Cheese (2005–2008)

[LindsayAnn]

[LindsayAnn]

ABOVE, ALL THE PICTS FROM THE MARKET

[LindsayAnn]

Sorry I wasnt done when that somehow posted early on me!?!?!?

Anyway, I took some pretty apple pictures too. I didnt take any other vendors pictures, as I was kinda in a hurry and took a lot of the capriel farm cheeses....

I think I got em' all....I forgot one cheese actually (I bought it, just didnt take its picture).

I ended up spending over 40$!!!!

I bought the pyramid (dusted in paprika), a fresh goat round, the little ball dusted in ash (with the mold), a wedge of the semisoft goat that has a rind with herbs all over it (this is the one I forgot to get a picture of, its one of my favorites and marcy's market located inside of Sams Wine Depot has it almost always), and the stinky goat wedge (this one is great and I have never tried it until now, I think its new). YUM@!

[LindsayAnn]

Forgot to post these guys!

Round with ash mold, tripple layer goat (pesto, sundried tomato), and the stinky goat wedge...in that order

[Dave Hatfield]

Lots to talk about today.

Linsayann & Shar, I'm glad you're both really into this whole cheese thing. I'm really enjoying your posts.

L, were those beautiful apples $3 per apple/ per pound or per kilogram? Three bucks a pound sounds pretty expensive. The cheeses look great. What exactly is the "fromage a trois"? I know what the literal translation is, but what kind of cheese is it? Sounds vaguely erotic.

Gariotin; No apologies to Rupert necessary.After all we mistook you for a boy, how bad am I? Roop would love to meet (read chase) your cats, he'd mean no harm, but he is pretty excitable.

Yes, Roquefort is a pretty small village, but the caves are extensive. I have to admit that it isn't my favourite blue cheese. In general its too salty & sharp for my taste. I prefer blues like; Blue de Causses, Blue de Brebis, St Augur, Forme d'Albert & so forth. Perhaps my favourite is Roquefort's cow milk cousin Stilton. I was also very taken by the Wensleydale Blue I had this fall; I understand that its the same bacterium as Roquefort, but its a milder cheese.

You X-mas plate sounds pretty good to me. Don't know what we're having as we are going up to our friends for Christmas dinner. Hope to get into the Victor Hugo market in Toulouse tomorrow on our way to buy some wonderful Madiran wine direct from the producer. If we make I will for sure pick up some interesting cheeses.

[shar999]

My order just arrived.

I got the Farm Market Sampler: O'Banon, Wabash Cannonball, Mont. St. Francis, and a fig cake.

The fig cake is very strange looking. It looks like a basket is woven completely around it. I'll have to figure out how to get it open.

[gariotin]

Lindsay, great photos. I love the crate of Wabash Cannonballs - looks so good.

Shar - I LOVE the Mt. St. Francis - let us know what you think. It is a wash rind and very delicious and unique. The fig cake sounds weird - is it from Spain?

Dave - according to her old sales brochure, Fromage a Trois is a torta that layers chevre, basil pesto, and sun dried tomatos. It started out as a joint creation between Judy and Mary Keehn of Cypress Grove. (American cheesemakers are a very friendly group.)

I actually do love roquefort - I know what you mean about the saltiness, but the tangy sheepiness is just so good. I think I do know the blue wensleydale you mean - is it from Hawe's Dairy in North Yorkshire? It is very unique - I have a hard enough time over here trying to sell folks on real authentic plain wensleydale. Maybe I should consider the blue - but it is pretty expensive by the time it gets here.

Actually, Americans should expect to see rising prices on all imported cheeses just after the holidays. The tanking dollar means that anything bought in euros or pounds will be going up. More good reason to enjoy a nice cheese plate over the holidays!

[LindsayAnn]

Lindsay, great photos.  I love the crate of Wabash Cannonballs - looks so good.

Shar - I LOVE the Mt. St. Francis - let us know what you think.  It is a wash rind and very delicious and unique.  The fig cake sounds weird - is it from Spain?

Dave - according to her old sales brochure, Fromage a Trois is a torta that layers chevre, basil pesto, and sun dried tomatos.  It started out as a joint creation between Judy and Mary Keehn of Cypress Grove.  (American cheesemakers are a very friendly group.)

I actually do love roquefort - I know what you mean about the saltiness, but the tangy sheepiness is just so good.  I think I do know the blue wensleydale you mean - is it from Hawe's Dairy in North Yorkshire?  It is very unique - I have a hard enough time over here trying to sell folks on real authentic plain wensleydale.  Maybe I should consider the blue - but it is pretty expensive by the time it gets here.

Actually, Americans should expect to see rising prices on all imported cheeses just after the holidays.  The tanking dollar means that anything bought in euros or pounds will be going up.  More good reason to enjoy a nice cheese plate over the holidays!

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100% correct you are on the description of Fromage a Trois. Its good, I didnt purchase it as it is not my favorite, but many people swear by it (so it seems by its popularity at the market at least).

[Dave Hatfield]

Blue Wensleydale - Turns out that this is a very old cheese dating back to the 1300 hundreds & made by monks who emigrated from the Roquefort region of France. It nearly went out of production in favour of white Wensleydale until recently. Wonderful flavour, nutty smooth & very creamy. Not nearly as sharp as Roquefort.

The above is from a post I did earlier this year after our return from England. Not sure who made the cheese, but I bought it at the Mousetrap Cheese shop in Ludlow.

See wikipedia for nice write up on the history.

Thanks for the info on the menange.

Prices shouldn't go up that much. The dollar has only depreciated by about 3-4% since this summer. Against the Euro that it; its worse against the pound.

[gariotin]

I agree w/you Lindsay - with all the interesting cheeses that Capriole has, the Fromage a Trois is not the most interesting.

Yes, you are right, Dave - the fall against the pound has been more dramatic lately. In general, importers here do not raise prices during the 4th quarter, which is their biggest sales period of the year. So they have been "eating" higher costs for several months. There will definitely be some higher prices over here after the first of the year.

[Daddy-A]

Just finished shopping for the Christmas cheese plate at the Daddy-A household:

Fourme d'Ambert, Colton-Basset Stilton, St. Andre, Gruyere (forget the name ... begins with "K"), 3 y.o. Quebec Cheddar (again, forgot the dairy) and Salt Spring Island Chevre.

Saturday night we'll be enjoying some Vacherin Mont d'Or baked with garlic and Reisling.

What's on your cheese plate this Yule-time?

A.

What a friend we have in Cheeses.

[gfron1]

And mine...

I nice comtè

Taleggio Carravagio

Cabrales

A classic stilton

And a beautiful Pecorino Foglie Noce...

This last one is the only one that might call for tasting notes, which I'll do when I get a piece in my mouth.

[Dana]

I picked up a Butler's Blacksticks Blue on the recomendation of the woman at the cheese counter of my local super mart. (No real cheese shop here) Anyone know anything about it?

I have a brie whose name escapes me at the moment and goat cheese gouda.

Will serve with apples and pears, walnuts and marcona almonds with a glass of port.

I think we'll have this on Sunday evening while waiting for Santa. I'll have to ask my 3year old grandson if we can leave some for him. I guarantee Santa would rather have that and milk and cookies!!!

[gingerpeachy]

I suspect Daddy-A and I were in the same cheese shop today.

For us:

Colton-Basset Stilton; aged Manchego; Brie with black truffles; extra strong aged Scottish cheddar, French ash dusted chevre and a Vacherin Mont d'Or.

[Daddy-A]

I suspect Daddy-A and I were in the same cheese shop today.

Ha! I was thinking the same thing! Did you stop in next door for gaufres?

A.

[Dave Hatfield]

My mouth is watering! Some great cheese platters above.

Guess I'll have to shop at the market tomorrow & see what I can find.

I did find this this the other day in the supermarket.

As you can see its called Langres & comes from the Champagne region. Cows milk AOC & has been made for the last 200 years. Very nice tangy flavour.

I've read that you can put champagne into the depression on top & let it soak in. Sounds festive to me. Any Excuse!

Finally, a question for everyone to ponder over Christmas. In what sequence will you, ideally, eat the cheeses you have on your Christmas cheese platter.

[MarketStEl]

Can't answer that question yet. Quite likely at random.

On the platter: Baked Brie, Rofumo, Pennsylvania Noble (a cave-aged cheddar-style cheese that is absolutely the best cheddar I've ever had), Five Counties, Borough Market Stilton, La Serena, Idiazabal, DiBruno Brothers' "Abruzzeze" and "Alouette" cheese spreads, smoked salmon cream cheese spread.

Photos tomorrow. Open house starts at 6:30 p.m.

[gariotin]

We are offering some artisinal British cheeses - Lord of the Hundreds, Sharpham Rustic w/chive & garlic, Cornish Blue, as well as aged raw milk manchego, La Tur, Valdeon, and Buche des Causses. Serving w/fresh apple slices, hazelnuts in honey that I bought in Budapest farmer's market, and date cake from Spain.

Also got a block of foie gras that I will scatter pomagranate seeds over and serve w/mini toasts.

And some good champagne. Who needs dinner after that?

Life is good - Merry Christmas where appropriate.

Thanks, everyone, for the great photos. I plan on breaking down and getting a dig camera this year, so can contribute too.

[LindsayAnn]

We are offering some artisinal British cheeses - Lord of the Hundreds, Sharpham Rustic w/chive & garlic, Cornish Blue, as well as aged raw milk manchego, La Tur, Valdeon, and Buche des Causses.  Serving w/fresh apple slices, hazelnuts in honey that I bought in Budapest farmer's market, and date cake from Spain.

Also got a block of foie gras that I will scatter pomagranate seeds over and serve w/mini toasts.

And some good champagne.  Who needs dinner after that?

Life is good - Merry Christmas where appropriate.

Thanks, everyone, for the great photos.  I plan on breaking down and getting a dig camera this year, so can contribute too.

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Do it do it....break down already and get a digital! Why would I care? Well duh - I am dying to SEE all of your heavenly cheeses. I already enjoy reading about your experiences and uncovering your advice...pictures would be an additional benefit of having you're contributions! I've gotta say...you and Dave sure do know your cheeses~!

[Dave Hatfield]

We are offering some artisinal British cheeses - Lord of the Hundreds, Sharpham Rustic w/chive & garlic, Cornish Blue, as well as aged raw milk manchego, La Tur, Valdeon, and Buche des Causses.  Serving w/fresh apple slices, hazelnuts in honey that I bought in Budapest farmer's market, and date cake from Spain.

Also got a block of foie gras that I will scatter pomagranate seeds over and serve w/mini toasts.

And some good champagne.  Who needs dinner after that?

Life is good - Merry Christmas where appropriate.

Thanks, everyone, for the great photos.  I plan on breaking down and getting a dig camera this year, so can contribute too.

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Do it do it....break down already and get a digital! Why would I care? Well duh - I am dying to SEE all of your heavenly cheeses. I already enjoy reading about your experiences and uncovering your advice...pictures would be an additional benefit of having you're contributions! I've gotta say...you and Dave sure do know your cheeses~!

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LindsayAnn thanks for the kind words.

I'm with you. Garotin, get a digital camera - soon. We'd all like to see pictures of the glorious cheeses you tell us about.

The camera need not be a fancy one. I find that our little point & shoot works nearly as well as the fancy SLR. Lighting is the crucial part. You may notice that I take almost all of my cheese pictures in the same place. Its near a large window with good oblique light from behind me as I take the picture.

So; SEE you soon!

[gariotin]

I know, I know - I am one of those people who always waits to adopt any kind of new technology. Not exactly a Luddite, but by the time I get around to buying things, they are usually much cheaper.

I also want to post pix on the kitchen reno thread - I just turned the most hideous 1950s dark hellhole into a bright thing of beauty. I am in love!

I forgot one of the most interesting cheeses we had on Xmas eve - Rogue River Blue. This is part of a wonderful production from Rogue River Creamery in Washington (I think) - they make very delicious blues - including a lightly smoked one. If you see them in your local shop, but one! Yum!

[MarketStEl]

Okay, I had promised Christmas Eve pix. Sorry for the delay.

The cheese platter originally had this assortment:

Top left: Idiazabal (Spain). Top right: Five Counties (England). Center: Borough Market Stilton (England). Bottom left: Rofumo (Holland). Bottom right: La Serena (Spain).

Then I realized that I hadn't allowed the Borough Market Stilton to reach room temperature, so I put it back in the fridge -- where it remains today, unopened -- and substituted a brick of Cabot horseradish Cheddar (process).

I also had four cheese spreads: three handmade spreads--

Top left: Alouette (cream cheese with garlic and herbs; the taste is similar to what's sold in the supermarkets as Boursin*); Top right: Abbruzze (Cheddar with herbs and hot peppers--one of my favorites); both from DiBruno Brothers. Bottom: Smoked salmon spread from Da Vinci Cafe and Cheese Court in downtown Swarthmore. (I stumbled across this friendly little cheese shop completely by accident; I had to find a restroom to use before I caught the 5:55 R3 into town, walked over to this cafe, and found a cheese counter in my way. The shop had some interesting varieties that I hadn't seen in town, including the Five Counties in the photo above, and the owner was very friendly. If you're in the western Philly 'burbs and looking for a great little cheese shop, I recommend this place highly.)

--and one commercial spread.

For my cheesehead friends Vince and Brian, I had bought this as a Christmas present:

This is absolutely the best Cheddar-style cheese I have ever eaten. Produced in Kirkwood, Lancaster County, this cave-aged, organic raw milk cheese has a slightly tangy flavor alongside the traditional Cheddar bite and is creamier and less salty than traditional Cheddar. Green Valley Dairy explains that this is because they skip the brining step in the traditional cheddaring process. This cheese is worth every penny of the $20 per pound charged, and you can order it directly from the dairy farm if you don't happen to live within an easy drive of the Reading Terminal Market or Lancaster County. (For now, you will have to communicate with them via e-mail, as their online store is down.)

I also had some on hand for the guests.

And as usual, I made entirely too much homemade blue cheese dip:

It's in the bowl at the upper right of this photo. I use half a pound of blue cheese--this time, it was buttermilk blue--half a pound of softened cream cheese and a pint of sour cream. To this mixture I add about a half tablespoon of onion powder and blend until just about smooth.

and, of course, there was cheese for the sandwiches--American, double Gloucester, and Swiss.

The guests just about demolished the La Serena, a soft-ripened cheese with a mellow flavor, and made pretty quick work of the Pennsylvania Noble too (I did manage to save some so Vince and Brian could get an idea of the quality of the cheese). They also managed to eliminate one of the Five Counties.

On top of all this, I got a Hickory Farms gift set and a wheel of baked Brie from Vince and Brian, and Gary got a Figi's cheese and sausage collection. My doctor won't like what I have to present him on my next checkup.

*Edited to add: DiBruno's also has a Boursin spread. It's more garlicky and oniony than the Alouette and tastes nothing like the supermarket Boursin.

Edited December 28, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[Chufi]

Top left: Idiazabal (Spain). Top right: Five Counties (England). Center: Borough Market Stilton (England). Bottom left: Rofumo (Holland). Bottom right: La Serena (Spain).

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what sort of Dutch cheese is the Rofumo? I'm unfamiliar with it.

[gariotin]

Thanks for all the great pix! Your selection looks great - I am not surprised your guests demolished the La Serena - it is a spectacular cheese. A sheeps milk from Spain, it's rennet comes from a local thistle - it gives it a herbaceous flavor along w/the sheep tanginess.

Sometimes it is so soft that you can spoon it out like you would a real vacherin.

They eliminated one of the five counties????? Which one?????

[MarketStEl]

Top left: Idiazabal (Spain). Top right: Five Counties (England). Center: Borough Market Stilton (England). Bottom left: Rofumo (Holland). Bottom right: La Serena (Spain).

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what sort of Dutch cheese is the Rofumo? I'm unfamiliar with it.

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And well you should be. I misclassified it. My apologies.

Rofumo is a new variety -- a hickory smoked cheese from Wisconsin that resembles Fontina in texture.

Here's what its maker, Roth Käse USA Ltd., has to say about it.

They had it next to several Dutch varieties at the Whole Foods cheese counter, so I assumed it too came from the Netherlands.

BTW and FWIW, the Buttermilk Blue that I used in the dip (purchased at Salumeria in the Reading Terminal Market) is made by the same company that produces Rofumo. It's an American offshoot of an established Swiss family cheesemaker.