A Cheesy Review
Yesterday I mentioned the cheeses I got - today I will tell you how they were, in my less-than-gustatorily-educated opinion.
We tackled them alphabetically, so that we could remember which was which on the plate. In between each, there were sesame water crackers, an excellent palate cleanser. I know that they mentioned this on Gilmore Girls, but it really did take 3 bites to really get a proper sense of what each was truly like: "The first taste acclimates the palate, the second establishes foundation, and the third is to make the decision."
The French Chaumes had a very strong, almost offensive smell...I was worried about it, but upon the first taste realized that it definitely tasted better than it smelled. It was soft, like brie, but I wouldn't have called it "rubbery" at all. Or "stubbly," for that matter. My husband thinks it would be nice spread on a cracker or bread with some fruit. I bet it would make a great brie substitute, baked en croute, that sort of thing.
Spain's most popular table cheese - the Iberico - was also my husband's favorite, and he's laid claim to the rest of the wedge. I had figured that he'd enjoy it, since it was a combination of cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk...boy, did I call that one! He had seconds of this one. It was very fragrant, very flavorful, very "woofy" but tasty. The texture was on the firm side of semi-soft.
On the soft side of semi-soft was the Mahon; it was similar to the Iberico in flavor and aroma but without the strength. This one had a red/orange (muenster-colored) rind, but I wasn't sure if I could eat it so I didn't.
This particular Manchego seemed different from the first one we tried; I don't know if it's the brand, or the aging process, or what, but it was similar to the Iberico in texture while the flavor was closer to the Mahon. Not bad, but not one of my faves. The Manchego and the Mahon were from the same company, so the fact that they were so similar in taste makes me wonder if they didn't just doctor up a Mahon's texture a little and call it a Manchego.
The Rosey Goat needed a second serving because the first one was OMG ROSEMARY even though we cut off the herb-encrusted rind. I guess the end piece was just too exposed to the rosemary-air inside the packaging, because the second taste was definitely more mellow. Maybe it just needed to breathe. Does cheese need to breathe? I liked this one, at any rate. Semi-soft but the rosemary really worked with it.
Finally, the Blueberry Stilton. The white stilton that was used as the base was very crumbly and dry, like a bleu or feta (that isn't soaked in some sort of brine to keep it from drying out) - or an overcooked cheesecake. I was unable to get a sense of what the white stilton tasted like without the blueberries, because the blueberries were SO pervasive in the sample I got. Not that I had much of a choice, because all of the pieces were 80-90% blueberries and the rest consisting of cheese that was so infused with blueberry coloring/flavor that it was impossible to just try the cheese. From what I've read, white stilton is pretty damn boring anyway, which is why they mix it with fruit in the first place. Anyway! This was WAY better than I thought it would be, probably because the flavor was primarily blueberry. I can totally see why they call it "dessert cheese." It was a good enough experience that I'd try other varieties in the future.
We tackled them alphabetically, so that we could remember which was which on the plate. In between each, there were sesame water crackers, an excellent palate cleanser. I know that they mentioned this on Gilmore Girls, but it really did take 3 bites to really get a proper sense of what each was truly like: "The first taste acclimates the palate, the second establishes foundation, and the third is to make the decision."
The French Chaumes had a very strong, almost offensive smell...I was worried about it, but upon the first taste realized that it definitely tasted better than it smelled. It was soft, like brie, but I wouldn't have called it "rubbery" at all. Or "stubbly," for that matter. My husband thinks it would be nice spread on a cracker or bread with some fruit. I bet it would make a great brie substitute, baked en croute, that sort of thing.
Spain's most popular table cheese - the Iberico - was also my husband's favorite, and he's laid claim to the rest of the wedge. I had figured that he'd enjoy it, since it was a combination of cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk...boy, did I call that one! He had seconds of this one. It was very fragrant, very flavorful, very "woofy" but tasty. The texture was on the firm side of semi-soft.
On the soft side of semi-soft was the Mahon; it was similar to the Iberico in flavor and aroma but without the strength. This one had a red/orange (muenster-colored) rind, but I wasn't sure if I could eat it so I didn't.
This particular Manchego seemed different from the first one we tried; I don't know if it's the brand, or the aging process, or what, but it was similar to the Iberico in texture while the flavor was closer to the Mahon. Not bad, but not one of my faves. The Manchego and the Mahon were from the same company, so the fact that they were so similar in taste makes me wonder if they didn't just doctor up a Mahon's texture a little and call it a Manchego.
The Rosey Goat needed a second serving because the first one was OMG ROSEMARY even though we cut off the herb-encrusted rind. I guess the end piece was just too exposed to the rosemary-air inside the packaging, because the second taste was definitely more mellow. Maybe it just needed to breathe. Does cheese need to breathe? I liked this one, at any rate. Semi-soft but the rosemary really worked with it.
Finally, the Blueberry Stilton. The white stilton that was used as the base was very crumbly and dry, like a bleu or feta (that isn't soaked in some sort of brine to keep it from drying out) - or an overcooked cheesecake. I was unable to get a sense of what the white stilton tasted like without the blueberries, because the blueberries were SO pervasive in the sample I got. Not that I had much of a choice, because all of the pieces were 80-90% blueberries and the rest consisting of cheese that was so infused with blueberry coloring/flavor that it was impossible to just try the cheese. From what I've read, white stilton is pretty damn boring anyway, which is why they mix it with fruit in the first place. Anyway! This was WAY better than I thought it would be, probably because the flavor was primarily blueberry. I can totally see why they call it "dessert cheese." It was a good enough experience that I'd try other varieties in the future.