Bleu de Brebis de Charlevoix

Bleu de Brebis de Charlevoix is a semi-firm, blue veined, pasteurised sheep milk cheese produced by La Maison Maurice Dufour in Baie-Saint-Paul located in Quebec's picturesque region of Charlevoix.

In 1994 Maurice Dufour a certified agronomist, established the cheese aging house 'La Maison d’affinage Maurice Dufour". Through the years this cottage-type cheese factory has earned their fame and glory with the highly regarded Migneron de Charlevoix cheese.

Several years passed at Maison Maurice Dufour, paving the way for their Bleu de Brebis de Charlevoix, an innovative cheese made only from sheep's milk. Bleu de Brebis de Charlevoix introduced in 1999 is made with the milk of Lacaune and East Friesian breed of ewes. Roquefort AOC cheese is produced exclusively with the milk of Lacaune ewes. Bleu de Brebis de Charlevoix received a First Prize Ribbon at the 2011 American Cheese Society Competition.

Bleu de Brebis de Charlevoix is a round 2.5 kg (5 1/2 lbs.) wheel measuring approx. 22 cm (8 1/2") in diameter and 12 cm (5") in height and is aged for 5 months. It has a greyish rind and a pale yellow semi-firm paste with a few bluish-green veins. It has quite a strong flavour, quite pungent and slightly salty.

Bleu de Brebis de Charlevoix is the perfect addition to any cheese plater or as a companion to many dishes or salads. This blue cheese is pleasant with dried fruit, chocolate and sweet wines.

La Famille Migneron de Charlevoix cheeses includes; Le Migneron a semi-soft, surface-ripened, washed rind, cows milk cheese that was crowned the Grand Champion at the 2002 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix competition; Le Ciel De Charlevoix another award winning semi-soft, cow's milk blue cheese; Secret de Maurice a soft surface ripened sheep-milk cheese whose secret recipe comes from Spain; La Tomme d'Elles an award winning firm, surface-ripened, washed rind made with a mixture of sheep and cow milk; La Tomme de Brebis de Charlevoix a firm, surface-ripened, washed rind, sheep milk cheese.

Today La Maison Maurice Dufour is known across the country for their Famille Migneron cheeses they produce and for having pioneered the resurgence of fine Quebec cheeses.

www.famillemigneron.com/

Thomas Hoe Stevenson Aged Blue Stilton

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.

http://www.clawson.co.uk/

http://www.stiltoncheese.co.uk/

L'Étoile Bleue de Saint-Rémi

 

L'Étoile Bleue de Saint-Rémi is an artisanal sheep-milk blue cheese fabricated by Fromagerie Du Charme located in Saint-Rémi-de-Tingwick in the Appalachian mountain area in the Centre-du-Québec region. Young entrepreneur Olivier Ducharme has recently acquired the Fromagerie from what was formerly Bergerie Jeannine.  

L'Étoile Bleue de Saint-Rémi is a lovely blue-veined cheese made from thermized sheep-milk cheese. It is produced in a small cylindrical 1.5 KG wheel that is distinguished by its blue aluminum foil covering.

L'Étoile Bleue de Saint-Rémi has a white, crumbly yet creamy texture, with lovely veins of blue-green mold. The overall flavour sensation starts off slightly mild, then a sweet fruity taste, ending with a moderately sharp tang. 

What I like about L'Étoile Bleue is that even though it is made from sheep milk like the world renowned Roquefort blue cheeses, it is not as salty.

L'Étoile Bleue could be a great addition to any salad. It pairs nicely with a dry white Jurançon.

Fromagerie Du Charme is currently producing two excellent cheeses made from ewes milk, from recipes that he has retained from the former owners; L'Étoile Bleue de Saint-Rémi and Le Friesian. They also produce two new cow-milk cheeses; Hermann and La Tablée.

www.facebook.com/fromagerie.ducharme

Photo sources:
www.lanouvelle.net
virtuel.lesactualites.canoe.ca

Roaring Forties Blue

Roaring Forties Blue is a mild pasteurized cow's milk blue cheese produced by King Island Dairy in Australia.  King Island is located in Southern Australia south of Melbourne in the Bass Strait above the north-west tip of Tasmania.

 

The cheese is named after the notorious Roaring Forties gales which bring winds of more than 100 km per hour to King Island, which is located on the 40 degrees latitude.

The Island's dairy herds graze on lush, dense pastures and their rich diet is supplemented with kelp that gets washed up after heavy storms. King Island cows have become renowned for producing the purest, sweetest, creamiest milk which is the secret behind the fine dairy products and award-winning cheeses produced by the King Island Dairy.

King Island Dairy's head cheesemaker is Swiss-born Ueli Berger, who studied cheese-making in Switzerland for three years before moving to Australia. He's been head of the cheese making team at King Island Dairy since 1998.

 

Roaring Forties Blue is a rind-less cheese that has matured in a dark blue coloured wax coating. The wax covering cuts off the oxygen supply to the cheese while maturing to promote a sweet fruity flavour. The wax coating also helps in retaining the cheese's moisture which creates a lovely buttery smooth texture.

Roaring Forties Blue is a rich flavourful blue veined cheese with a sweet presence of honey, slightly nutty flavour and a great creamy aftertaste.

Roaring Forties Blue pairs nicely with an Australian Shiraz wine.

King Island Dairy suggests serving Roaring 40's Blue with maple syrup spiced dates, fresh pears and sliced fruit bread. (To prepare dates; cut 12 dates in half, remove pips, combine dates with a tablespoon of maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of mixed spices and let stand for a minimum of 20 minutes before serving.)

http://kingislanddairy.com.au

View The King Island Dairy Story - The Island, The People, The Dairy...

Ermite

Ermite is a pasteurized cow-milk blue cheese produced by the monks at the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac located in Québec's Eastern Townships.

Blue Ermite has a semi-soft cream-coloured paste with a blue-green mould and natural rind. The paste is crumbly yet creamy in the mouth with some granular bits. Ermite is a relatively mild blue cheese, with tangy slightly salty after tones and has a pleasant mushroom aroma.

Ermite, is fabricated in a 2 kg. (4.5 lbs.) wheel which is treated with Roquefort penicillium. The wheels are aged for five weeks, then removed from the ripening rooms and are then washed to remove the natural molds that have formed on the rinds.

Cheese fabrication at l'Abbaye Saint-Benoît was launched in 1943, at this time the Benedictine monks only made the Ermite blue cheese. Through the years they have added other quality cheeses to the range of products they produce such as the award winning Bleu Benedictin, Frère Jacques and Le Moutier.

Ermite blue cheese is a perfect addition to any cheese platter; it is great for cooking or in salads.

Try out this zeste.tv recipe for Bosc pears stuffed with Ermite cheese and Saskatoon berries.

Ermite pairs well with Ambre de Pommes (a Michel Jodoin blend of eau-de-vie and apple juice aged 18 months in oak barrels), or a late bottled vintage porto, or a red Tempranillo Rioja wine.

http://www.st-benoit-du-lac.com

Rogue River Blue

A year ago this week, at the 2011 American Cheese Society Convention, I had the opportunity to taste Rogue River Blue cheese from Oregon for the first time. I quickly became a big fan!

Rogue River Blue is an award winning blue cheese, which is wrapped with chestnut leaves that have marinated in pear brandy. This raw cow's milk, natural rind, blue cheese is aged between eight and twelve months and has a moist creamy texture with crunchy granular bits. The flavours are quite complex with notes of burnt cream, coffee, ripened berries and a lingering sweet note of pear brandy. Heavenly!

Rogue River Blue pairs well with a German Gewürztraminer, a Cabernet Franc, a desert wine or even a pear brandy.

Rogue Creamery is one of the USA's oldest dairies, in operation since 1935, located in the beautiful Rogue Valley of southern Oregon. Rogue Creamery has been known for a while now for producing repeat award winning blues and cheddars and the unique Rogue River Blue.

Rogue River Blue Awards;

World’s Best Blue Cheese – 2003 World Cheese Awards, London, England

Best in Show - 2009 American Cheese Society in Austin, Texas.

Best in Show - 2011 American Cheese Society, Montreal, Canada

http://www.roguecreamery.com

Meet the owners and cheesemakers of Rogue Creamery.

Episode #2 Rogue Creamery from Everyday Wonder Productions on Vimeo.

Monte Enebro

Monte Enebro is an award winning soft paste full flavoured pasteurised goat milk cheese from Spain.

The striking blue-gray coloured mold rind made from penicillium roqueforti covers the 2 1/2 lbs. elongated tubular shaped log. The snow white paste is dense and chalky when the cheese is young with a mild tangy flavour. As Monte Enebro ages the paste becomes creamy and runny and the flavours and aromas strengthen and become more pungent.

Monte Enebro is very tasty on its own but it is a delight with a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil or served with fresh figs when young. A more mature Monte Enebro is great served with olives.

Monte Enebro is produced by Queserías del Tiétar. This artisanal cheese dairy is located in Ávila, Spain in the La Adrada area in the Tiétar valley. The Tiétar Dairy is run by father and daughter team, Rafael and Paloma Báez Bravo-Murillo.

http://www.queseriasdeltietar.com/indexeng.htm

Le Bleu d'Elizabeth

The perfect cheese to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee; Le Bleu d'Elizabeth

Le Bleu d'Elizabeth is an award winning blue cheese made by La Fromagerie du Presbytère. The cheese is made with thermized organic cow milk, it has a thin amber natural rind with lovely blue and greenish coloured veins running through the pale yellow paste that is semi-firm.

Bleu d'Elizabeth has a soft rich creamy texture with a well-balanced salty taste leaving a slight caramel flavour on the tongue. Bleu d'Elizabeth is not an overbearing blue cheese it can be served and enjoyed alone, as an attractive and well appreciated addition to any cheese platter or added to your pasta dishes or salads. Here's a tasty recipe for a Waldorf salad using Le Bleu Elizabeth.

Le Bleu d'Elizabeth is the second gold medal winning cheese to come from Fromagerie du Presbytère run by brothers Jean and Dominique Morin who are fourth generation farmers. The family farm named Louis D'Or (also the name of their other gold winner cheese) is located in Ste. Elizabeth de Warwick in central Quebec near Drummondville. The organic milk used to produce their award winning cheese come from the farm's mixed herd of Holstein, Jersey and a few Canadienne cattle.

http://www.fromageriedupresbytere.com/