Say....Cheese!

Or Fromage, Queso, Käse, Formaggio, no matter where you are, most likely it is too. Brie from France; Stilton from England; Kaseri from Greece; Telemea from Romania; Fontal from Italy, I could go on and on. But won’t. Ever since humans had animals that produced milk, there has been cheese. Some sources say that it has been around for over 4000 years. We normally think of Cow, Sheep, Goats, there are cheeses made from Yak, Reindeer, Camels, Buffalo and so on. So it’s no wonder that varieties are almost endless. For instance a list of cheeses by country revealed that France has over thirty that begin with the letter B. Long time readers of the ramblings of the feeder have heard him say that cheese might be considered a perfect food. If you can’t find a cheese you like, it’s because you haven’t looked hard enough. Soft, hard, (even semi soft and semi hard), subtly flavored, strong, with rind, without, amazing.

Now that Woodburns “consolidated” their cheese offerings, you have to look for that Morbiér or Emmentaler in amongst the Kraft and Cabot (which, by the way, are not all that bad for everyday use), and with limited shelf space, the “classic” selections have (IMHO) been reduced. So it was with pleasure that I learned that Blue Wind Gourmet had gotten in some “specialty” cheeses (I don’t particularly care for the overworked term “artisanal”), A trip to do some tastings resulting in bringing home some selections. There were cheeses from a Wisconsin source (Roth Käse, USA) as well as from Maryland. Roth offers several kinds of cheeses, while Firefly Farms from Bittenger Md. specializes in Goat cheese. After tasting around, I selected a Gruyére, a Bleu, and a Cheddar from the Roth offerings, and a Buche Noir from the Firefly folks. Without going into several paragraphs of rapture and “layers of flavor stuff” all are just wonderful. Each of the Roth cheeses was true to its kind, and exhibited all of the characteristics of its variety. The Firefly Buche Noir (‘Black Dog”) is an aged chevre log, first coated in vegetable ash and then aged for several weeks to develop a white-bloomed rind that gives a wonderful play of texture and flavors on the tongue.

Although it is gaining favor locally, a cheese course is probably not given its due in America as it is in Europe. Considered just part of the meal there, here it is usually for special occasion dinners, or maybe just a first course. I still consider probably the best meal of my life (so far) to be on 18 Juin, 1998 at (3 Star) Lameloise in Chagny, France. When I think of that experience the first thing that comes to mind was the flawless service, but usually the next thing was the cheese cart that followed the meal. I remember eye popping flavors and textures of things I had never before tasted. Not to mention the Pigeonneau rôti aux Champignons des Bois and the Griottes-Chambertin 1984.

Anyway, my point is: try to enjoy cheese more, find the real stuff such as at gourmet shops. Just like wine, you find what you like by stretching your boundaries some. And first and foremost, don’t just take the cheese from the fridge, cut it up and put it on a plate and eat it Serving at the right temperature (usually just room) greatly enhances the flavor and lets you enjoy the real texture and get the full flavor. And, as with wine, appreciate it first with your eye, then the nose and finally in the mouth. Give it some respect.


Here’s a image of our cheese plate, with (clockwise from top left) the Roth Gruyére, the Firefly Buche Noir, (fruit, crackers – we didn’t have any baguettes), the Roth 4 year aged cheddar and the buttermilk blue. Oh, and yes, that is an ’89 Ch. Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville in the background. And no, you can’t have it.



more on weekend ramblings later--

DFD