Another fan of Applewood Smoked Cheddar ...

Betty Glassman just got back to me with her review:

"I finally have a moment to give you my take on the Ilchester Applewood Smoked Cheddar. Our house has been like Grand Central Station, and thus I just now have taken a moment to let you know my impression of this cheese.

The cheese has a smooth, elegant texture with a perfect blend of cheddar and smoked applewood flavor. Neither flavor dominates the other and the result is a smoked cheddar with an absoutely delicious blend of flavors. I tried this cheese with an apple wedge, grapes, and a thin, delicate whole wheat cracker,. and the cheese paired beautifully with all three."

Thank you, Betty!

Hmmm, it was delicious ... I think I need to make another visit to my local cheese department! Maybe I'll see you there!

Pecorino ...

Another sojourn to Quel Fromage in Fairhaven. This time to explore a different classification of cheese: Pecorino

In Italian, the word for sheep is pecora. Pecorino is a form of the word commonly used to designate a family of sheep’s milk artisan cheese.

During my childhood, Mom always kept a tall, green cylinder of powdered Romano cheese or Parmesan cheese in the frig, which I liberally shook out on my spaghetti or pizza or pasta … even cooked veggies, et cetera. I still have one of those in my own refrigerator.

So, I wanted to see how a real grated Romano would taste. This trip I bought a bit of Fulvi Pecorino Romano and Pecorino Ginepro.

I also bought some Salumi Salami, a dry salami made in Seattle.

Fulvi Pecorino Romano

Made with raw sheep’s milk—no additives, no hormones—in Rome, Italy and aged one year.

Although Pecorino Romano originated in the countryside outside of Rome, all are made in Sardinia today, except one: Fulvi. This is why it is referred to as "genuine" Pecorino Romano (see protected designation of origin—PDO). Sheep milk from the Lazio region goes to dairies in the village of Nepi, where, according to a traditional, time-honored recipe, it is handmade into giant, 65-pound wheels.

I found its strong, salty presence over-powering to eat by itself, but it is excellent and well matched grated on pasta with a hearty tomato sauce, or a rustic stew or soup. For my taste, a little goes a l-o-n-g way. When grated onto hot food, the slivers blend well, but don’t totally melt. It also had a crunchiness, like a crystallization to the texture. If you want to add an intense salty “kick” then this cheese is made for YOU!

The printed information on the Quel Fromage sales receipt suggested eating it with drizzled honey as a dessert. So, why not? This is an adventure, right? Sorry, drizzled honey didn’t work for me. BUT, I also tried a clover honey on the Pecorino Ginepro and I loved it! More about that later in this article.

Quel Fromage wine pairing: Merlot or Sangiovese.

Pecorino Ginepro

Made with raw sheep’s milk. Washed in balsamic and juniper seeds and aged 4-5 months in 6-lb wheels. I found this semi-hard cheese to have a woodsy, understated sweet taste rather than the sharp, salty finish of the Romano. Much more subtle than the Romano, but it also grated well and it was a tasty addition to my fresh greens salad with sliced tomato.

It was also recommended with crudités or with dry salami and sopressata.

I also had it with the Salumi Salami, and a Tuscany flatbread (sweet tomato with asiago and cheddar) I had picked up at Haggen’s just down the street from Quel Fromage. I didn’t drink it with wine, but with a cup of hot, black French roast coffee … where was my Italian roast when I needed it!

Suggested wine pairing: Nebbiolo, Fiano di Avellino, Piemontese red, or Malvirà Trinità.

A bit about PDO …

It’s my understanding that some Italian cheeses have a PDO status (Protected Designation of Origin) under European Union regulations. A cheese can only use the “Romano” in their name if made in Lazio, Sardinia, and Tuscany regions in the provinces of Rome, Grosetto, Cagliari, Nuoro, Oristano and Sassari. I think it was because so many cheeses claimed to be or called themselves a Romano, that the term lost its credibility or its definition. Hence, the PDO status. I think other designation cheeses have comparable protection, but I haven’t learned that much about the matter.

Oh, yes ... Honey. So, I tried drizzling honey on the Pecorino Ginepro and it was a pleasant surprise! The sweet and the salty complemented well. So, I pulled out some apricot preserves and some raspberry preserves and tried the Ginepro with both of them. Not bad! I liked it better with the apricot preserves perhaps because there were larger chunks of the fruit in that preserve. But, the honey was the best complement.

There are a great many other Pecorino cheeses, but this was a nice entry experience. I want to try Pecorino Toscano, which according to Max McCalman and David Gibbons in “The Cheese Plate,” has a “deep, warm, fruity flavor that pairs well with fruits such as plums and peaches.” It certainly sounds like an Italian sheep cheese of a different flavor!

Oh, and another thing I learned was to grate only what you need, leaving the rest of the cheese stored intact. Flavor is lost in grated form.

I’ll never look at my tall, green container of Romano and Parmesan cheese the same again!

Aged Gouda: Sheep versus Goat ...

I had attended a staff meeting in Bellingham and since I was in the general area anyway, I dropped into Quel Fromage in Fairhaven just to see what there was to see before I drove back to Birch Bay. Yeah right! Like I needed a reason to stop in!

Esme, one of the friendly, very cheese-saavy assistants, was still turning on the lights and getting the shop ready for business. However, she was quick to wait on me and provided ready answers to all my questions, and provided taste samples of whatever caught my eye.

One splendid benefit of buying from a cheese shop like Quel Fromage is that you can taste any of their cheeses, thus taking the guesswork out of how the cheese will taste and whether or not you’ll like it.

Another benefit is that Esme counsels you to let it age a little bit more for a fuller taste experience, or to eat it right away when it’s at its peak. You don’t find that knowledge and customer service interaction in a supermarket.

I wanted to compare a sheep’s milk gouda with a goat’s milk gouda.

I had read about Ewephoria, so knew that would be one of my choices and I had enjoyed other Cypress Grove cheeses, so Esme recommended the Midnight Moon.

EWEPHORIA

Ewephoria is a relatively new gouda-style cheese from the Friesland region of Holland. Unlike standard cow’s milk gouda, Ewephoria is made from pasteurized sheep's milk—Ewephoria—clever play on the name, yes? It is, however, made using the same carefully-guarded starter cultures that give goudas their distinctive flavor.

Here in the United States we often think of European cheeses as established, traditional, having stood the test of time, but new ones continually find their way to the public attention.

Ewephoria was developed by Seattle-based Dutch cheese importer CheeseLand, Inc. specifically for American consumers who reputedly have a sweet tooth. Do we? The idea, so it seems, was that traditional aged gouda was too harsh for American tastes and a softer, sweeter aged gouda was sought.

Ewephoria is aged 10 months, has a butterscotch color and a rather sweet, nutty, buttery flavor.

Janet Fletcher writing for SFGate, August 3, 2006, claimed, "Ewephoria is possibly as close as cheese gets to candy. The texture is firm, becoming drier toward the rind, and the flavor intense and sweet, with enough acidity to keep the cheese from being cloying."

In my opinion that “candy” description goes too far. To my tastebuds Ewephoria is not as sweet as many other more traditional cheeses. In fact, even some goudas--e.g., Saenkanter--are considerably sweeter. Then there are flavored cheeses like Chocolate Fudge Cheese, which although technically cheese, could be considered candy or a dessert.

Regardless of the perceived degree of sweetness, I found it to be a very enjoyable eating cheese, especially when paired with a cabernet sauvignon. I’m not a red wine person, but both Ewephoria and Midnight Moon tasted worlds better with the wine, versus without.

However, another reviewer stated, "With its butterscotch-colored interior with pronounced butterscotch and whiskey aromas, this cheese belongs at the end of a meal with a glass of nutty amontillado or oloroso sherry. A beer drinker would find it compatible with brews that have rich, roasted, nutty and malty flavors, such as porter and stout."

CYPRESS GROVE MIDNIGHT MOON

This is another relatively new Dutch gouda recipe cheese created for Cypress Grove Chevre of Arcata, California. This one, however, is made with pasteurized goat’s milk.

It’s aged for at least twelve months, developing a semi-firm density with a butter flavor with distinct caramel undertone. The descriptions are so similar, but there is a definite taste difference. I thought the texture of the Ewephoria was a little firmer than the Midnight Moon. My preference is for the latter. I went absolutely bonkers over this cheese! You just have to try them for yourself.

It’s encased in black wax in 10-pound wheels. It makes a great presentation.

Cypress Grove Creamery cheesemaker Mary Keehn traveled to Europe to locate cheesemakers to make classic cheeses to her specifications, to augment their production. Another winner here!

The description from their website claims: “Midnight Moon has a warm, nutty flavor with hints of caramel. This cheese won the NASFT award in 2002 for ‘Outstanding New Product.’”

Their recommended wine pairing was with Syrah or Zinfandel … but it tasted great with my Cabernet Sauvignon.

I sliced both cheeses on a plate of fresh grapes, kiwi, strawberries, cherries and mango and it was heavenly!

Applewood Smoked Cheddar ...

I was poking around The Market at Birch Bay artisan cheese counter, looking for something a little different. I came across a wheel of Ilchester Applewood Smoked Cheddar and wondered what I could experiment with using a smoked cheddar. While loitering a bit longer looking at other cheese options, Birch Bay friend Betty Glassman came around the corner. It’s always fun to see Betty and I filled her in on this new artisan cheese I was going to try and she eagerly picked up a chunk and we agreed to both try it and share our results.

I immediately went home and looked in my pantry to see what might pair well with the cheese. I was so hungry I just wanted to inhale it on the spot, but with great discipline—yeah, right—I sliced a Fuji apple. The crisp, juicy freshness of the Fuji went well with the very creamy consistency and delightfully smoky taste. There’s a very pleasant balance of mild cheddar and smoke flavoring. I had an ice-cold Beck’s in the refrig and found it went well with this cheese.

In addition to apple slices, I also made a hale and hearty grilled cheese sandwich with buttered 9-grain whole wheat bread. I apologize, only half of the sandwich lasted long enough to be photographed. I could NOT resist sinking my teeth into the smoky grilled cheese. Good eats.

Later in the evening I went socializing and the hostess had two types of Yancey’s Fancy she served with an assortment of fresh grapes, cherries and crackers. One was a Bergenost (buttery triple cream, Norwegian style cheese: decadent!) The other was a smoked gouda. What fortunate timing! I could compare the Applewood smoked cheese with the Yancey’s Fancy smoked cheese. Where the cheddar was smooth and the smoke taste was mellow, the gouda was a different consistency, a little more …uhm … rubbery, rather than creamy, and the smoke flavoring reminded me of mesquite … a totally different taste sensation! I much preferred the mellow quality of the Applewood cheddar. Thank you, Julie.

I found that neither of these smoked cheeses are firm enough to grate, and I wouldn't say either crumbled well, the way most cheddars do anyway. The cheddar melted in a most delightful way. I'll definitely make more grilled cheese sandwiches using that cheese, but I'll also try other breads.

I learned that applewood smoked cheddar originally was a mild cheddar smoked at a low temperature using apple wood, and then hand-rubbed with a mild paprika. Now, however, most cheesemakers add smoke flavoring to the cheese instead of actually smoking it. I did find that Carr Valley Cheese in Wisconsin still smokes their mild cheddar. Sid Cook is the master cheesemaker at Carr Valley, and the latest in four generations of Cooks to build their business using innovative measures based on old world craftsmanship. Check out their website at http://www.carrvalleycheese.com/

I couldn’t reach Betty for her feedback, but I’ll share that shortly! I am delighted that others will be contributing to this artisan cheese adventure; the more the merrier!

Ilchester Applewood Smoked Cheddar/pasteurized cow’s milk/Somerset, Great Britain

Yancey’s Fancy Smoked Gouda/pasteurized cow’s milk/Corfu, NY, USA