Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Old Quebec Vintage 3yr Cheddar, Winner of the Most Descriptive Name Award

Today's cheddar.... yeah it's from Canada and it's aged at least 3 years.
Actually there is a little more to this cheese than what stands in the title, but I think they were running out of space. Like the label says it is "Super Sharp" as well, but don't be fooled; this is not a cheddar that tries to stand on its sharpness alone. Made using milk that has been heat treated but not pasteurized, a process carefully described at the company's utilitarian website, Old Quebec Vintage 3 yr Cheddar truly has a complex and solid flavor, an outlier in the rather crowded cheddar field.

Origin: Canada
Milk: Cow, unpasteurized 
Rennet: Microbial
Affinage: At least 3 years, less than 7
Notes: The 3yr cheddar is at least three, the 7yr at least seven, but what they don't tell you is that they actually do the majority of the aging in Lancaster County, PA. Conspiracy?
Thoughts: From the first the flavor has a pronounced meaty and salty tang, a refreshing change from the one-dimensional sweet tang of most cheddars. The age has made this a rather crumbly cheese but still it is impressively creamy, and once the paste breaks down on the palate more the familiar sweet notes are right at home, played off of by the occasional caramel note. The sharpness of this cheese, while certainly there and a major factor in the overall flavor, comes short of overshadowing the other nuances of the flavor, and the result is a fully developed taste that is sure to please. Although this feature is more apparent in the older variety, even at 3 years the calicum casein clusters are already a delight and add just more character to an already impressive cheese.

Caution
If the Canadians and the Amish ever start working more closely together we in the USA might have a crisis on our hands. That concentration of niceness and accents can only mean one thing: violent revolution. 

On a separate and non-link-related note, did you know that when you google image search "Amish Army" there aren't actually any funny pics? Pity, really. 

Monday, May 30, 2011

Raclette, The Hipster Fondue

The fondue fad was long over by the time my generation made its first bold steps on this Earth, but just like those (now "retro") logo tees, everything beatnik, and caring about oil prices; these cheese parties are back after dropping off the radar in the 1990s.
What most people don't know is that Fondue has some serious competition in the form of another Franco-Swiss collaboration; Raclette. It is a cheese, yes, but more importantly it is a dish, a meal, a party, an experience. I'll touch on the cheese itself but it really has one purpose in life; to facilitate the throwing of a Raclette Party.

Origin: Switzerland, also Savoie, France
Milk: Cow, unpasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 3-6 months
Notes: I first tried it just by itself before even hearing about raclette parties, truly an amateur move. Wasn't bad then either but the raw flavor shocked my American tastebuds, unaccustomed as they were to its particular nuance and bite.
Thoughts: My original notes on this cheese describe it as a milky but notably salty cheese that has a good texture and breaks apart nicely on the palate but is "probably better melted."
With that understatement of a segue, let us move on to both my in depth thoughts on the dish and this week's handy tips section!!
The real pleasure of this cheese comes, logically enough, when one eats it as it was supposed to be eaten; heated, melted and scraped (French "racler"- to scrape) onto a plate of assorted goodies. Just what goodies are these you ask? This is, of course, a matter of personal preference to some extent, but allow me to put forth some suggestions. Peppers, onions, pre-cooked potatoes, olives, and all manner of thinly cut meats or even "bacon bits" (or charcuterie for the sophistocants among us) are absolutely to die for. Mushrooms, baby gherkins, baby corn, and all other manner of veggies can also be cut up and grilled on a heating element or simply covered in the melted cheese and enjoyed raw.
The method for having such a party varies depending on the device being used, but while there are two basic models all one really needs is a way to melt the cheese gently, lots of accompaniments, and a large appetite. The one featured in the picture allows you to grill veggies and meats on top, usually with a healthy serving of olive oil, and then place them and a slice of the cheese in a tray that sits beneath the heating element until the whole mixture can be scraped onto a plate or, better yet, a slice of baguette.
Another version simply holds the whole wheel of Raclette facing a heating element and then swivels to allow the most melted bits to be scraped off onto plates, definitely a delicious idea but not one I've seen used yet. In any case most stores in Europe will sell the cheese pre-sliced and ready to complete the first method, but like I said all you really need is the cheese and heat. It doesn't help that these devices can get rather pricey, especially in the US where they're not quite as well known.
The focus here really is on the shared atmosphere, as people jostle for room on the grilling surface, pass different accompaniments around, and talk as their cheesy mixtures melt to a perfectly decadent state under the heating element. Wine is usually involved, though beer or any non-alcoholic beverage could also cut through the rich saltiness of the cheese and the savoriness of the dish as a whole, and in general these are not quick meals for small groups. Instead as many people as can fit around the table can bring individual accompaniments, everyone helps in prepping the veggies and meats for grilling, and once all is ready the pace is then set first by the time it takes to grill, melt, and eat, and later by however long it takes to finish up all the ingredients. The cheese tastes, in my opinion, better than fondue cheese mixtures and the whole experience is at once very communal and very personal. I've been fortunate enough to enjoy a few such parties out here and it's definitely on the list of things to bring back, a seriously delicious variety of cheese party.

Caution
As if the idea that cheese parties aren't filling is not false anyways, prepare to be stuffed at a Raclette party. You might consider fasting for the day leading up to it. 

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Brie de Melun, Finally a True Brie

Dear Readers,
I realize that many of the cheeses I post are actually unavailable in the good old U S of A due to their raw milk status, but like any good resistance fighter I have got to get the word out. There is a myth among many Europeans and even quite a few Americans that folks in the US just don't have the taste-buds to appreciate raw milk cheeses, hence the lack of uproar or general protest over the ban. This cannot stand.
In the interest of fighting this misconception, and of course the more overarching goal of spreading a love of fine cheeses to all nations, lands, and tounges, I present you today with a cheese unavailable in the US but to be sought after whenever possible. A world apart from the plastic-y, tasteless, ultra-pasteurized imposters often found in supermarkets, Brie de Melun is a true Brie, one of the few available to those of us not fortunate enough to frequent the streets of Pear-ee.

Origin: Seine et Marne, Aube, and Yonne France 
Milk: Cow, unpasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 2-4 weeks
Notes: Not exported to the US, but not too hard to find within Europe. Marginally smaller than the other well known true Brie; Brie de Meaux.
Thoughts: The real deal, this brie has it all. The paste melts at the slightest suggestion and still retains its goey texture with every bite. The flavor, smooth from start to finish, begins mild and creamy and builds gently to a grassy and mushroomy, rustic tang. The rind has a definite kick without being unpleasant at all, merely adding a layer of spice to the creamy paste. A sweet aftertaste finishes up this delight of a cheese. It is impossible to overstate the degree to which this Brie differers from the common "Brie" available in your typical supermarket aisle. I've seen with my very own eyes people who formerly were not fans of such cheeses repent from their past ways and fall in love with this French marvel. Buy a wheel, impress your friends; all you need is a goodly sized wedge and a hearty baguette for a taste of cheese nirvana. 

Caution
There are actually some producers of Brie in the US who do their best to meet the pasteurization requirements through a very gentle procedure, but while they can be very good and well worth trying I've yet to find one that matches the original. My advice? Start saving up for that plane ticket.    

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Pico, Sour

Today there is no big wordy intro as there is a cheese party in the works at casa de Cheese Addict and there is much work to be done. That being said, happy Goaterday!
Today's French specialty is a goat cheese, surface ripened little guy that has an unusual shape for a goat's milk cheese; like someone sat on a crottin and squashed it a little. It's name in old French would mean sour, and truly Pico is not an easy cheese to get along with.

Origin: Ardeche/Drome, France
Milk: Goat, pasteurized
Rennet: Anmial
Affinage: Up to a month, ripens continuously
Notes: Mine was purchased pretty late in life, but not so late that undesirable molds were beginning to grow. It just meant that the creamline had just about gobbled up the actual cheese, bummer.
Thoughts: This small disk is deceiving as the amount of creamy, chalky goat cheese in the middle is maybe one tenth of the total volume. That being said, one wedge of this cheese gives quite the punch. The first taste is true to it’s name and seems to warn of the harsh ammonia-flavor of the lesser surface ripened cheeses but never gets to that point. Instead the creaminess carries through the whole bite and the flavor of the soft but ripened goat cheese holds steady as well for a more challenging and smelly but still delicious goat cheese. It's spicy, intense, and not for the faint of heart but a must for anyone wanting to live on the wild side of cheese. You know who you are.

Caution
If your midlife crisis involves selling everything and buying a goat or sheep herd with the intention of making your own cheeses and then moving into the woods and being a hermit with said herd.... you might want to give me a heads up because I'm definitely down for the simple life.   

Friday, May 27, 2011

Double Cream Gouda, Because Normal Gouda isn't Rich Enough

Gouda, good Gouda, is one of the most reliably delicious cheeses out there. You can find Gouda almost everywhere you go, and given that it's typically a hearty and pasteurized cheese it's a rather hard recipe to mess up. Even a bad Gouda may not be a bad cheese, it just may not be anything special, whereas a bad Brie... well you're better off passing up cheese altogether in that case. Gouda may not be particularly fancy or exotic but it is a solid go-to cheese, and now and then the folks in Holland do actually give it a little extra pizazz.
Enter today's cheese: a Double Cream Gouda. There isn't a whole lot of mystery to what the title means, and indeed the only departure from the traditional Gouda recipe here is that cream has been added, bumping the fat per solid content up to a hefty 60%. For what it is, a mass-produced and very commercial cheese, it is good, if a little too true to its name.
Origin: Holland 
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 6 months
Notes: It's easy to discredit a cheese that, to be quite honest, is playing into a market gimmick, but one should not go to Gouda looking for a Rembrandt. It is a simple, honest snacking cheese that has a few notably excellent examples. And, while it may not be featured on many cheese boards in France, it is very good at what it does.
Thoughts: This cheese is certainly rich, and the buttery/creamy paste is actually a little overwhelming. The paste sticks to the palate and melts nicely, very important considering the very young and mild nuttiness that composes the whole of the flavor. This cheese is sweet it's so creamy, and the flavor really is something that anyone could eat without a complaint of pungency, sharpness, complexity..... Ok, so it's not a stunning Gouda, and there are certainly some stunning Goudas out there, but it is fairly clear about what it is from the very name. If you want a cheese that saves you on buying butter, Double Cream Gouda is for you. If you want a cheese to give to the kids to snack on, Double Cream Gouda is for you. If you want an exciting and rich, breathtaking Gouda, keep reading I'll get to them.

Caution
Given that most cheeses, especially relatively young ones like today's, are roughly 50% water; that 60% fat per solid mass does in fact mean that 30% of what you're eating is still butterfat. Snack accordingly. 

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Queso de Menorca (Mahón), Or Living The Dream

So as has been mentioned in a previous disclaimer/notice/excuse, I was traveling earlier in the week. Traveling isn't quite the right word for it though; really I traveled for a little while, laid on a beach for a day, and then traveled back. But! Along the way I did manage to indulge my love of cheese and further the ol' cheese list with a local gem.
Simply called Mahón, Queso de Menorca, or Queso de Mahón-Menorca, this is a cheese you can, admittedly, purchase pretty easily in the USA and other countries outside of Europe. Still, being on the sister island of Mallorca and getting the chance to try some cheese (relatively) at the source was a dream fulfilled. It comes in many ages but this was an 8-9 month piece just bursting with flavor, a truly magnificent cheese.
Origin: Menorca, Spain 
Milk: Cow, unpasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 8-9 months
Notes: I was a little short on marble/wood cutting boards... so here's the port at Mallorca! And...... that may be the last time I reference my trip. No promises.
Thoughts: Strong nutty aroma greets the lucky taster, especially if it's been in the sun as you trek through a 80 degree beach town photographing architecture and things. Very creamy but surprisingly salty, one of the saltier cheeses I've tried in fact. The raw tang is most notable in the aftertaste, but the ride along the way is incredible. Creaminess builds up from the start to deliver a strong, grassy, earthy flavor. There is nothing refined about this cheese but it is really delicious in its simple way, and as I sat there eating bites of it like an apple (I was short a knife... packing light has some drawbacks) alongside fresh strawberries and bread life was simple, if only for a moment. The paste is almost chewy but the texture fits perfectly with the rugged, meaty flavor of the cheese. An edible rind that compliments the paste wraps up a truly incredible cheese.






Caution
If you ever happen to be in Mallorca then you must go to the Mercat de l'Olivar and bask in the good food opportunities. Like this cheese stall..... oh dear so good.  
 Fresh fruit and veggies so cheap and good it'll make you cry.
That's a whole wall of Jamón Ibérico.... 



Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Porter Cheddar, They Already Paired it For You

Once again we come to a "drunk cheese", but for this one the creators took the whole process one step further. Not finding it enough to simply make a cheese and then immerse that cheese in alcohol, the makers of Cahill's Porter Cheddar took it upon themselves to add even more beer. And thank goodness they did. In fact they decided it'd be a good idea to include layers of Guinness porter inbetween the layers of curd. The result is pretty intense, and while it may not be a favorite it's certainly a novel flavor and one that will always get the attention of your party-goers.
Origin: Ireland
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetable
Affinage: 6-8 months, I'd guess
Notes: Guinness is pretty delicious stuff any way you slice it. Sure it's not the best porter in the world, probably not even the best Irish beer, but it's reliable and you can find it everywhere. Even in cheese. Here it has the added value of not actually having any discernible alcohol content, so eat to your heart's content and then drive home happy and sober.
Thoughts: A very meaty flavor, where both the cheddar and beer flavors mix comfortably without one crowding the other out. Tangy and distinct, the flavor of the beer really comes on strong and is unmistakable but the cheddar also has a strong enough kick to compete. This particular cheese is a victim of the short time high temp pasteruziation method (booooo) but to be honest it's such a hearty and heavily altered-flavor cheese that you'd be hard-pressed to detect any nuance in the milk beneath the salt and beer anyways. 
Let's see here what else....... It won't get you drunk, at least not before you become physically sick by eating a wheel or two (think many many pounds of cheese) because this cheese is, well, a little heavy. In the end this cheese does not make my favorite list because, well, it's just a little over the top. The beer flavor comes across so strong that, while you can still taste the sharp tang of cheese, you certainly couldn't tell if that cheese had any quality in the first place, and once the novelty of a beer-and-cheddar flavor wears off you don't find yourself craving it, or at least I don't. It's a great snacking cheese and certain to turn heads given its beautiful marbled look, but lacks character or depth.   

Caution
If you are underage and eat lots of these "drunk" cheeses and make alcohol jokes, your head will explode. If you are of age and eat lots of these "drunk" cheeses and make alcohol jokes, your head will explode. 

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Robiola Bosina, A Cheese You've Not Yet Tried of but Should

Hi there viewer(s), reader(s), cheese fanatic(s), and anyone who has come to this site by accident after searching for "Quite Rly" on Google Images. Yes, there are quite a few of you, but all are welcome. I'm afraid I must pass up the usual pleasantries and general rubbish that I'd usually put here as I'm traveling at the moment and, so, am short on time.
Here's the real talk. Today's is a mixed milk cheese, containing cow's and sheep's milk. Robiola Bosina is from Italy and can in some ways be compared to a Brie, but one that is pasteurized and so available in the US. It is also delicious.
Origin: Langhe, Italy
Milk: Cow and Sheep, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: Up to a month
Notes: 57% fat content per solid mass. Mm-mm, sounds like delicious. There are a handful of Italian cheeses with the first name of Robiola, they are all relatively different from one another but are also all reliably good, so be bold and eat.
Thoughts: Just like that quarter that fell that behind the couch cushins, the flavor of this cheese is hard to put your finger on. The flavor seems to be constantly in motion, defying the normal descriptions. Briney and tangy with almost a hint of sour in the aftertaste, but much more when complimented by the soft brie-like texture. Hints of fruity and mushroomy appear only to disappear again in the rich creaminess, and on the whole it is a decadent and thoroughly well developed cheese. If you're looking for an outstanding Brie for your next party but don't want to compromise and get a poorly-pasteurized Brie imitation, consider Robiola Bosina. It will not disappoint. 


Caution
If you buy enough of these squat, square shaped-cheeses you could hypothetically build a house out of cheese. Or you could start building the walls, have the cheeses at the bottom age to the point of becoming incredibly runny, burst their rinds, and you'd drown inside your cheese house. Don't say your parents didn't warn you about playing with your food.   

Monday, May 23, 2011

Etorki, A Knockoff that Holds its Own

Brebis, or sheep, is the name commonly used to refer to the sheep cheeses of the French Pyrenees region, where the Basque community has been tending their flocks for millenia. A little more recently the French government has given area-controlled status to one of these called Ossau-Iraty, which I will review in a later post, but today we take a look at the knockoff, the $2 DVD, the $15 Gucchi bag, the Timexx of Brebis; Etorki.
Unlike that watch you bought off a nice you fellow in NYC, Etorki works just fine and is well worth the money; looking, tasting, and keeping just about as well as its area-controlled cousin at a fraction of the price.
Origin: Basque Country, France
Milk: Sheep, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 3-6 months.
Notes: Another piece from cheese conglomerate Ile-de-France, but thanks to the hearty nature of the cheese and the attention paid to the original recipe it's still a fine cheese for any occasion.
Thoughts: A rich meaty sheep's milk flavor first hits the taste buds and lingers just long enough to be appreciated before being joined by a delightful creaminess and just the perfect touch of salt. The smooth, even paste and the exceptionally savory flavor make for a cheese that works wonderfully both as a table, snacking cheese and as a refined cheese-party cheese; paired with black cherry jam or cured pork.


Caution
The Functioning Cheese Addict recently passed its ultra-important 1 month anniversary. Apparently this is going to keep going, so go figure. Be advised, there will be another post tomorrow. 


Rennet and Rennin

If you've read any of the cheese reviews you will no doubt have noticed that I try my best to hunt down the basic facts on each cheese, displayed dutifully next to each masterful bit of photography. While Origin, Milk, and Affinge are probably pretty obvious, Rennet could cause confusion, especially given the different values given for different cheeses. By the way, if Affinage is not straightforward it's how long the cheese is matured before being considered ready for sale or before the ripening process is stopped.
Curds and Whey and some Lady
For the topic at hand, though, I've been writing in either Animal, Vegetarian, or Microbial in the Rennet slot, and labeling certain cheeses as vegetarian-friendly. Why is this.
One of the first steps in the cheese-making process is the addition of a coagulating agent, rennet, to the milk, causing the individual casein cells to bunch together. This creates the separation between the curds, which will then go on to become cheese, and the whey, which is typically just tossed. There are some whey-based dairy products, namely a few exciting ones from Norway, but all in good time. The friendly enzyme behind this process is known as rennin, or chymosin, and it is present in most all young mammals as it allows the nutrients from milk to be slowed down and absorbed rather then passing too quickly through the system. While it does a great job of this in animal's intestines, it also excels when removed and introduced to vats of milk in dairies. Typically the type of rennet used is dictated by the animal from which the milk comes, but there are alternatives for those who find it unpleasant to use such rustic, if traditional, methods.
What rennin looks like. I guess.
Enter Science! With the massive grown of the cheese-making industry, the need to be able to function independent of a constant supply of animal-sourced rennet became a matter of great importance. This has lead to some creative solutions, such as an instance where British cheese makers would add black snails to their milk, with great success, but most of the alternatives have been fairly straightforward and safe. One possibility is a vegetable-derived rennet, using coagulating agents from anything from thistle to soy to curdle milk while still being PETA approved. Microbial rennet from certain molds will also do the trick, as will GMO concoctions that use a mix of the previously stated alternatives and a litle Dr. Frankenstein-magic to mass produce a suitable rennet.  Even citric acid is sometimes used as a creative solution, but obviously with any of these alternatives there are consequences for the future of that cheese.
Cheeses, being sums of their whole experience from plant to milk and so on, derive some of their flavor characteristics and nuance from the rennet used. When alternatives are used, the flavor is, well, altered. This effect can be more or less benign depending on the affinage of the cheese and other factors, but it has been noted that microbial rennet, for example, can lead to bitterness when used in long-aged cheeses.
Despite these concerns, and the basic uncertainty of putting GMO anything into one's products, alternative rennet types are gaining in popularity across the board. Between the consistency of supply, the appeal to vegetarian markets, and the (unfounded but persistent) concern for animal safety, there is a trend of traditional cheese-makers making the switch. Most of the UK, for example, uses alternative rennets, as do a number of US producers. As synthetic versions come ever closer to mirroring the real thing we will likely only see a rise in its use, but my opinion on the matter is that if centuries, yea millenia of traditions aren't broke, then don't try and fix it. 




Sunday, May 22, 2011

Lamb Chopper, More Than Just a Cool Label

Cypress Grove, who I probably rave about enough to merit a restraining order, is mainly a goat-cheese operation. While it's true that their products coming out of California all use goat milk, they have a secretive and downright delicious side project at an off-shore base that creates two top of the line cheeses, including today's sheep's milk offering.
The location of the base, the lovely region of Holland, may not actually be a secret, but that does not make the cheeses any less exciting. Lamb Chopper is a young to middle aged sheep's milk Gouda that tastes so good you'll forget about the terrible pun on the label. 
Origin: Holland
Milk: Sheep, pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetarian
Affinage: 4-6 months
Notes: Both the cheeses produced in Holland for Cypress Grove are labeled with the Creamline designation and both are Gouda-style cheeses, the other called Midnight Moon being a goat's milk Gouda.
Thoughts: With a flavor strongly reminiscent of a young manchego but less oily, this is truly a strong entry into the sheep's milk category. On Cypress Grove's website they joke that Lamb Chopper was Born to be Mild, here it helps if you followed the above link, and while this is true it's a well developed and nuanced mildness that is sure to please. Sweet and fruity tones captivate at first, thanks to the relative youth of the cheese, and are followed in turn by the more familiar grassy tang of sheep's milk. The end of the taste is a little heavier on the palate than one would expect but the hearty, simple, and straightforward beauty of this Gouda is to be admired. A thoroughly satisfying sheep's milk cheese that avoids the earthy dark flavor of its Spanish cousins in favor of a lighter approach, Lamb Chopper is sure to please and is mild enough to be a great introduction to the world of sheep's cheese.

Caution
Both Lamb Chopper and its brother Midnight Moon suffer from spotty availability in stores due to their far-away origins and the trouble of making such a high quality product. When you see a wheel or a sample of either you would do well to jump on the opportunity and try it, they do not disappoint.  

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Bijou, A Little France, A Little Vermont, A Lotta Flavor

In the emerging but already hip field of American goat cheeses there is a good deal of innovation and quite a few excellent examples both of fresh chevres and their surface ripened counterparts. One thing that the artisans in the US all share, however, is their respect for the French mastery of making delicate and delicious goat cheeses, a tradition as ancient as the hills of Périgord. For this reason many of the best producers in the US have studied French methods and technique, the results being cheeses such as Cypress Grove's outstanding lineup.
On the opposite side of the country there lies another dairy with an acute appreciation for French cheesemaking, the founder's love of cheese was sparked while staying with a host family in France and helping with their trade. Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery creates delicate and refined cheeses and other dairy products such as today's Bijou, French for Jewel. Its name describes it well, a small crottin-style cheese full of flavor and nuance.
Origin: Vermont, USA
Milk: Goat, pasteurized
Rennet: Microbal (vegetarian friendly)
Affinage: Varies by preference, mine were in the 1 month range
Notes: 21% fat per solid matter, these little guys come two to a package and really are just adorable. You'll want to pop it like candy, but good things come to those who wait. Especially if they're waiting with baguettes and some dried cherries.
Thoughts: At this age the Bijou displayed a relatively reserved goat flavor, instead showing off it's butter-like creaminess. Cutting into it reveals a uniformly smooth paste and the sweet and milky tones characteristic of young goat cheeses, with the usual tang of the goat's milk present throughout but notably muted. At room temperature it spread beautifully and even the smallest bite carried fully the flavor and bold texture. The rind, which displayed small patches of green-blue molding, added both a pleasantly contrasting textural chew and a slightly sharper goat flavor. 


Caution
Each little button being self-contained means that Bijou will ripen until you cut into it. Fortunately it, and it's cousins from Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery, is as delicious in its young, delicate stages as in its pungent, sharp age. 

Friday, May 20, 2011

Ford Farm Coastal Cheddar, Truly Top Drawer

If you are reading this blog in US, then today's cheese has made a longer-than-usual trip to make it to your plate. If you are reading this blog from somewhere other than the US (or the UK), then you probably don't care much for cheddar anyhow. Still Ford Farm Coastal Cheddar is an absolute pleasure for anyone who loves a good cheddar, and it shall not be the last of its kind that I review. Cheddar may not have the sophisticated reputation nor the delicate charm of its friends on mainland Europe, but at its best it is truly stunning.
Origin: Dorset, England
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetarian
Affinage: Up to 15 months, at least a year
Notes: Bad news to my American cheddar-loving friends (I don't know how many times I've asked what kind of cheese someone likes and have heard "well, cheddar's good" in response. What do you like to drink? "well, water's good." Sorry, this is way too long for a parenthetical statement), but we didn't invent Cheddar. That one goes to the proud folks of Her Majesty's 130,000 square kilometers. Don't sweat it, though, we'll always have the moon landing. And Bob Dylan.
Thoughts: Call me a romantic, but I swear you can taste the ocean in this cheese. This is no weak tidal-pool-at-Six-Flags, however, this is the true fury of God's great Atlantic bullying its way into the Channel and pounding on the chalk cliffs. From the very beginning a crazy, full, creamy flavor takes you by storm, the kind of sharp cheddar that is complex and bold instead of just one-dimensionally sharp. A lot of folks will come in to the store asking for our "sharpest cheddar," and while that is one way to go about it, I would suggest it is not how you will find the best cheddar. This cheddar has a dark and earthy intensity to it, balanced with equally strong nutty and savory (and yes "sharp") notes. The texture is relatively dry, but this is by no means a bad thing. It still has the creaminess necessary to carry the flavor and the long aging process means it has developed the small pockets of crystalized calcium that give aged cheeses that heavenly crunch. It is not my favorite cheddar, but it is certainly a contender and something worth searching out in the USA. Coastal Cheddar and a hearty beer (or root beer, but only a hearty one) is one of the most satisfying comfort pre-or-post meal combinations I know. Caution The popularity of cheddar in the English-speaking world means that there are a near-infinite number of poor examples for every worthy one. Here's what you should know:  Cheddar is originally a white cheese, that yellow stuff is not necessarily any better nor any worse, it just has food coloring added to it. A lot of processed cheeses will masquerade as cheddar, have nothing to do with them! Cheddaring, the process that creates cheddar cheeses, can be used to make good and bad cheeses, either educate yourself and buy a variety or ask the stout yeoman behind the counter for help.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Idiazabal, Sounds Awesome and Tastes Awesome

I have already spent a few posts extolling the virtues of high alpine cheeses, but the Swiss and French are not the only ones with an appreciation for high-altitude pastures. Today's piece hails from the proud Basque region of Spain, nestled into the Pyrenees. Another sheep's milk beauty, it was traditionally made high in the mountains in spring and summer, being brought down in mass when the first snowfall pushed the shepherds into the lower valleys. Idiazabal is sometimes smoked, though the degree is not specified by its name-controlled DO status, but it is always delicious.
Origin: Navarre, Spain
Milk: Sheep, unpasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: At least 2 months
Notes: The rind, which is edible but not pleasant, varies from a light orange, such as mine, to rich brown depending on how long it has been smoked. Mine had not been smoked very long, but then I'm not particularly fond of most smoked cheeses, so I'm not complaining. Something about the sticky, artificial and usually overpowering "smoked" flavor/aroma and the usually sub-par cheeses to which it's paired.
Thoughts: This cheese is refreshingly simple, but so thoroughly well made that it stands alone as a shining example of a few select characteristics. Although some aged versions of Idiazabal are used for grating, mine was young enough to cut nicely and still had some give and moisture to it. In the rich, fatty (remember sheep's milk is typically the fattiest than cow's or goat's milk) paste there are the usual nutty and grassy tones, but what characterizes this cheese is the raw milk. In this sense Idiazabal is tangy and a little bitter, generally sharper than you'd expect from such a young cheese, but very well proportioned. The hint of smoke was plenty for me, adding an additional dark layer to an already rich flavor. Bring this along on your next mountain stroll with some salted, cured meats or a fig jam and imagine you're bringing the herd down for the winter. Alternatively sit inside and watch a movie about shepherds and eat it, it'll probably still taste good.

Caution
The film The Good Shepherd doesn't actually have anything to do with sheep or cheese, just spies.
The film The Shepherd: Border Control has nothing to do with anything except Jean-Claude van Damme

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

St. Marcellin, Now in Convenient Hipster Packaging!

Do you love cheese? Do you love having tiny ceramic trays that are too shallow to hold potted plants, too small to be water dishes for your pet, and not nearly 1980s enough to be one of those light discs from TRON? Rejoice and be glad, today is your day! 
Originally produced using only goat's milk but now made almost exclusively cow's milk, St. Marcellin is a smelly, goey, flavor-packed delight. Not only that but it is such a fragile, young cheese that the 3.5oz (100g) disks are often packaged in terracotta pots for shipment and storage. If it's old enough when you buy it it'll be runny and delicious already, but younger cheeses can be placed, pot and all, in the oven on low until runny. That plus a crusty baguette and it's like Dunkaroos for adults.
Origin: Dauphine, France
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 2-4 weeks
Notes: You take the sticker off before baking. I mean, the paper won't hurt you, it certainly can't be any worse than the wax rinds found on a lot of cheeses. I couldn't even put a figure to how much wax I've eaten in my pursuit of trying every part of the cheese, and some of those looked very edible. Harmless, really.
Thoughts: There are not enough ways to express how mushroomy this cheese is. I want to melt it all over my next steak. I want to cut up tiny bits of steak and put them in the pot and bake the whole thing. I want to make a Philly/French-Cheese-Steak sandwich fit for a king. St. Marcellin has 40% fat per solid matter, so it's seriously creamy, and every single bit of fat in there (in this case much less than 40% of the whole because it's such a water-rich, young cheese) carries the flavor evenly and decadently over the palate. Salty, milky, and surprisingly meaty for such a young and non-washed rind cheese, St. Marcellin packs an intense flavor for it's petite size. Seriously, this and a baguette are all you need, except for maybe a Beaujolais or a IPA to wash it down.


Caution
If you're thinking of using the pot as a candle holder, be advised that cheese has a lingering aroma. Nothing says "cheese addict" like the competing scents of "Bahama Breeze" and "Weeks Old Cheese"

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Gruyère, Another Mountain Folk Cheese

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. 

Monday, May 16, 2011

Pasteurization

Right, so whether or not you've been following along since the beginning or are just dropping in today you will have noticed I seem to be waging a war against this phenomenon known as "pasteurization".
Ol' Lou

For anyone who purchases their milk at a supermarket, be it in the USA, Europe or elsewhere, what you are buying is a pasteurized product. For those living in the USA most all dairy products will be pasteurized, in fact, as well as almost every other food and liquid product.
Pasteurization is, of course, the process of heating food to a certain temperature to kill unwanted bacteria and thus prolong the shelf life. While this has been practiced to certain extents for centuries the modern scientific understanding of it came about through the work of one Louis Pasteur, the food industry's favorite Frenchman. In 1862 he was the first to spread this food-safety knowledge to the greater public and so made food production, and consumption, a less risky ordeal.
And with the sound of roaring applause, so died flavor.
You see milk is, literally, alive with flavor. It is dynamic, nuanced, reflective of the pasture on which the animal grazes and full of fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Also, like every breath of air you take and every surface you touch and so on and so forth, it has bacteria. Oddly enough this was not a major problem in the long centuries leading up to the industrial revolution, when cheeses were made locally, sold locally, or at least sold in a timely manner, meaning the chances of disease spreading through bad or spoiled cheese was rather low. However when the demand for cheeses necessitated the mass production and shipping of these cheeses the occurrence of cheeses spoiling and the resulting sicknesses increased dramatically, where in steps our hero Louie.
In his War on Bacteria, however, there is quite a lot of collateral damage. Anyone who has heated milk on the stove or in a microwave, say for some delicious hot cocoa or chai, will notice how the flavor changes considerably. A marked "scalded" flavor appears and with it dies any nuance the milk might have previously had, though to be fair it mightn't have had any in the first place if it was already ultra-pasteurized. The same problem plagues the milk used for cheese, and indeed the flavor difference is usually just as noticeable.
Boo
There are a couple different ways to pasteurize milk so that it passes inspection; one is relatively good, the other is uniformly bad. The main difference between the two rests in how gently the milk is heated, or how high a temperature and for how long. Notice how microwaved milk will taste worse still than milk that's been put in a saucepan and slowly warmed up, it's the same basic effect. The "good" way heats the milk to 144ºF (62ºC for the rest of the world) and holds it at that temperature for 30 minutes. The bad way heats the milk to 160ºF (71ºC) and keeps it there for all of 15 seconds. Guess which way is most popular with large economies-of-scale operations.

Worth it every time
Now you may be looking at a brick of Parmigiano Reggiano and asking yourself what difference it makes, and while that particular Italian king of cheeses is in fact a raw milk cheese it's true that the difference is much more noticeable in fresher, younger products. Take Brie, or Camembert, or any fresh goat cheeses for example. These are delicate cheeses that are about as close as you can get to spreading milk on a baguette (yes, or Mozzerella or Ricotta yada yada I'm generalizing bear with me). Especially with these young cheeses the character and quality of the milk used is of paramount importance to the resultant flavor of the cheese, seeing as there is hardly anything done to the milk to alter and affect its flavor. If you were making a dress you wouldn't buy the finest silk and then run it through the washer and drier with bleach to make sure it was clean before working on it, it'd be ruined before you even began. If you're ordering filet mignon at a fine steakhouse you know that you can order it it rare because the kitchen is using the best, healthiest cut, and you want the flavor of the meat bursting out of every bite instead of burned away to charcoal like a hamburger left and forgotten on the grill. From quality beginnings you want quality end products to shine, you want cheese to evoke the flavor of the field and not the factory.
Here, of course, there is an important distinction to be made. Namely, that the milk being used by Kraft was never, could never, will never be fine silk, choice tenderloin quality milk. They could curdle it in the very tubes through which it's pumped out of their corn-fed cows and the cheese would still taste like plastic. In fact it's a very good thing that Kraft pasteurizes all of it's milk, because between the poor living/eating condition of it's dairy cows and the emulsifying process through which it creates processed cheese you'd almost certainly contract something from it's raw milk products. On the other hand farmstead and locally sourced dairy products, where the person in charge is or at least recently was concerned with the quality of the product above all, are inherently safer and less disease-prone. It makes sense; you have healthy animals eating healthy food living healthy lives you'll have healthy milk and healthy cheese making for healthy humans. You have sickly animals by the thousands eating pesticide-laden corn shoulder to shoulder all day in factories standing 24/7 in their own [CENSORED FOR CONTENT] you'll have dangerous milk, dangerous cheese, and sick humans. You'll also have more money, assuming you own said animals and said factory and hey, if reducing the flavor of that cheese to sawdust is what lets you keep the money while not making people sick, then clearly capitalism says "yes".

Or at least, so the system is set up. In the golden years, or what I've heard were the golden years as I'm a child of the current Great Cheese Oppression, we could import those fresh French chevres, those delicate Bries, and so on and so forth. Then the man stepped in. Starting in 1965 the US government started issuing Pastuerized Milk Ordinances dictating the conditions under which milk could be produced and sold. In 1985 the import and sale of cheeses not meeting these specifications was no longer allowed as they did not meet the "Grade 'A'" specifications. In fact dairy-borne disease continues to be a problem and even more so food-borne (yes those raw meats and veggies) is still a "danger". And yet high quality raw food remains safer than poor quality ultra-adulterated food. If only the government could force companies to run healthier overall they wouldn't need to make up for it by sacrificing the flavor of the end product. Instead raw milk products aged under 60 days (that's all the fresh, delicate cheeses for those of you still reading this) are not allowed to be sold in the US. Some European producers have responded to this by pasteurizing their milk or aging it longer for export, but the bottom line is that they're compromising on the integrity of their product for the sake of making it "import-safe" in the eyes of the FDA. Better to stay in Europe and still taste like they should than to limp across the border, shadows of their former selves.
To be fair, and I've tried to put this out there earlier as well, there is the remote possibility of contracting a disease from unpasteurzied dairy products. It's again it's about the same risk as from eating anything, as though we haven't all heard of massive food recalls and suddenly looked again to see what brand of eggs we used in this morning's breakfast. That being said adding more risk unecessarily is not a good idea, and generally the elderly, infants, nursing or pregnant mothers, and those with immunodeficiencies are advised to avoid raw milk dairy products.
In the end only you control what you eat. I'll always eat raw milk cheese when I have the chance, I find it better to be informed about where my food is coming from and take caution accordingly rather than have the government scare me into eating plastic. I wouldn't order a hamburger cooked rare from Applebee's and I wouldn't eat a raw milk product from an untrustworthy source. Fortunately for myself and cheese-fanatics across America there are enough dairies using the gentle pasteurization method and so maintaining the integrity of their product that we can still enjoy truly delicious cheese without having to fly to Paris. And who knows, one day they might go all 21st Ammendment on the ban of raw imports and our children, yea our children's children, will once again know the taste of real French Brie.



Cheese eating men and women of all countries, UNITE! 

Camembert Bellerive, French Camembert for the Masses

No, this is not a political statement, unless you count my general aversion to the mass-produced export-minded copies of European originals a political position. Actually, maybe it is.
What this definitely is is a cheese blog, so how about some fun cheese information instead of more griping about the overprotective, out-of-touch, taste-squelching suits who wouldn't know flavo.... whoops.
What this definitely is is a cheese blog, so how about some fun cheese information. Brie and Camembert are perhaps the two best known French cheeses, but there's often confusion over how the two differ. This is understandable, as really the two flavors are nearly identical. Both are, ideally, raw cow milk cheeses that have been surface ripened and have the same thickness, coming from topographically similar regions of France, made using very similar "recipes". Recipes in the cheesemaking world roughly meaning the details of how long the milk is heated, how fast, to what temperature, etc. This is not to be confused with pasteurization, all cheeses raw and otherwise are made with milk/curd that has been meticulously heated and cooled.
There are variations in flavor depending on the exact origin of each cheese, but then the same variations exist between Bries of different origin within Île de France as well. The real differences, then, are that true Camembert is made in Normandy while true Brie is made in Île de France, and that while Brie is made in a variety of sizes Camembert is only made in 8oz (250g) discs. 
Unfortunately neither name is controlled by French or EU law, so for every one genuine, quality Brie you'll almost certainly find a hundred factory-made ultra-pasteurized pieces that have more in common with Elmer's glue than with anything made from milk. The real deal Camembert will be carefully labled Véritable Camembert de Normandie while Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun are the most easily found true Bries, and all of these will state their name protection status (AOC or VCN) proudly and visibly. Sadly these three examples are not to be found in the US, but still it's worth the search. It is along that path we find today's Camembert Bellerive, one of the closer approximations to traditional Camembert that are available in the US. I say approximations because this cheese would originally be unpasteurized and made on a relatively small scale, not pasteurized and made in mass-export quantity. Nevertheless it is a delicious cheese and a respectable hint at what those across the pond get to enjoy. 
Origin: France
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: Roughly 3 weeks
Notes: Not sure if the scale comes across but 250g is a good bit of cheese, and while this will go quickly, being about 70% water, you probably will do alright with just one for a medium sized party with other cheeses. It's a favorite of those who tend to scrape plates with the leftover bread... definitely not me. 
Thoughts: This particular Camembert is relatively mild despite a very mushroomy smell. The fluffy rind is effectively without flavor but is soft enough to compliment the sticky texture of the paste. Dominated by notes of mushroom and grass, the flavor remains fairly constant throughout and is carried along by a strong creaminess. Towards the end a mild tang develops and lasts into the aftertaste but all in all it's still an unoffensive cheese. Not saying that a Camembert need be offensive to be worthwhile, this particular cheese simply falls short of the "oooh"s and "aaah"s that this French classic should elicit. At room temperature the whole cheese is thoroughly tasty and will add a strong presence to any cheese plate, but being better than American factory-made garbage is not grounds alone for highest praise.


Caution
Buying one of these for yourself, well you know what that might be a sign of. It's nice to share. 

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Fol Epi, Wild Wheat Stalk

More lovely language lessons from learning cheesey lexicon.
Today's cheese gets its name from its shape and preparation, both of which would be right at home in a bakery. The whole cheese, for it can't really be called a wheel, looks just like a loaf of bread; a roughly circular squat dome with stalks of wheat in relief stretching out from the center. On top of this it is coated with toasted wheat flour, forming a unique rind and adding somewhat to the flavor of the cheese. High in protein and markedly sweeter than most Swiss and Swiss-style cheeses, it is "the perfect choice for those with sensitive palates"....
Despite how lame that sounds it's actually a good cheese, even a good Swiss-knockoff. In fact, Fol Epi is what Jarlsberg should be but isn't.
Origin: Pays de Loire, France
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 3 months
Notes: Fol Epi is also brought to those of us in America courtesy of Ile de France, but somehow it's just more satisfying than yesterday's Saint Andre. The whole cheese, while still very much "produced" rather than "made", just holds up better. This is partially because it's marketed as a snacking cheese rather than a decadent triple-crème, but regardless it get's my approval.
 Thoughts: Although this cheese splits the middle between semi-firm and semi-soft and is actually rather dry for either, it doesn't sacrifice anything on flavor. A simple but well executed nutty sweetness builds steadily up throughout the taste and ends in a tangy-sweet aftertaste. A heavier texture and a balanced creaminess make for a truly satisfying and full-flavored though mild snacking cheese that, yes, is "sensitive palate" friendly. The Emmentaler on which it's based is a better cheese overall, but that does not make Fol Epi unworthy of consideration for snacking and other light-hearted cheese endeavors.

Caution
"Those with sensitive palates" is industry code for "people who can't handle/appreciate the real thing". This does not make the cheeses so prescribed necessarily bad nor the person so described necessarily a cheese novice, but....

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Red Cloud, The Poison Dart Frog of Goat Cheeses

Except this little guy is only warning you of the intense flavor and aroma instead of, you know, poison.
It's a Goaterday miracle!

Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy, whom I had the pleasure of working for during the summer of 2010, boasts a wide range of handmade goat and mixed milk cheeses. A proud staple of it's Longmont community, Haystack has been making cheese since the late 1980s when it started out as a small farmstead operation. Today they have widespread recognition both in Colorado and nationwide and a number of well-earned awards hanging on their wall for their offerings such as today's Red Cloud. Named after one of Colorado's famed 14ers, or mountain peaks over fourteen thousand feet (4.2km), it is a washed rind specialty made with raw milk; a recipe for truly intense flavor.
Origin: Colorado, USA
Milk: Goat, raw
Rennet: Vegetarian 
Affinage: 60 days
Notes: Seriously, this cheese stinks! What is a major issue in primary school, however, is less of a putdown and more of a temptation on a cheese plate. Just keep it separate from other cheeses, it still doesn't play well with others.
Thoughts: Once you screw your courage to the cheese-eating place and take a bite, you are instantly rewarded with a bold and complex flavor. A very rich creaminess washes tones of the usual goaty sweetness over the palate at first, but this quickly develops to reflect the raw milk and the washed rind. That particular tang that is so unique to raw milk cheeses is displayed beautifully here and plays perfectly off of the meaty, fruity tones from the washed rind. Every flavor in this cheese comes on strong and yet they maintain a healthy balance throughout making for a very addicting, if slightly breath-souring, experience.

Caution
"slightly breath souring" is a bit of an understatement. It's like saying Obama "kind of poked fun at Donald Trump" in his White House Correspondents Dinner speech. Actually, this cheese will wipe the proverbial smug smile and self-righteous attitude right off your proverbial ridiculous-hair topped face and leave it griping the next day to its proverbial support base of business elites. 

eh-ehm...

What I mean by that is it's a very smelly, very strong cheese and you should probably put off your first-kiss plans with little-miss cutie (little-mister dapper) until you've gargled, flossed, and brushed. Twice.

Naked Goat, As Opposed to those Clothed Goats

There are quite a few under appreciated cheeses coming out of Spain, such as my personal favorite Cabra Romero, and though I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite cheese-country I can safely say I would be loath to do without Spain's offerings. Here again we see a powerful goat cheese, also known as Queso do Murcia Curado, in which a play on the raw nature of the milk used gives us The Naked Goat
Origin: Murcia, Spain
Milk: Goat, unpasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 6 months
Notes: I'm not sure why there is a blushing goat on the Naked Goat labels,  I'm pretty sure organisms that only border on self-awareness aren't particularly self-conscious. In any case this cheese makes for some great display possibilities, as it is firm enough to hold its shape and, well, uniformly delicious.
Thoughts: This cheese is a perfect example of regional differences among cheeses and the glories of Spanish cheese in general. It has all of the oily goodness of a Spanish sheep’s milk cheese and all of the assosciated grassy flavor. Add on top of that the full tangy sweetness of goat's milk and suddenly you have a very complex and bold flavor; mixing the best of goat's milk with a powerfully rich earthiness from the fat. Although it is a drier cheese, it manages to be exceptionally creamy and the savoryness is accented perfectly at the end of the taste with a hint of salt. This cheese is truly incredible, and given it's rather firm, dry appearance the extent to which this cheese develops and satisfies is a lovely surprise. Whenever it's sampled at the Cheese Importers it always disappears, with some greedy souls going back for 4th and 5th helpings. Really though it is that good, and with roasted salted Spanish almonds it's to die for.    

Caution
If you're paying any attention to the labels feature you might notice I've reviewed quite a few more cow cheeses than goat or sheep cheeses, and a good deal more . Do not think, however, that this is a sign of favoritism. That's what the "Favorite" label is for.  

Saint André, (See Cheesecake)

Right, so first things first. The astute and devoted reader of this blog will have noticed with the greatest of disappointment that there was no blog post yesterday. Blogger, the device through which I disseminate this dastardly delicious dossier, was effectively down for the better part of two days, rather throwing off the whole cheese-a-day scheme. No matter, for today you get three posts! One for today, one for yesterday, and a third because, who am I kidding; I thoroughly enjoy writing these.

Perhaps the biggest problem with bringing the great cheeses of Europe to the non-European table is the issue of quality control. The industrial revolution had devastating consequences for genuine cheesemaking traditions in Europe, but while the good stuff can again be found on a small scale the same cannot be said for what is exported in bulk. As a result we have cheeses such as today's Saint André; a cheese with flavor, texture, and good looks, but lacking a soul.
Origin: Normandy, France
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Vegetable
Affinage: Roughly 30 days
Notes: Here we see our first fake leaf, and even though this cheese is legitimately from France it still suffers from being, well, dumbed down for export. French cheese importing giant Ile de France is probably responsible for most of the French cheeses available at your supermarket, but for all the good they have done in spreading the word it has come at the cost of integrity of the cheese. Sure we can get Fol Epi, Saint Agur, Bleu d'Auvergne and other cheeses of French origin, but they are typically only facsimiles of the original. Worse yet, real-deal cheeses are often discontinued domestically to favor the more profitable export of these pseudo-cheeses. Oh PS it's a triple crème too.
Thoughts: The first thing you'll notice about this cheese, once you remove the paper leaf, is the texture. It is surprisingly dense for a triple crème, so much so in fact that it will hold its shape even at room temperature. Unfortunately, with the supermarket cheesecake-like texture comes a supermarket cheesecake-like flavor. While obviously very rich and creamy, Saint André is otherwise underwhelming. It is sweet and slightly salty but otherwise pretty one-dimensional. This combined with the dense texture means that it does not cover the palate as evenly as some smoother cheeses and, overall, there are just better "dessert bries" to be had. Don't get me wrong; this is not a bad cheese, and it will certainly be a crowd pleaser alongside sweet fresh fruit, but it lacks soul. The original notes from my tasting read "flavor is good but not incredible", and really it could be so much more.

Caution
Going the extra distance for the true essence of that one French Cheese might just mean flying to France for it. On the other hand, dairies in the US are making ever-better originals, and why pass up the cheese tours right in your backyard?  

Friday, May 13, 2011

Comté, A French Giant

There is a certain mystique to the cheeses of the high Alps. Something about the high mountain pastures makes for milk, and cheese, that is unmatched in quality. There are a few varieties of these cheeses, characterized by their firm density, their long aging periods, and also the colossal size that the individual wheels are made in. A wheel of Comté, for example, is three feet in diameter, 4 inches thick, and will typically weigh 75-80 pounds (34-36kg). Delicate cheeses these are not, but unlike its distant relatives from the plains of Île-de-France, Comté was not meant to be cradled delicately and nibbled on in a Parisian cafe. This sturdy fromage could be aged for 2 years in the high country, rolled like a wheel out of mountains, and would still be more than deserving of a place on any cheese plate. 
Origin: Franche-Comté, France
Milk: Cow, unpasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: One year
Notes: The full name of this cheese is Gruyère de Comté, due to a minor border-related dispute with the nearby Swiss. The Swiss make a cheese nearly identical called Gruyère, aged and made under marginally different circumstances, but this is no knockoff. The name Gruyère, while usually attributed to the town Gruyères in Switzerland, actually dates back to when the Roman empire encompassed the whole region and the forests were referred to as "gruyères". Wood from the forest was sold to cheesemakers, who used it to cook their curd, and was paid for with cheese. Knowledge is Power. Even relatively inconsequential cheese-related knowledge. 
Thoughts: This cheese smells and tastes like it was made with care and precision high in the Alps and then spent the rest of the trip to your plate just generally becoming even more delicious. Oddly enough that’s just what it did. The first thing one might notice is the characteristic crunch of casein clusters that form due to the long aging process and the protein-rich milk. This is a good thing. Every little snap crackle and even the occasional pop creates a symphony honoring the grandeur of this cheese. It is grassy, tangy, creamy in flavor despite being relatively dry on the whole, and when the golden paste breaks down on the palate a rush of sweet cheesy (a fellow sampler said it tastes rather of “cheese”) goodness transports you to a new plane of cheese enjoyment. There is so much going on in this cheese, and all of it so perfectly balanced and timed, that by the time you’ve realized how sweet it is there comes salty and his shy friend flowery dropping in for a minute before the standard nuttiness sweeps you away again. The aftertaste is a richly savory, but unless you’re all out you probably won’t be lingering long between bites.  

Caution
I am a big believer in cheese related tourism, and to be honest Switzerland is pretty high on my list even apart from the considerable gastronomic draw. This being said, Gruyères is not the birthplace of Gruyère. 







What, you want a joke in this Caution section? 
Fine. Donald Trump's political ambitions. 
haHA.