet.

Wednesday October 17, 2012

Cheese: Dragons' Breath
Country: Canada
Type: Live Unviened Blue

So I'm back from vacation and it's time for CHEESE!

This week they have a new cheese that I have never seen before, or heard of, it's a blue cheese that has not been ripened or veined, but is still active (live). Basically they coat the cheese in the bacterial culture that causes the moulding, and you open it up and the air activates it. Over a week or so it gets progressively more 'blue' as it ripens before your eyes! Unfortunately for the bacteria I'm not that patient, so I ate the whole thing in one sitting. It's a delicious cheese, creamy and slightly hard, a bit salty and fairly mild. Because the cheese hasn't gone blue yet it doesn't have those sharp overtones that a blue usually has, but you do get this interesting sour/tart hint in there from the bit of brine that the cheese has been waxed with. A fun cheese for kids and party tricks, and those who pace themselves while eating.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Cheese: Gorgonzola
Country: Italy
Type: Cow, soft blue

I had a hankering for some Gorgonzola today, I haven't had it in a couple years. It's mild, sweet, and creamy. I think it goes smashingly with nuts (cashews in my case today) and in the past I've found it to be an excellent cooking blue cheese.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Cheese: Queso Valdeon
Country: Spain
Type: Goat & Cow blue

I love blue cheese. Valdeon is a lovely sharp blue, creamy and slightly salty-sweet with a good kick for an after taste. The rind is sharp and bitter from the sycamore leaf wrapping (don't eat the leaves, they are toxic). There are some grassy undertones, and the cheese melts on the tongue nicely. Goes great with something fruity and slightly acidic, like a plum. Also lovely with apples, dried or fresh. I can eat a big block of it (the one in the picture is about 150 grams and I polished it off at lunch), but most people probably would prefer it on a tasting plater with something else.

Wednesday September 05, 2012

Cheese: Chaumes
Country: France
Type: Cow, soft washed rind.

So I went in today with a specific role for my cheese, to be melted over fresh beans from my garden. The lovely people at Janice Beaton hooked me up with a big chunk of Chaumes, a washed soft-rind from France. This cheese was perfect for melting over something crunchy. It melted into a smooth gooey mess over my beans, and the soft rind broke up into delicious tangy bits. The texture was delightful, but not half as lovely as the salty creamy flavour. Totally wicked cheese.