Christmas Cheese Board

Our Christmas Eve Cheese Board, complete with a bottle of red!

Right then. After literally months of badgering me I have finally succumbed to posting on here myself. I've always eaten the cheese. I've always commented on what I liked or didn't. But I've never actually got around to writing anything. This time though I made a silly comment "No presents until I have posted something" As I stare at the shiny packages under the tree that promise so much, well, I had boxed myself in to a corner.

And what a bad time to start - a four cheese board! So here goes:

St Marcellin
We've had this before but never actually written about it. It's a French soft cheese made with cow's milk. It even comes in its own handy container that Amanda will then use to house condiments in future - practically pays for itself then! I've never had the most refined of palettes so I'll simply say it was delicious. It might be soft but there's a density to it and a lingering aftertaste that's more than pleasant - kind of nutty and earthy. Amanda claimed it tasted of "farm" whatever that means.

Vacherin Friborgeois
In the previous post Amanda talked about the most common kind of Vacherin at this time of year - the Mont d'Or. I studied medieval history though and read Malory so I always have the tendency to call it Vacherin d'Mort - probably not the most appealing name. Anyways, that was last time and this is now. We're off in Switzerland for this cheese and it's a lot firmer than its more famous cousin. There's certainly a nuttiness to the flavour profile, especially when you get to the rind. When we first started eating it we were using a cheese knife that sliced off thin slivers. Delicious. But as the feast continued and we moved on to just hacking giant chunks off, well that's when the real intensity of flavour comes out. As I'm sure you're not surprised it is a key ingredient in fondues and that makes sense, I'm sure a large melted chunk of this would be a real treat.

Brillat Savarin
Back in France now, but then when you're discussing great cheese and you live with a Francophile then how can you not be? We wanted something a little softer to try and stumbled across this one. It can be impossibly daunting at time starting at a wall of cheese which all looks delicious. Sometimes you have to roll the dice and hope you get lucky - this Christmas Eve we got lucky. Brillat Savarin is a triple cream Brie. Personally I think Brie is a little played out at times and can become rather bland and tasteless, a victim of its own success almost. This one though managed to take Brie to a different level. Rich, creamy and soft like you'd expect but with a sour aftertaste if you allow yourself a moment to actually think about the flavour before you wolf it down. Definitely a good find. To me it seems like the kind of cheese a non-cheese lover could enjoy as a gateway to something more intense and flavourful.

Crozier Blue
And when you're talking intense and flavourful you don't get much more intense in cheeseworld than with a blue. When we started off we ate the first three for a while before I cut off a slice of the Crozier. Wow! The flavour almost bashes you over the head and screams LOOK AT ME! I'M A BLUE CHEESE!!! Personally I enjoy that but after spending so long trying to get the tastebuds to recognise the subtle creamy, earthy, grassy flavours of the others the blue came as a real shock. It's a semi-soft sheep's cheese made in Ireland that's even won a World Cheese Award apparently.The same small family business makes a cow's cheese called Cashel Blue but decided to experiment with a sheep milk based variety too. I'm glad they did. Once my mouth got used to the concept of blue compared with what we'd been eating I settled right in to enjoying. Amanda's not the biggest blue fan but she picked this one out because of the creamy consistency. I liked the salty tang you expect from a blue. I almost typed that it was a good compromise but then compromise always seems to have such a negative connotation behind it - so let's just say we both enjoyed the choice, I don't think there's a higher praise you can give than that.

Now, if you don't mind after allowing it all to settle I am going to crack open a glass of port, enjoy some more of the Crozier and relax for the rest of Christmas Eve.

Vacherin du Mont d'Or

Vacherin du Mont d'Or -- can I have some bread for my cheese soup, please?

OK, this cheese is a bit of a "cult status" type cheese, and I don't want to get this wrong.  There is so much to know about this cheese, and any real cheese connoisseur will know all about it.  So I don't want to anger the cheese gods.


Before I start on my own entry, let me provide you with a link to their official website here.  


Now there are 2 types of Vacherin, French or Swiss.  The one we had was the Vacherin du Mont d'Or, which is mostly the Swiss variety, although it could also come from France.  Specifically, it is from the Jura region which spans both Switzerland and France.  Then you have other types of Vacherins depending on where they came from, like the Fribourgeois or the d'alpage.  I've had this cheese a few times before, but for Adam, it was his first.  


This is a washed rind cheese, which means that during production, it was repeatedly wiped or brushed with, or dunked in a liquid (usually alcohol).  It is a seasonal cheese because it is handmade, and it comes in a wooden case.  The Vacherin usually becomes available in September or October, and they even have a festival dedicated to it.  


Now as you can see in the picture, this cheese is very soft.  Traditionally, people serve it up warm and eat it like a fondue (it is a Swiss cheese after all!).  This cheese is generally very high in fat and melts so easily.  It's like eating clotted cream with a spoon.  It has a really earthy flavour, but so creamy and smooth.  Unlike the St. Nectaire where it tasted rather farm-y... if that makes any sense.


This is some serious cheese.  And aside from giving you the hard facts about it, all I can say to you is: get it.  Get it now before it goes out of season and you have to wait until next year.

Isle of Avalon

Isle of Avalon, Great Britain

We finally decided to give La Cave à Fromage in South Kensington a try.  It was a very nice little shop with a good selection, but no where near as extensive as La Fromagerie.



In any case, we found a gem of a cheese here.

This superb pungent English cheese from James Aldridge's farm in Godstone Surrey, is made using traditional French washing methods to create a strong, smelly, creamy cheese with a vibrant orange exterior and a flavour reminiscent of smoked bacon!


I didn't find it very smelly, or too bacony.  Perhaps I got one that hasn't matured properly.  But it was so delicately salty, with a semi-soft texture.  Apparently it is a Port Salut that has been treated further.  It didn't taste too much like Port Salut, and it was much more spreadable, although not as soft as Brie.  


In summary, love.

Coolea

Coolea, Ireland

I love Dutch cheeses, which is why I picked this one up.  I thought it looked like Gouda. 


Coolea is a type of cow's milk cheese that consists of a smooth texture with rich, sweet, caramelly flavours. Like Gouda, Coolea cheese is covered in a thick, solid wax rind which contributes to the cheese's flavour and texture.


Honestly, I thought it tasted like a sweeter Gouda, or a sweeter Comté.  I like Gouda, and I love Comté, so by extension, I quite like this cheese as well.  But I didn't really see the point or creating a whole new cheese that only boasts a slight variation.  Next time I want a hard, nutty cheese, I would just reach for a Comté.  

Saint Nectaire

Saint Nectaire, France

We picked this up at La Fromagerie this weekend because it went with our earthy theme.  And frankly, I was imagining something sweet and nectar-y.


Dimpled yellow/russet crust speckled with grey velvety moulds from the high humidity maturing rooms. Paté is soft and golden and the aroma reminiscent of earthy wild mushrooms. A lovely, robust country cheese which is matured on straw mats in the traditional manner.


It was quite robust, and to be honest, a little bit farmy.  But not in a good way.  While the other earthy cheese we picked up has a certain layer of sweetness or nuttiness, this one just tasted a bit dirty.  Not our favourite.  

Lou Bren

Lou Bren, France

This was a serendipitous discovery as the cheese we wanted to try were all not ripe enough.  So the cheese room worker suggested this to try instead.  Good choice!


Natural washed brown crust, with a smooth textured cheese within tasting fruity and rich with aromatic earthy aromas and sharp burnt caramel aftertaste. The cheese is produced in very small quantities by artisan cheesemakers using very traditional methods, hence the rather rustic appearance of the cheese. Limited availability.


Definitely smooth, and super creamy.  It was very woody and refined.  This could be paired with a fruity wine, but I would stick with ones with hints of forest fruits.  

Gubbeen

Gubbeen, Ireland

We browsed around Union Market in Fulham this weekend, and gave this Irish cheese a chance.

Gubbeen is vegetarian, semi-soft, table cheese. The terracotta brine-washed rind has fine, white and pale blue moulds. The taste of this dense, full-bodied cheese is rich and savory. It is excellent with burnt onions and grilled cheese. Gubbeen's gentle flavors reflect the great care taken by Tom and Gina Ferguson. Their cheese twice won silver medals at the British Cheese Award.

This semi-soft cheese is far more complex than any other semi-softs you could find in your local supermarket.  It's rich, but slightly smokey.  Quite a trip on your tongue!  It was good to eat alone, but might be better for cooking, I suspect!

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Found this Gubbeen recipe from the Guardian.

Courgette, Gubbeen and chorizo frittata

Serves four

1 tbsp olive oil

1 courgette, trimmed and very thinly sliced

50g/2oz chorizo, chopped into small chunks

6 fresh free range eggs

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

50g/2oz Gubbeen cheese, rinded weight, grated

Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook courgette gently to soften and brown lightly. Remove from the pan and reserve. Add chorizo, and cook to brown. Meanwhile, beat eggs with seasoning and add cheese. Pour off excess fat from frying pan, leaving behind a tablespoon. Return courgette to pan and stir to mix wtih chorizo pieces. Pour in egg mix. Cook over medium heat until base is set and lifts from the pan when teased with a palette knife or fish slice. Place pan under a preheated grill, to cook the runny top until just set.

Remove pan from heat and cool slightly. Turn out by placing a large plate over pan, then inverting the pan so the frittata comes out easily. It will be upside down. Place another plate over the frittata and turn the whole thing over so it's the right way up. Serve in wedges, warm or cold.

Le Gabietout

Le Gabietout, France

Lovely semi-soft cheese.  I expected something like a Langres, but it's actually not as soft and not too creamy. 

Supple textured mixed cow's and sheep's milk cheese with a fruity, nutty bite and a smooth chewy texture. The rind has been lightly brine washed and rubbed to give a pale ochre glow and the aroma is gentle and earthy. Best eaten when quite young, although matured cheeses have a more strident taste.

Personally, I couldn't taste the fruitiness too much.  But I can see that it would taste nice with a fragrant wine.  It is fairly earthy without being too pungent.  Overall, a very pleasant cheese.

Gorgonzola Dolce

Gorgonzola Dolce, Italy

Most people aren't big fans of blue cheese because it's so pungent.  This Gorgonzola, however, is a very mild, sweet, inoffensive version that is actually very lovely!

Gorgonzola Dolce is the 'sweeter' gorgonzola - milder and much softer than its Naturale or Piccante counterparts. It is made using pasteurized cow's milk and is aged for 3 months. It is very creamy and almost spreadable in texture with a light piquancy.

Although it is much sweeter and milder than the original, it still has a bit of tang in the end to remind you that it is still a Gorgonzola.  Love this! 

Finn

Finn, Great Britain

Out and about in Covent Garden, I couldn't resist the call of Neal's Yard Dairy.  In search of Wigmore's cousin, we found Finn.

Unpasteurized, vegetarian, soft-white cheese produced by Charlie Westhead of Neal's Yard Creamery. It is the only triple cream cheese made in England. The cheese is firm with a mild, fresh, creamy acidity and a hint of mushrooms. Affinage takes two to four weeks and the content of fat is about 75 per cent.

This soft cheese was very creamy, rich, and salty sweet.  Would be delicious with a dry white.