Le Crottin de Fanny is a
lovely artisanal goat-milk cheese from
La Chèvrerie de Charlevoix located in St. Agnes, Quebec in the beautiful
hills of the Charlevoix region.
Le Crottin de Fanny is a
bloomy rind, goat-milk cheese based on the recipe of theclassic Crottin de Chavignolbut adapted to please the taste of
Quebecers. This small cylindrical cheese has a soft, compact ivory-white colour
paste and weighs around 125 grams when it is young (with an affinage of 14
days).
Le Crottin de Fanny has a
subtle slightly nutty taste. As the cheese matures (21 days+) it develops a
firmer paste, the rind begins to show some mold developing and the cheese
begins to come into its own with a much more complex flavour.Le
Crottin de Fanny pairs nicely with a dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc.
Le Crottin de Fanny is
produced with the milk of alpine and saanen goats that are raised in freedom,
outdoors on the artisanal farm owned and operated byDidier LuberriagaandStephanie
Corret.Although they have been running this artisanal goat farm for
four years, their cheese factory La
Chèvrerie de Charlevoix was built last year and the production of cheese
was launched this spring.
La Chèvrerie de Charlevoix also
produces a wonderful semi-firm artisanal goat cheese La Tomme St-Agnes and a goat-milk ricotta on request. They are
currently working on also producing their own goat-milk dulce de leche.
I’ve realized that the months of May, June, July and now August
have gone by and I haven’t updated my blog.Let me tell you that it isn't because of a lack of good cheeses to
review. I have been enjoying some lovely cheeses including new Quebec cheeses
and wonderful chèvres. I also had a problem with my computer which took me
awhile to learn how to repair. The reason I haven't updated this blog is I have
been spending most of my spare time in the garden this summer.
Earlier in the year, my partner Chris and I have decided to
convert the side of the apartment building where we live, into a garden. It was
a semi-shaded grassed area that actually consisted of mostly weeds. We spent
the first few weeks digging and turning-up the clay soil and incorporating soil
and compost to the various bedding areas.
We dug up, divided and moved a variety of different Hostas that we had
previously planted in the front yard, into this more suitable shady garden. We divided and moved quite a few daylilies
(Hemerocallis) that we had previously planted along the side of the building
into another area of the yard that we dug up.
Garden area before
Garden in progress
Garden now
Last year, I had planted some herbs in the sunnier area of this
garden and later in the season I planted a variety of perennials (irises,
astilbe, sedum, yarrow and daylilies) I had received from one of my co-worker's
mother. Since the sage and oregano that we planted last year was doing well in
this area, we added lemon balm, dill, lemon verbena and rosemary which were part
of a lovely selection of herbs; I had received as a birthday gift from some of
the girls at work.I also enjoy having
another variety of herbs (basil, parsley & mint) close at hand planted in
containers on my balcony.
Here I am working hard at it
Now, after a few months the garden is still a work in progress.
The pathway we designed to run through the garden is still being worked on, as
we find suitable bricks or paving blocks that we keep adding to it.
Needless to say, I've been having a lot of fun this summer working
in the garden. Sure it is a lot of physical work but as the garden was
progressing we became a bit whimsical in our approach and it was quite
enjoyable.
Lord of theHundreds is an award-winning, firm, raw
sheep's milk cheese, produced by The Traditional
Cheese Dairy in East Sussex in South East England.
Located in the village of Stonegate in East Sussex, TheTraditional Cheese Dairy operated by Cliff andJulie Dyballproduce artisanal cheeses, using
traditional handmade methods, made with cow, sheep and goat’s milk that is
provided by single herd local family farms. All of their cheeses are approved
by the Vegetarian Society as they only use animal-free rennet.
Lord of the Hundreds was originally
created by James and Pat Aldridge of the Eastside Cheese
Companyat Oxted in Surrey, England. James
Aldridge was a key figure in the resurrection of farmhouse cheese-making in
England in the 1980s and 90s.
The name "Lord of The
Hundreds” originates from Saxon times. This Lord, who controlled an area of
land divided into 100 shires, was responsible to collect the taxes from the
locals for the King. A marker denoting
the spot where people would come to pay their dues to the Lord was located
behind James Aldridge's house.
The Tradional Cheese Dairy worked with the original recipe for the Lord of the Hundreds for several years, making
many alterations to improve taste, texture and consistency until they finally
found perfection.
Lord of the Hundreds is made from the raw milk of Friesland ewes
provided by Boydells Dairy Farm in
north Essex. When making this cheese, after the curds have formed, they are
ladled into square baskets. The cheese is not pressed; when making the cheese,
the excess whey is drained under its own weight, forcing out the sides of the
baskets giving the cheese its unique textured rind and shape. Each tomme (or
wheel) is brined and turned every day to distribute the moulds evenly and
encourage the rind to develop. Lord of the Hundreds has an affinage period of 6
to 8 months minimum. The tomme measures approx. 18 cm (7") square and
weights from 4 to 4.5 kg (8 - 10lbs).
Lord of theHundreds has a light grayish-yellow coloured, rough textured rind, with a golden yellow coloured paste that deepens to an amber colour on the edges near the rind. The dense firm paste has a dry, grainy, slightly crumbly texture. Lord of the Hundreds is a complex cheese with a great balance of both savoury and sweet; light notes of grass, roasted hazelnuts and salty caramel. A tomme that has aged longer has a harder paste and a more robust flavour.
Lord of the Hundreds pairs well with a wide variety of foods and
drinks. Try it with fresh figs; serve it with membrillo (quince paste), dates
and/or pears. Pair it with a crisp, grassy white wine or a medium-bodied
Pinot-Noir or Spanish Tempranillo.
Lord of the Hundreds is the winner of numerous cheese awards. It
received both Gold and Silver medals at The
British Cheese Awards from 2008 to 2012. It recently received the Bronze
medal at the 2014 World Cheese Awards.
The Traditional Cheese Dairy has
developed and refined its range of artisan cheeses over the past ten years;
from the traditional farmhouse Broad Oak Cheddar, to Olde Sussex a traditional
hard British farmhouse cheese, to the delicate taste of another award-winning,
semi-soft washed-rind Burwash Rose. All their cheeses are
made using traditional methods and only always from raw milk.
Stilton is
without a doubt, one of the best known British cheeses. It is produced in two
varieties: the Blue Stilton, a semi-firm, pressed, blue vein cheese with rich
complex flavours and a piquant finish; and the lesser-known White Stilton
cheese which is a milder, semi-soft cheese.
Blue Stilton has been
granted the status of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) by the European
Commission. To receive the PDO status, a product must be made traditionally and
entirely manufactured (prepared, processed and produced) within the specific
region and thus acquire unique properties. To be called "Blue
Stilton", it can only be made in the three counties of Derbyshire,
Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. Milk used in the making must be local cow
milk, which is pasteurised before use. The Blue Stilton must never be pressed
and must be made in the traditional cylindrical shape with its own natural rind
or coat. The delicate blue veins radiating from the centre is Stilton’s typical
characteristic. A true "Blue Stilton" which is aged for a minimum of
9 weeks, must have a "taste profile typical of Stilton" with its
distinct tangy flavour from the use of the fungi Penicillium roqueforti and its creamy crumbly texture.
Thomas Hoe Stevenson Aged Blue
Stilton considered by many as the "Authentic" Stilton, is
produced by Long Clawson Dairy. This Aged Blue Stilton is named after Thomas Hoe Stevenson, who was one of the
original cheesemakers at the dairy. Long Clawson Dairy was founded in 1911 when
12 farmers from the Vale of Belvoir in Leicestershire, formed a co-operative to
produce Stilton Cheese in the village of Long Clawson.
Thomas Hoe Stevenson Aged Blue Stilton is still traditionally
produced, perfectly aged and hand-selected in order to ensure the finest
quality. These wheels are aged for a minimum of 15 weeks. The longer affinage
allows the Stevenson Stilton to develop a more balanced, less aggressive,
mellow flavor with a smooth creamy texture and tastes a lot less salty than other
blue cheeses.
Thomas Hoe Stevenson Aged Blue Stilton is a pasteurised cow-milk,
semi-firm cheese with a natural greyish tan coloured rind and a
creamy-buttery-yellow coloured paste with greenish blue veins radiating from
its centre. It has a smooth creamy buttery texture, with a well-rounded flavour
that is clean and earthy. Stevenson Stilton is a versatile cheese; it is a
perfect addition to any cheese plate, an excellent ingredient in a variety of
dishes (from salads, soups and main courses) or as a dessert served with figs
or dates, walnuts, biscuits and breads. The full flavour of Stevenson Aged Blue
Stilton pairs nicely with more full flavoured wines it is a perfect match for
ports or desert wines or try it with a Shiraz.
Long Clawson Dairy has
progressed in the past 100 years. Today, milk is supplied by 43 local farms,
all from within the Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire areas. These
farms range in size, producing between 350,000 to over 4 million litres of milk
per year. Long Clawson Dairy is one of the six dairies in England that is
licenced to produce Blue Stilton. Although best known for their Blue Stilton, they
also produce a number of other delicious English cheeses and cheese products,
such as Blue Shropshire, Aged Red Leicestershire and a range of sweet &
savoury cheese blends.
Beemster X-O- is a
very-firm, pasteurised cow-milk cheese with a wonderful caramel sweetness. Beemster
X-O- cheese which is made in Holland is actually an eXtra-Old Gouda that has
been aged for around 3 years.
Beemster cheese is produced by a farmers co-op located in the
canal lined pastures of the Beemster Polder in the North of Holland.
The Beemster Polder, which is located north of Amsterdam, is a
remarkable example of reclaimed land in the Netherlands. In 1612, Dutch
engineers using a system of dykes and windmills, drained the marshes and bogs
of the Beemster Polder and converted the wet lands into pastures. The Beemster
Polder is the oldest and most renowned of the polders in The Netherlands and is
now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The unique blue coloured clay soil found in the Beemster Polder is
rich in nutrients and minerals. This terroir yields grasses that are thicker
and longer than others areas and grass that is more fertile, giving the milk
produced on this land an especially sweet and creamy quality. The farmers of
the Beemster Polder are aware of the value of their fertile land and to this
day they use no pesticides on any of the pastures within the Beemster polder.
It is important that the quality of the milk is of the highest
standard to make Beemster cheese. This standard is provided by continuously
testing the milk as it arrives at the dairy from the individual farms. Cheese-making
then begins with the so called ‘curdling’ of the milk. This is done by adding
rennet to the milk and to allow the proteins and fat components found in the
milk to coagulate. After the milk is curdled, some of the whey is drained and
water is added to wash the curd. This creates a sweeter cheese and a reduction
of lactose. Beemster’s cheese curds are stirred and raked by hand during cheese
making. Beemster is the only coop left in Holland which still uses this artisan
technique in cheese making. The whey is then completely drained and the curds
are placed into molds and then pressed to form into its wheel shape. Then the
wheels are placed into a brine bath that starts the aging process from within
the cheese. The cheese wheels are then removed from the brine and dried for a
few days before they are coated with a yellow wax coating to prevent the cheese
from drying out. The wheels are then transported to warehouses where they age
on wooden boards where the temperature and humidity is controlled to make
ripening conditions ideal. All Beemster cheese wheels are hand turned,
inspected, and polished every day for up to 26 months to ensure perfect
maturation.
As Beemster cheese wheels age, the textures firmness will change
from semi-firm when it is young, to firm when old and very-firm to hard when it
is X-O (extra old). A wheel of Beemster X-O- cheese weighs approx. 11.5 kilos
(25 lbs) and measures approx. 38 cm (15") in diameter and 10 cm (4")
in height.
Beemster X-O-'s very-firm paste has a rich deep pumpkin orange
colour with small white dots, which are formed by the crystallisation of the
proteins and minerals during maturation. Beemster X-O has a smooth and creamy
taste which develops into a full-bodied, wonderful butterscotch caramel
sweetness, with a bit of crunchiness and a strong nutty finish.
Beemster X-O- pairs nicely with port wines, sherry, as well as
sweet whites, such as Riesling. It is a great addition to any cheese platter
served with dates, figs and walnuts.
Check out this video on the making of Beemster cheese directly
from the Beemster Polder in Netherlands.
Bonne Bouche is an
outstanding goat milk cheese that is perfectly named as it translates to 'tasty
mouthful' in French.
Bonne Bouche, winner
of many awards since its introduction in 2001, is a soft, fresh-ripened, ash covered, pasteurized goat-milk cheese from Vermont Creamery located in Websterville, Vermont.
Bonne Bouche is made with fresh pasteurized goat-milk that is
coagulated with vegetarian microbial rennet. After 24 hours, then the curd is
carefully hand ladled into molds, then drained and lightly sprinkled with ash.
The cheese is then aged for about 10 days, long enough for the rind to start to
develop its wrinkly, brain-like creases which is 'Geotrichum', a mold used to
neutralize or de-acidify the cheese surface. Each Bonne Bouche is then carefully
packaged into its own individual little wooden crate where it can continue to
age for 1 to 2 months.
Bonne Bouche is a
small disc shaped wheel approximately 7 cm (2.5 in.) in diameter and 2 cm (3/4
in.) in height, weighing around 120 grams (4 oz.). What is striking about Bonne
Bouche at first glance is its distinctive soft charcoal-grey wrinkled rind. It
has a mild pungent aroma with hints of hay and wet caves. The rich and creamy white
coloured paste has a sweet lemony mild flavour with hints of mushrooms and
pepper. Bonne Bouche is characteristic of a true chèvre; it becomes softer and
more piquant as it ages.
Bonne Bouche pairs nicely with dark chocolate and a dry white wine
such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio or a California Riesling.
Vermont Creamery
(formerly known as Vermont Butter and
Cheese Company) was created in 1984 by Allison Hooper and Bob
Reese. Today with a staff of more than 40, the creamery produces a
variety of fresh and aged dairy products. For the Creamery's goat-milk
products, goats' milk is sourced from a network of approximately 20 family goat
farms who provide milk that have met the highest standards of purity. Vermont Creamery produces fresh goat cheese,
goat milk feta, fresh Crottin as well as other lovely chèvres like Bonne Bouche; Coupole, Bijou and the mixed-milk Cremont.
For Vermont Creamery’s cows-milk products; crème fraîche, cultured
butter, mascarpone, and quark the cows-milk is sourced from Vermont’s St. Albans Cooperative Creamery.
Curé-Hébert is an
award-winning, raw cow-milk, semi-soft, washed rind, farmstead cheese from
Québec's Lac-St-Jean area.
Curé-Hébert cheese is produced by Fromagerie L'Autre Versant owned and operated by husband and wife team Stéphane Tremblay and Chantale Lalancette. This young couple are the 6th generation of Tremblay's who have been farming on this heritage farm located in Hébertville, Québec.
Curé-Hébert cheese is named after the priest Nicolas Hébert-Tolentin, who founded Hébertville in 1849 where their own ancestors had come to establish themselves.
Curé-Hébert cheese is made from the milk of the farm's own herd of Ayrshire cows. Curé-Hébert has an orange-brownish coloured washed-rind that is partially covered with a fine white duvet dusting. The soft velvety paste has a light yellow hue the colour of creamed butter and is slightly dotted with small holes and a texture that is unctuous, creamy and melts in the mouth. Curé-Hébert has a sweet aroma of butter, cream and mushroom with sweet notes of honey or caramel. Curé-Hébert which is matured for a minimum of 60 days offers flavours that will vary from mild to more pronounced depending on its degree of maturity. Curé-Hébert tastes of butter, cream, mushrooms with lingering notes of roasted nuts and seeds.
Curé-Hébert cheese pairs nicely with a fruity medium bodied red wine
such as Gamay from France or an Australian Grenache. Curé-Hébert is lovely with a Québec
ice cider or a tawny port from Portugal.
The Fromagerie L'Autre Versant also offers fresh non-homogenized
whole cows-milk, plus they produce fresh cheese curds, cheddar and two other
farmstead cheeses made with raw cow-milk; Le Cru du Canton a firm pressed-paste
cheese and Le Tremblay a lovely small soft-paste mixed-rind cheese.
Fromagerie L'Autre Versant is one of a dozen or so cheese producers
still making raw-milk cheeses in Quebec today.
Detectorists, is a
quirky British comedy-drama TV series about two friends who share this passion
for metal detecting.
Written, directed and co-starring Mackenzie Crook (who played the detestable Gareth Keenan in The Office) now playing the character
of Andy. Along with his wise-cracking friend Lance, excellently played by Toby Jones (Marvellous, Infamous) the two spend their days plodding through
fields, hoping to find their fortune with a couple of metal detectors.
Through the six episodes series you are introduced to an amusing
cast of characters who are also drawn to this curious hobby. Detectorists, is
well written with clever humour and enjoyably charming.
Here is a short preview of Episode One that ran on BBC Four.
BellaVitano is an
award winning, firm, pasteurised cow-milk cheese produced by Sartori
Cheese located in Plymouth, Wisconsin.
BellaVitano is an Italian style cheese that combines the rich and
creamy flavour of cheddar cheese with the tasty, fruity, nutty flavour and the
gritty texture of parmesan.
Sartori Cheese is a fourth-generation family
owned and operated company that's been in operation since 1939. Sartori Cheese
produces various Italian style cheese; from a classic Parmesan, Fontina,
Asiago, Romano and their award-winning line of Sartori Reserve Bellavitano
cheeses.
The Sartori Reserve
BellaVitano artisan cheeses include a spellbinding lineup of BellaVitano
cheeses that have been skillfully combined with various flavours. Sartori's
Master Cheesemakers have perfectly combined a diversified selection of rich,
fruity, Old World flavors with the original texture, creamy with the
crystalline crunch of the BellaVitano.
The award-winning line of Sartori Reserve BellaVitano artisan
cheeses includes; Balsamic BellaVitano, Black Pepper BellaVitano, Chai
BellaVitano, Espresso BellaVitano, BellaVitano Gold, Merlot BellaVitano, Raspberry BellaVitano and
their latest limited edition addition, the Cognac BellaVitano.
Regardless of whether you prefer the spiciness of Chai, the berry
and plum notes of Merlot, the tart Raspberry ale, fresh roasted Espresso,
BellaVitano is a cheese that pleases everybody.
BellaVitano pairs well with Chardonnay, Merlot or Pinot Noir
wines.
Le Chèvre Noir is an
excellent pasteurized goat-milk cheddar that was created by cheesemaker Louise
Lefebvre in 1988 for Fromagerie Tournevent in Chesterville, Quebec. It was
introduced to the market as an aged cheddar in 1989. Fromagerie Tournevant, a
goat dairy was started in 1976 by Lucie Chartier and René Marceau. The
Fromagerie Tournevent has been operated under Damafro for the past several
years; they in turn have recently been acquired by the Agropur cooperative.
What distinguishes this cheddar Le Chèvre Noir at first glance is the beautiful snow-white colour
of its paste that is emphasized by the contrast of its outer black wax coating.
It has a firm and crumbly texture just like real aged cheddar with its crunchy
protein crystals. Chevre Noir has a sharp taste with a bit of tang, but it is
balanced out by the creamy texture of the cheese. Chevre Noir reveals many
flavours; butter, nuts and a wonderful lingering finish of caramel with a pinch
of salt.
Le Chèvre Noir is produced in different size formats and also
available in different stages of aging from 1, 2 or 3 years. My favourite
version of Chèvre Noir has been aged for 3 years; I find it has just that extra
little bit of zing.
Like all aged cheddars, Chevre Noir should be served rather cool.
Long exposure to dry air causes its fat to evacuate to the edges. Le Chèvre Noir
is ideal served with fruits and nuts accompanied with a full-bodied white, a
rich red wine, a Port or premium beer.
