Cheese Tasting #1

I don't know about you but I have a habit of going to the market, picking a number of nice cheeses, coming home, eating them....loving many, but tossing out the valuable piece of paper that tells you the name of the darned cheese!  Then I go back to the market another time hoping that I will remember what it was that I ate and liked, but I can't always find it.

So, today I decided I need to start writing down the names of the cheeses I buy and keep a few notes about each cheese so I can buy them again if I like them or avoid them if I don't.  And being the generous sort that I am, I thought I'd share this info with you lot!  Maybe I'll make this a monthly thing.

In Canada we are blessed with some amazing cheese makers, many of whom reside in La Belle Province, Quebec.  Today I purchased two Quebec cheeses that I haven't had before, along with a blue from Australia and a sheep's milk cheese from Italy.  Here's a little info on each gleaned from various websites along with our thoughts on each cheese:

Le 14 Arpent (Fromagerie Médard ) - Quebec

Fromage 14 Arpent is a Farm cheese made from the milk of brown Swiss cows, and has a creamy interior covered with a orange-coloured washed rind. Strong on flavour, it releases a taste of hazelnut.  The cheese is named after the road that borders the dairy where it is made - Le Chemin 14 Arpents (arpents = acres).

Our thoughts - Definitely a good choice for a cheese tray instead of your run of the mill brie or camembert.  For a soft cheese, it does have a strong flavour which is mellowed by its creamy texture.  I did not get a taste of hazelnut from the cheese, but I certainly enjoyed it and will buy it again.

Alfred Le Fermier (Fromagerie La Station) - Organic Raw Cow Milk Cheese - Quebec

Alfred Le Fermier is firm, washed rind organic raw cow’s milk cheese. It is ripened for eight months on wooden spruce boards by they cheesemaker, Alfred Bolduc.  The cheese has a flowery and nutty in flavour, with its orangey crust having a woody odour.

Our thoughts - This cheese delivers.  If you look closely at it you can see small pin-holes throughout its creamy flesh.  Looking at the cheese in the store,  I expected it to be harder and dryer but it is quite supple and creamy in texture.  It is buttery and nutty in flavour with good salt, but I did not get anything flowery at all.  Totally a keeper.

Pecorino Toscano DOP Fresco - Sheep Milk - Italy

This is a young Pecorino from Tuscany that is made only from the milk of pure-bred ewes. It is mild, and pleasant to taste with a sweet grassy flavor, The D.O.P. designation, much like the VQA or DOCG wine designations, guarantees that it is produced within a specific region of Tuscany and meets special standards. Pecorino Toscano Fresco is rich in butter fat and is best enjoyed as a table cheese; it is not recommended for grating.

Our thoughts - Pretty underwhelming and not something I would buy again.  I found the cheese lacking in any real flavour or character and rather bland to be honest.  It does have a slight sweet grassy flavour but nothing pronounced.  Guaranteed not to offend any palettes.

Roaring Forties Blue (Kings Island Dairy) - Australia

Roaring Forties Blue Cheese is made on an island just north of Tasmania, Australia. The cheese is named after the Roaring Forties winds of more than 100 kms per hour that the island is known for.   Unlike typical French blue cheeses made from sheeps's milk, Roaring 40's Blue is made entirely from cow's milk from Australian cows, which gives it a milder taste than other blues. It is a full bodied blue with a sweet, mild, creamy and slightly nutty taste. It is a rindless cheese, matured in a thick dark blue wax coating to cut off the oxygen supply, which helps it retain moisture and creates a smooth and creamy texture.

Our thoughts - Wow!  This a great blue.  Not as strong as a Stilton and not as daunting as some of the other very heavily blue veined cheeses. Very sweet, creamy and rich in the mouth, though once again I am not getting the nutty flavour all these cheeses claim.  I also like that it has this almost gritty, salty feel in the mouth very much like my beloved Bresse Bleu.  This is a great choice for a blue on a cheese tray.