Pampered Goat, Canada's Take on Fresh Chevre

One of my all-time favorite varieties of cheese is the delicate, simple, and overall decadent fresh French-style goat's cheese; chevre. It has no rind, it is not aged, it is hardly more than formed curd, but it holds such an incredible flavor and rich goodness that it never ceases to satisfy. Although it is a French creation its heavenly goodness has made it an international hit, both in recipes and as a staple on cheese boards. Verily I say unto you; if you throw a party without one you are doing a great injustice, and if you throw a party with one make sure you get to it fast because it will be the first to disappear. Today's Pampered Goat hails not from the land of silly moustaches and berets but from the land of Ice Hockey, Maple Leaves, and bi-lingual cultural struggles/pseudo-independence movements while still putting the queen on the currency. Ooohhhhhhh Caaaannadaaaaaa. Not bad, and not a drop of [insert Canadian stereotype here].

Origin: Canada (That narrows it down)
Milk: Goat, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affiange: Fresh, yay!
Notes: Very soft and spreadable, moist and delicious, this is a preciously perfectly, piquantly pleasant paste.
Thoughts: Creamy and sweet, milky and rich, this is not a complex cheese, though there are some complex chevres, but it is nonetheless delicious. It comes in large 1lb logs, and whenever I would be unpacking it at the Cheese Importers I'd have the wicked urge just to eat myself silly on fresh goat cheese. It is not the best fresh chevre I've tried but it certainly holds its own and is the ideal base for all sorts of accompaniments, from raisin bread toast to fresh strawberries. I will admit now that, within a certain range, most fresh chevre is more or less equivalent. It will be fresh and delicious, full of flavor and creamy, and reliable. There are loads of sub-par chevres and a handful of above-average exceptions but to a certain extent chevre is chevre. Enjoy it!


Caution
This cheese will literally be spread on anything that can be made to hold still. This includes baguettes, fresh fruit, spoons, fingers.....

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.