Cheese&Gourmet

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Fromage for the Holidays

The case is loaded up and already cheese lovers have been enjoying some of the best of the season. The selection changes all the time, try some of these for at least a couple more weeks:

Blues:
Billy Blue (Carr Valley, made with goat's milk)
Cashel Blue (made by the Grubb family in Ireland)
Buttermilk Blue Affinee
Moody Blue (soft, gently smoked - a favorite from NASFT competition!)

Comte Gruyere (the King of Gruyeres!
Pleasant Ridge Reserve (single farm, multi award winning gruyere style from Wisc.)
Tasting note: we tried these side by side. Both complex and delicious - the Pleasant Ridge reserve had more depth of flavor.

Aged Asiago (Wisc)
Asiago Fresco (Italy) soft, mild, fruity
Spanish
Young Iberico - three milks cheese, soft, friendly, delicious - Spain
Manchego - Spain's most famous cheese
Young Manchego with olives
Naked Goat (aged goat cheese

Cheddars
Cotswold (UK - sharp cheddar laced with chives and onion)
Cheddar with caramelized onions (UK)
Cabot cheddar with Tuscan Herbs
Widmer four year cheddar (intense, crumbly, butterscotchy)

Brie and Brie Style Cheeses
Langres Chalancey (France)(a little bundle of joy - hard to come by so enjoy!)
Goat Brie (Canada)
St. Andre (France) triple creme
Breton Brie - 1 lb, perfect size for parties

Beehive Cheese Co
Seahive (rubbed with honey and seasalt)
Barely Buzzed (rubbed with espresso and lavendar)

Washed Rind Cheeses
Abbaye St. Mere (France)
Munster Gerome (France)
Carozzi Tellegio (Italy)
Crave Brothers Petite Frere (USA Farmstead)

Gouda with black truffles (Holland)

Plus sausages, olives, cheese accompaniments