Good cheese comes from good milk. Good milk comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from areas with moderate temperatures, extensive pasture land, steady rainfall, and an unadulterated native ecosystem.
This does not just mean the Old Country, either, but even such exciting and faraway places as Australia! And Oregon! Today's cheese hails from King Island Dairy, situated on the island of the same name off the coast of Tasmania. The Looney Toons fan in me reaaallllyy wants to makes a Tasmanian Devil comment/link/joke, suffice to say there are some golden oldies up on Youtube. Anyhow, King Island lies directly on 40 degrees latitude in the region famous for its Roaring Forties storms, bringing 100km/hr winds and causing countless shipwrecks. From this we get today's Roaring Forties Blue, sourced and produced on the island and ripened inside of its wax rind. Any non-believer need only taste it to see that the folks on King Island know what they're doing.
Origin: King Island, Australia
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 1-2 months
Notes: Rindless cheese... rindless cheese... this is madness.
Thoughts: Actually this is delicious. Seriously. A salty and very strong blue flavor greet the lucky taster, and while this cheese may not be hurricane wind strong it certainly packs a punch. The bold, beautiful veining betrays the intensity of the bite but there must be something to the King Island's insistence that their cows create some of the best milk around, because Roaring Forties Blue is uncannily creamy and sweet as well. I love this blue for its complexity, notes of nutty and grassy playing in and out of the bold paste, and though it's not as rich as my admitted favorite Rogue River nor as strong as Roquefort, it certainly has the looks, taste, and intensity to hold its own on any cheese platter or with any blue cheese fan. The intense wax "rind" doesn't do much harm to the bold flavor, and the texture crumbles just enough to invite wiping the plate clean with bread while still being soft and moist enough to melt perfectly on the palate.
Caution
This blue is still mineral-y and salty enough to pose a problem when pairing with wines, so stick to bubbly champagne or, better yet, a hearty beer. If alcohol isn't your thing, melt it over a medium- medium rare steak. If steak isn't your thing then toss it in a salad with a raspberry vinaigrette. If blue cheese in salads isn't your thing then I've got nothing for you, how did you even find yourself reading this silly "caution" section?
This does not just mean the Old Country, either, but even such exciting and faraway places as Australia! And Oregon! Today's cheese hails from King Island Dairy, situated on the island of the same name off the coast of Tasmania. The Looney Toons fan in me reaaallllyy wants to makes a Tasmanian Devil comment/link/joke, suffice to say there are some golden oldies up on Youtube. Anyhow, King Island lies directly on 40 degrees latitude in the region famous for its Roaring Forties storms, bringing 100km/hr winds and causing countless shipwrecks. From this we get today's Roaring Forties Blue, sourced and produced on the island and ripened inside of its wax rind. Any non-believer need only taste it to see that the folks on King Island know what they're doing.
Origin: King Island, Australia Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 1-2 months
Notes: Rindless cheese... rindless cheese... this is madness.
Thoughts: Actually this is delicious. Seriously. A salty and very strong blue flavor greet the lucky taster, and while this cheese may not be hurricane wind strong it certainly packs a punch. The bold, beautiful veining betrays the intensity of the bite but there must be something to the King Island's insistence that their cows create some of the best milk around, because Roaring Forties Blue is uncannily creamy and sweet as well. I love this blue for its complexity, notes of nutty and grassy playing in and out of the bold paste, and though it's not as rich as my admitted favorite Rogue River nor as strong as Roquefort, it certainly has the looks, taste, and intensity to hold its own on any cheese platter or with any blue cheese fan. The intense wax "rind" doesn't do much harm to the bold flavor, and the texture crumbles just enough to invite wiping the plate clean with bread while still being soft and moist enough to melt perfectly on the palate.
Caution
This blue is still mineral-y and salty enough to pose a problem when pairing with wines, so stick to bubbly champagne or, better yet, a hearty beer. If alcohol isn't your thing, melt it over a medium- medium rare steak. If steak isn't your thing then toss it in a salad with a raspberry vinaigrette. If blue cheese in salads isn't your thing then I've got nothing for you, how did you even find yourself reading this silly "caution" section?
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