Also another true Swiss cheese, this time from Switzerland! Furthermore this high-alpine cheese is made from raw milk, the story of which you can see in yesterday's The-More-You-Know-Mondeay tip. Like it's cross-border cousin Comté, Gruyère comes in massive 65-85lb (~32-42kg) wheels, is made from whole milk, and is usually aged 8-10 months, making for a truly fine and fully developed flavor. It's a popular cheese for fondues, baking, or just eating alongside pear slices and charcuterie. Or, if you're just that into cheese you might simply eat it plain.
Origin: Fribourg, Switzerland
Milk: Cow, unpasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 8-10 months
Notes: Proud of its cave-aged designation, the exact meaning of this is hard to tell given the ambiguity of my particular Sunflower-bought (representing Boulder what what) piece. There is a certain designation of Gruyère that is specifically aged in ultra-humid caves for 14 months, but this was not one of those pieces. If it were really Le Gruyère Premier Cru it would have proudly laid claim to the name, and perhaps not have been found in the sample-size bin at Sunflower...
Thoughts: This Gruyère has the pleasant raw flavor you'd expect, nuanced and a bit bitter in it's initial and lingering tang, but this is backed up by a solid savoriness. Nutty and grassy come on in even measure and the occasional hint of fruit is also to be found, but though the flavor is fully developed it is never really sharp, in fact it doesn't have a noticeable peak at all. A measured creaminess and richness from the dense paste carry on the theme of a relatively mild cheese, with a texture just crumbly enough to work with the reserved flavor.
Caution
The sample size cheese basket at Sunflower market is actually a great to pick up 4 or 5 2 dollar cheese cuts and sample a wide range of cheeses. That being said quality is unreliable as are descriptions of what you're eating, visible in the label on today's cheese. Say what you will about pseudo-organic market chains, it's how I bought some of the first cheeses for my list.
Origin: Fribourg, SwitzerlandMilk: Cow, unpasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 8-10 months
Notes: Proud of its cave-aged designation, the exact meaning of this is hard to tell given the ambiguity of my particular Sunflower-bought (representing Boulder what what) piece. There is a certain designation of Gruyère that is specifically aged in ultra-humid caves for 14 months, but this was not one of those pieces. If it were really Le Gruyère Premier Cru it would have proudly laid claim to the name, and perhaps not have been found in the sample-size bin at Sunflower...
Thoughts: This Gruyère has the pleasant raw flavor you'd expect, nuanced and a bit bitter in it's initial and lingering tang, but this is backed up by a solid savoriness. Nutty and grassy come on in even measure and the occasional hint of fruit is also to be found, but though the flavor is fully developed it is never really sharp, in fact it doesn't have a noticeable peak at all. A measured creaminess and richness from the dense paste carry on the theme of a relatively mild cheese, with a texture just crumbly enough to work with the reserved flavor.
Caution
The sample size cheese basket at Sunflower market is actually a great to pick up 4 or 5 2 dollar cheese cuts and sample a wide range of cheeses. That being said quality is unreliable as are descriptions of what you're eating, visible in the label on today's cheese. Say what you will about pseudo-organic market chains, it's how I bought some of the first cheeses for my list.
No comments:
Post a Comment