A few months back - ok I admit it, it was January - I did Cheese Tasting #1 with the intention of doing tastings every month and writing about them for you. I do love cheese and I particularly love gazing lovingly over the little golden hockey pucks in the cases at the Cheesemonger. I love eating them more. But I admit I was distracted by other culinary endeavours and went off track.
The below are notes from what I will now call - for the sake of my, e'hem, dignity as a "food blogger" - a "Spring" cheese tasting. There....that's brings us up to date!
3 month old Manchego Cheese - Spain
Manchego is a sheep's milk cheese from the La Mancha region in Spain, which must be aged for at least 60 days and no more than 2 years, so this is a relatively young cheese by those standards. It is a relatively firm cheese, but still retains a butter texture and nutty flavour and slices easily. It is made using milk from the Manchega sheep. This cheese is a "Curado" meaning it is semi-firm and aged for three to six months with a sweet and nutty flavour. The other major type of Manchego is "Viejo", which must be aged for at least one year. This results in a firmer cheese with a sharper flavour.
Rating: Since I first went to Spain 15 years ago, Machego has been one of my favourite cheeses. So much so that on my last visit there I brought some back on the 7 hour flight only to be stopped by Customs for "importing" cheese and meat into Canada (I also brought some Serrano Ham). When the Custom's Officer asked me what I was declaring and how much I was bringing I told him honestly. I am a Compliance Officer of course, so I don't lie. Then he just laughed and let me go after I told him it was like 500g of each. Anyway, I love Manchego and it makes a regular appearance on any cheese platter I do - this one was fantastic. Buy again!
Cana De Oveja - Spain
This cheese is a soft-ripened sheep milk cheese from the Murcia region in Spain. It is generally aged as a log for 21 days which results in a white bloom on its rind. As the cheese comes up to temperature, it softens in the middle revealing a creamy and nutty centre, with a slightly more firm and sharp exterior.
Rating: First time I've tried this but truly excellent and a total keeper.
Buy again!
Echo Mountain Blue from Rouge Creamery - Oregon
I don't tend to buy too many cheeses from the U.S. because the wealth of quality cheese makers we have here in Ontario and Québec is often enough to keep my palette entertained. However, this Blue caught my eye, and once again in this tasting, I was not disappointed. Wonderful.
Echo Mountain Blue is an organic cheese made from a blend of raw cow's and goat's milk, and aged for about eight months. It has all the tang, earth and spice that I like in a Blue, combined with assertive taste of the blue mold. This is the dryer kind of Blue I like - firm and dense and crumbly.
Rating: Excellent choice for a Blue on your cheese plate. Buy again!
The below are notes from what I will now call - for the sake of my, e'hem, dignity as a "food blogger" - a "Spring" cheese tasting. There....that's brings us up to date!
Manchego is a sheep's milk cheese from the La Mancha region in Spain, which must be aged for at least 60 days and no more than 2 years, so this is a relatively young cheese by those standards. It is a relatively firm cheese, but still retains a butter texture and nutty flavour and slices easily. It is made using milk from the Manchega sheep. This cheese is a "Curado" meaning it is semi-firm and aged for three to six months with a sweet and nutty flavour. The other major type of Manchego is "Viejo", which must be aged for at least one year. This results in a firmer cheese with a sharper flavour.
Rating: Since I first went to Spain 15 years ago, Machego has been one of my favourite cheeses. So much so that on my last visit there I brought some back on the 7 hour flight only to be stopped by Customs for "importing" cheese and meat into Canada (I also brought some Serrano Ham). When the Custom's Officer asked me what I was declaring and how much I was bringing I told him honestly. I am a Compliance Officer of course, so I don't lie. Then he just laughed and let me go after I told him it was like 500g of each. Anyway, I love Manchego and it makes a regular appearance on any cheese platter I do - this one was fantastic. Buy again!
This cheese is a soft-ripened sheep milk cheese from the Murcia region in Spain. It is generally aged as a log for 21 days which results in a white bloom on its rind. As the cheese comes up to temperature, it softens in the middle revealing a creamy and nutty centre, with a slightly more firm and sharp exterior.
Rating: First time I've tried this but truly excellent and a total keeper.
Buy again!
I don't tend to buy too many cheeses from the U.S. because the wealth of quality cheese makers we have here in Ontario and Québec is often enough to keep my palette entertained. However, this Blue caught my eye, and once again in this tasting, I was not disappointed. Wonderful.
Echo Mountain Blue is an organic cheese made from a blend of raw cow's and goat's milk, and aged for about eight months. It has all the tang, earth and spice that I like in a Blue, combined with assertive taste of the blue mold. This is the dryer kind of Blue I like - firm and dense and crumbly.
Rating: Excellent choice for a Blue on your cheese plate. Buy again!
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