Cheesery
For Thanksgiving with AH and her family, the_child and I brought cheese from Pastaworks here in Portland, OR. They have an excellent cheese selection, one of the two or three best in town in my experience, with thoughtful cheesemongresses who give advice and samples alike.
My plan had been to buy four cheeses -- a Stilton by the_child's request, a triple cream by popular demand, and two more of my choice. Going in I'd had some notion of getting a Mahon cheese again, as I've been quite happy with that cheese in the past. I also had Basque sheep cheeses on the brain.
We started simple, with the Stiltons. Pastaworks had two varieties. Despite an earlier comment of mine, I have established these were both English Stiltons -- ie, the proper stuff. I bought half a pound of Colston Bassett Blue Stilton. The triple cream choice was also simple -- I was interested in trying a variety I hadn't previously enjoyed, and the sole label with which I was unfamiliar (amid the Pierre Robert, Délice de Bourgogne, Fromage d'Affinois and l'Aviateur) was Brillat-Savarin. I purchased about 12 ounces of that, all that remained of their last wheel.
For the other two cheeses I discussed my options with the cheesemongress. I mentioned chevre, and she steered me toward two packaged chevres, Juniper Grove Farm and Cypress Grove Chevre Purple Haze. Each came in a five ounce package, so I treated the two of them as a single selection. The last cheese selection was Gabietou, a mixed cow and sheep cheese.
To supplement the cheeses, we bought half a wheel of Pastaworks' house peasant bread, plus a ciabatta from Pearl Street Bakery and a sourdough from Grand Central Bakery.
Colston Bassett Blue Stilton
Brillat-Savarin
Juniper Grove Farm Chevre
Cypress Grove Chevre Purple Haze
Gabietou
Overview:
Truth be told, this was a very disappointing outing for the Cheese Blog.
Some of the problem had nothing to do with cheese or bread. It's been dreadfully wet and humid here in Portlandia lately. The food had to be purchased on Wednesday for Thanksgiving Thursday, and the bread, which under normal circumstances would have lasted overnight, lost all crispness and much flavor -- all three breads, which is clearly a weather issue rather than a baking foul.
Likewise, the Brillat-Savarin fell badly. It still tasted divine, but had absolutely no texture or body, dismayingly so even for a triple cream. This may be my fault -- I bought the last of a wheel, and perhaps it had been out too long in the Pastaworks cheese case, but frankly it didn't look so pathetic in the store as it did when unwrapped the next day.
The chevres as well were very troublesome. The Juniper Grove was simply skanky, there's no other word for it. Highly ammoniac, and lacking almost all other flavor. When I was back at Pastaworks Friday discussing the cheese outcomes and taking my missing notes, I mentioned this to the lead cheesemongress. She comped me another package of Juniper Grove, about which I shall report back in due time. Suffice to say that it was beyond disappointing.
The Cypress Grove was devilish hard to extract from the wrapper, and came apart in the process. It tasted well enough, nothing special but nothing disgraceful. However I'm honestly not sure how to acquire a good presentation with this cheese.
Tasting notes:
Colston Bassett Blue Stilton
Despite my earlier misstatement, this is a true British blue Stilton. Like virtually every Stilton of my experience, it performed brilliantly. The blue cheeses are perhaps my favorite cheeses, so I tend to have a strong bias in their favor, but the Colston Bassett earned a continuance of that bias. Slightly creamy, without the overwhelming saltiness that can sometimes bedevil blue cheeses, it has the rich tanginess that accompanies the proper veining, though that same veining may put off those who are distressed by the concept of blue cheese. This would be a good candidate for the cheese pate recipe.1
Brillat-Savarin
An excellent-tasting triple cream with very little of the ammonia flavor sometimes found in those cheeses, Brillat-Savarin failed consistency and presentation at this meal. I may try it one more time, just to see if I had a distressed sample.
Juniper Grove Farm Chevre
As mentioned above, this was a disaster. Virtually inedible. I can only assume I had a bad package.
Cypress Grove Chevre Purple Haze
A reasonable but unassuming chevre with some mild herb infusion. I was expecting a little more bite and richness than I got. This cheese might work well for those unfamiliar with craft cheeses, as it is non-threatening, but it doesn't have a place at a complex cheese board.
Gabietou
The sleeper of this cheese board. This smooth, solid and subtle cheese had qualities reminiscent of last year's Chimay Grand Cru or Etorki, smooth and tasty without being overwhelming. It's a nice blend of sheep and cow milk, and the sort of cheese
which would be instantly recognizable to any three-year-old. I have not yet tested this theory, but I'm pretty sure Gabietou would toast up well. It certainly was delicious cold with a spoonful of homemade apple butter on sourdough. An easy cheese for novice cheeseheads and those averse to strong flavors or unusual textures.
1I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but darned if I know where. Take equal portions of a strong blue cheese (Stilton, gorgonzola, etc.) and a triple cream (Pierre Robert, Fromage d'Affinois, etc.) and cut together with small quantities of heavy cream. Add heavy cream as needed to achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency. Allows stinky cheeses to be enjoyed by a wider range of palates, and is good for parties or gatherings as ordinarily crumbly blues will now stick to the cracker or bread.
Also, for prior cheese blog entries, see http://jaylake.livejournal.com/tag/cheese
My plan had been to buy four cheeses -- a Stilton by the_child's request, a triple cream by popular demand, and two more of my choice. Going in I'd had some notion of getting a Mahon cheese again, as I've been quite happy with that cheese in the past. I also had Basque sheep cheeses on the brain.
We started simple, with the Stiltons. Pastaworks had two varieties. Despite an earlier comment of mine, I have established these were both English Stiltons -- ie, the proper stuff. I bought half a pound of Colston Bassett Blue Stilton. The triple cream choice was also simple -- I was interested in trying a variety I hadn't previously enjoyed, and the sole label with which I was unfamiliar (amid the Pierre Robert, Délice de Bourgogne, Fromage d'Affinois and l'Aviateur) was Brillat-Savarin. I purchased about 12 ounces of that, all that remained of their last wheel.
For the other two cheeses I discussed my options with the cheesemongress. I mentioned chevre, and she steered me toward two packaged chevres, Juniper Grove Farm and Cypress Grove Chevre Purple Haze. Each came in a five ounce package, so I treated the two of them as a single selection. The last cheese selection was Gabietou, a mixed cow and sheep cheese.
To supplement the cheeses, we bought half a wheel of Pastaworks' house peasant bread, plus a ciabatta from Pearl Street Bakery and a sourdough from Grand Central Bakery.
Colston Bassett Blue Stilton
Brillat-Savarin
Juniper Grove Farm Chevre
Cypress Grove Chevre Purple Haze
Gabietou
Overview:
Truth be told, this was a very disappointing outing for the Cheese Blog.
Some of the problem had nothing to do with cheese or bread. It's been dreadfully wet and humid here in Portlandia lately. The food had to be purchased on Wednesday for Thanksgiving Thursday, and the bread, which under normal circumstances would have lasted overnight, lost all crispness and much flavor -- all three breads, which is clearly a weather issue rather than a baking foul.
Likewise, the Brillat-Savarin fell badly. It still tasted divine, but had absolutely no texture or body, dismayingly so even for a triple cream. This may be my fault -- I bought the last of a wheel, and perhaps it had been out too long in the Pastaworks cheese case, but frankly it didn't look so pathetic in the store as it did when unwrapped the next day.
The chevres as well were very troublesome. The Juniper Grove was simply skanky, there's no other word for it. Highly ammoniac, and lacking almost all other flavor. When I was back at Pastaworks Friday discussing the cheese outcomes and taking my missing notes, I mentioned this to the lead cheesemongress. She comped me another package of Juniper Grove, about which I shall report back in due time. Suffice to say that it was beyond disappointing.
The Cypress Grove was devilish hard to extract from the wrapper, and came apart in the process. It tasted well enough, nothing special but nothing disgraceful. However I'm honestly not sure how to acquire a good presentation with this cheese.
Tasting notes:
Colston Bassett Blue Stilton
Despite my earlier misstatement, this is a true British blue Stilton. Like virtually every Stilton of my experience, it performed brilliantly. The blue cheeses are perhaps my favorite cheeses, so I tend to have a strong bias in their favor, but the Colston Bassett earned a continuance of that bias. Slightly creamy, without the overwhelming saltiness that can sometimes bedevil blue cheeses, it has the rich tanginess that accompanies the proper veining, though that same veining may put off those who are distressed by the concept of blue cheese. This would be a good candidate for the cheese pate recipe.1
Brillat-Savarin
An excellent-tasting triple cream with very little of the ammonia flavor sometimes found in those cheeses, Brillat-Savarin failed consistency and presentation at this meal. I may try it one more time, just to see if I had a distressed sample.
Juniper Grove Farm Chevre
As mentioned above, this was a disaster. Virtually inedible. I can only assume I had a bad package.
Cypress Grove Chevre Purple Haze
A reasonable but unassuming chevre with some mild herb infusion. I was expecting a little more bite and richness than I got. This cheese might work well for those unfamiliar with craft cheeses, as it is non-threatening, but it doesn't have a place at a complex cheese board.
Gabietou
The sleeper of this cheese board. This smooth, solid and subtle cheese had qualities reminiscent of last year's Chimay Grand Cru or Etorki, smooth and tasty without being overwhelming. It's a nice blend of sheep and cow milk, and the sort of cheese
which would be instantly recognizable to any three-year-old. I have not yet tested this theory, but I'm pretty sure Gabietou would toast up well. It certainly was delicious cold with a spoonful of homemade apple butter on sourdough. An easy cheese for novice cheeseheads and those averse to strong flavors or unusual textures.
1I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but darned if I know where. Take equal portions of a strong blue cheese (Stilton, gorgonzola, etc.) and a triple cream (Pierre Robert, Fromage d'Affinois, etc.) and cut together with small quantities of heavy cream. Add heavy cream as needed to achieve a smooth, spreadable consistency. Allows stinky cheeses to be enjoyed by a wider range of palates, and is good for parties or gatherings as ordinarily crumbly blues will now stick to the cracker or bread.
Also, for prior cheese blog entries, see http://jaylake.livejournal.com/tag/cheese