The First Lucky Winners

This week's poisons come from faraway, exotic locales: Torres Vedras, Portugal, and Central Point, Oregon.

Ok, so California and Washington usually steal all the West Coast thunder, but Central Point is home to an enterprise worthy of praise and recognition; Rouge Creamery. Founded in 1935, Rouge has been something of a visionary in the market of top end, artisanal cheeses, a vision that has payed off in spades. Today they boast a commanding lineup of blue cheeses, a shining example of which is this Rogue River Blue.

Origin: Oregon, USA
Milk: Cow, unpasteurized
Rennet: vegetarian friendly
Affinage: Up to 1yr
Notes: Hand wrapped in locally harvested grape leaves macerated in locally distilled Clear Creek Pear Brandy.
Thoughts: When a cheese comes into the shop looking more made up than a high school dance attendee skepticism is, for good reason, the instinctual reaction. This is especially true for American-made imitators of European originals, the sad truth being that wrapping a cheese in paper cut and dyed to resemble a leaf does not actually add character and history to the product. Fortunately for us, the folks at Rogue Creamery are no hacks, and this cheese delivers.
Reading that a wheel of cheese is covered in brandy-soaked grape leaves is one thing, but smelling is believing. The rich aroma of this cheese, sweet and yet pungent, has been known to bring seasoned cheesemongers to tears, and even then it's only a hint of what's to come. Unlike the blue giants of England or France, the main characteristic of this blue is not the intensity of the bite, but rather the complexity and balance of the flavors. There is, of course, the expected kick from the generous veining, but if anything the secret to this cheese's success is how that kick plays off of the equally strong sweet and nutty notes distributed throughout the paste. Even where there is no veining the three characteristics are all present and, while there is a fair degree of minerality such as one would find in Roquefort, the dense, creamy texture carries throughout.

I didn't consciously set out to start this blog with my favorite blue cheese, the addiction just runs deeper than I'd thought. I'm not the only one who wants to bring a wheel of this home for himself either, it was the first American cheese to dethrone the Europeans as World's Best Blue Cheese at the  2003 World Cheese Awards in London. Yes there are World Cheese Awards, yes they're a big deal. Think World Cup. Replace footballs with cheese. Replace nets with mouths. Leave vuvuzelas out of it all together. You're pretty much there.

Speaking of Europe, this week's second cheese is European. Whoever said segues were difficult.

Palhais also comes uniquely packaged, with each handful of adorably small cheeses vacuum sealed together with excess whey to keep the little guys fresh. This may not sound particularly appetizing, nor are they especially cooperative when it comes time to individually wrap them, but the mess is worth it. I first tried one when I was on a serious goat cheese bender, and while I recoiled at the time to find such an atypical flavor among my fresh chevres and goat goudas, Palhais is a must for any goat cheese lover.
Origin: Torres Vedras, Portugal
Milk: Goat, pasteurized
Rennet: NOT vegetarian friendly.
Affinage: 20-30 days
Notes: About the size of a half dollar coin, but far more edible.
Thoughts: Like I mentioned, I first tried Palhais in the midst of a goat cheese binge so epic Johnny Depp would have to play me in the movie adaptation, and that definitely colored my impression. This is not a delicate, soft, chevre, and though it has the right bone white coloring and a hint of that delightful goat tanginess, the similarities stop there. This surprisingly firm cheese packs a lot of flavor into each bite, but not because it is that creamy or that rich, it just simply does. The dominant flavor is decidedly salty but, while the initial reaction to this is understandably negative, Palhais actually has a lot to offer. The salt brings out a seldom seen earthiness along with the more commonplace tang of the goat's milk, and it works so well you don't even miss the sweetness of most fresh goat cheeses. Never gritty or unpleasant, the texture is just creamy enough to keep the cheese together when cut and lets the flavor do the talking, more notable in this case for not being noticed.
This may not be the best goat cheese out there, but it puts a very successful spin on the traditional fresh goat cheese and is more than worth the pittance that one disk should cost you.

Caution
These cheeses should only be consumed under adult supervision or in the company of friends. Consuming them alone may be a sign of late-stage cheese addiction.