Angela's carrots

The cheese tasting was held while Illinois University (Angela, Melissa, Josh, Drew, Maggie, George) beat #1-ranked Ohio State University (Karen, Julie, Johnny) at Ohio on Saturday. The cheeses are from Eastern Market.

Manchego DO
milk: sheep:
country: Spain
type: hard

Manchego is named for the Spanish region of La Mancha, also home of Don Quixote. This historic cheese is produced in the La Mancha region from pasteurized sheep’s milk. It has a black gray or buff colored rind with a crosshatch pattern, the interior ranges from stark white to yellowish, depending on age. The aroma should suggest lanolin and roast lamb. The final cheese is usually smeared with olive oil and surface mould is removed. It has a number of holes and a mild, slightly briny, nutty flavor. It is sold at various stages of maturity: at the age of 13 weeks it is described as curado (cured) and, when over three months old it is referred to as viejo (aged). There is a peppery bite to cheeses that have reached a great age. It is best known of a series of sheep’s cheeses and is similar to Zamorano, Cadiz, Calahora or Castelleno.

at, ms, jr, wt: very good

Ossau-Iraty AOC
milk: sheep
country: France
type: semi-hard

Ossau-Iraty is a traditional, unpasteurized, semi-soft cheese made from sheep’s milk. It usually has a shape of a wheel, with natural rind. This cheese is made with the milk of Manech ewes. There are three main sizes: small (Petit-Ossau-Iraty-Brebis Pyrenes), intermediate (non-fermier), large (fermier). Affinage takes at least 90 days, 60 days for the small version. The temperature of the cellar must be below 12 C. This cheese unites two regions of France in the Western Pyrénées: Ossau in the valley of the Bearn and Iraty in the beech forests of the Pays Basque. The cheese is full of a delicious, nutty, robust taste if it is produced during the period from June to September when the herds move up to the high mountain meadows.

at, ms, jr: good, wt: very good

Josh got the first three from Cowgirl Creamery in DC, Julie brought us the Cougar Gold. Melissa, Angela, and I enjoyed these with the last known bottle of real (i.e., Romanian) Vampire wine known to exist in the DC area.

California Crottin
Redwood Hill Dairy
Sebastopol, CA
milk: goat

Redwood Hill’s own version of the French Crottin Chavignol has a sharp and meaty flavor with a thick, pale yellow, corrugated rind. This cheese manages to be both dense and fluffy with an intense earthy aroma.

ms, at, wt: very good, but note to self: put goat cheese after cow and sheep, and before blue

Pierce Pt
Cowgirl Creamery
Point Reyes Station, CA
milk: organic whole milk

Pierce Pt is rolled in dried herbs from the Tomales Bay coastal region. The result is a delicious cheese, semi-firm, yet creamy, complex yet never overpowering, that you’ll recall longingly when it’s out-of-season. Pierce Pt received a 1st Place award at the 2006 American Cheese Society Conference.

ms, at, wt: very good

Bayley Hazen Blue
Jasper Hill Farm
Greensboro, VT
milk: Ayrshire cow (morning milk)
type: blue

Bayley Hazen Blue is a buttery, natural-rind cow milk blue cheese that is made with whole raw milk. The milk used is primarily from morning milk, which tends to be lower in fat. The milk is taken from their own herd of Ayrshire cows who graze from late spring to early fall. Bayley Hazen Blue is drier than most blues, and the penicillium roqueforti takes a back seat to an array of flavors that hint at nuts and grasses and sometimes licorice.

ms, at, wt: very good, buttery

Cougar Gold
Washington State Creamery
milk: pasteurized milk
type: cheddar

Very nice cheddar that has been already reviewed.

ms, at, wt: one of our favorite cheeses

Angela and I went to dinner at Lia‘s, and had a cheese plate with the dinner. The cheeses arrived quite chilled, so we saved it for dessert.

Robiola
milk: sheep and cow
type: creamy

A very nice brie-like cheese.

Boschetto al Tartufo
milk: cow

The infusion of truffles may have degraded from an otherwise fairly decent firm cheese.

We picked up the cheese from Ibo’s Cornucopia Deli in Bethesda, a great place to get cheese and Italian food items.

L’Edel de Celeron
milk: cow
region: France
type: soft

A very nice brie-style cheese that we all liked very much.

Asiago (DOP)
milk: cow
type: hard
region: Italy

Asiago, pronounced ah-SYAH-goh, cheese is a nutty flavored cheese that hails from Europe. It is named for a region in Italy where it was first produced. This region is known as the Asiago High Plateau, which lies within the Italian Alps. As far back as the year 1000 AD, Asiago cheese was produced by farmers in this region for use locally. Now, it is manufactured commercially in northeast Italy, specifically in the provinces of Vincenza e Trento, Padua, and in Treviso.

Cougar Gold
Washington State, Washington State University
milk: cow
type: cheddar

Tonight’s cheese was Cougar Gold, (this particular wheel/can was made by William in January, 2006), from the Washington State University Creamery. Julie brought it to us on the wedding trip. Everyone thought it was a very nice cheddar.

Melissa cooked, presented, and served a pumpkin stew, which was very good.

Cheese, pumpkin martinis, and the new udder cheese knife (from Cheesetique).  Cheeses from Silver Spring Whole Foods.

Saint Albray
France
milk: cow
type: soft, washed in brine

Saint Albray is a cheese which comes from the Aquitaine region of France.

Invented in 1976, the cheese is similar to Camembert cheese, it has the same attributes, but is not quite as strong. Made with pasteurized cow’s milk, this popular cheese is ripened for 2 weeks and formed into a shape not unlike the head of a flower with each “petal” forming a half pound of cheese. The “petals” are formed around a disk, when removed, it creates a hollow center giving the impression of the center of the flower. Saint Albray slices beautifully and when the whole wheel is displayed, this cheese makes an attractive centerpiece to a table. Saint Albray is mild and moist, but still retains its body despite its creamy nature.

at, wt: smelly, but very good

Piave
Italy
milk: cow
type: hard

Piave is a cow’s milk cheese made only in the the Piave River Valley region of Belluno, Italy. Shaped as a wheel, it is made from pasteurized milk collected in two milkings, one of which is skimmed, and is produced in the valley of the Piave River, between Belluno and Feltre. [1] It is made by a dairy cooperative called the Cooperativa Latte Busche.

Piave has a dense texture without holes that is straw-yellow in hue. It features a slightly sweet and delicate tasting flavor. Once fully aged, it becomes hard (making it well suited for grating), developing an intense, full-bodied flavor. Piave is sold in the United States as a hard cheese (called Piave vecchio or stravecchio, meaning “old” or “extra-old”) at which point its taste resembles that of a young Parmigiano Reggiano.

It goes well with a full bodied red wine, such as Barolo or Amarone.

at, wt: good, much like Parmigiano-Reggiano

These cheeses were from Calvert-Woodley, and all on sale!

Fromage d’Affinois
milk: pasteurized cow
country: France
type: bloomy

Anyone who has spent any amount of time behind Murray’s cheese counter has doubtless encountered customers mistaking Fromage d’Affinois, for Brie. Just because it’s made in France, from cow milk, soft-ripened, and covered with a soft, bloomy rind, does this mean it’s Brie? No, Fromage d’Affinois is its own cheese, produced from milk that has been specially filtered to yield a silkier texture than Brie. Its sweet, mild flavor precludes the mushroomy earthiness normally found in its identical-looking cousin. Accentuate the lusciousness with a glass of fresh-berry Beaujolais.
score: at, ms, na, wt: this one is very good

Saint Nectaire (AOC)
milk: cow
type: uncooked, pressed, semi-hard
score: wt liked it, but others thought it was too grassy, some even compared it to velveeta (but she liked the cheddar with sage in it!)

Wisconsin Cheddar
Unknown anything about this; if we weren’t all cheese snobs this would have scored pretty good.

NA is about to receive the couch she had recovered with the fabric she had commissioned in Turkey! We’ll send pictures when it actually happens. Anyway, I was down in Alexandria today delivering her pictures to her Art League entry in the Torpedo Factory, and I had to stop by Cheesetique and got these:

Cabra La Mancha
Firefly Farms
milk: goat
Located in Maryland’s Allegheny Plateau, Firefly Farms is a collaboration among a small group of neighbors who decided to enter the world of artisan cheesemaking. With a 130 acre farm purchased in 1997, the four “Fireflies” initially managed their own herd of goats. In 2006 they decided to focus all their efforts on cheesemaking. They now purchase milk through a coop that is supplied by a local group of Amish farmers.

This cheese was inspired by the Spanish Manchego. Its semi-firm texture is smooth and pleasing with a pleasant sharpness. The paste is earthy with grassy notes and a nice, tangy finish. Aged for two to four months, this cheese ripens beautifully for up to a year.

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Grinzing: Austrian Tilsit
milk: pasteurized cow
Grinzing is an Austrian cheese modeled after Danish Tilsit. A young cheese with a soft texture, Grinzing is very mild and buttery, with a light, sweet flavor. For connoisseurs who find that German Tilsit is a bit too spicy and robust, try Grinzing for a similar, but sweeter treat. It’s perfect for serving with fresh fruit as a light dessert, and pairs wonderfully with a crisp Riesling.

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Dante
Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative
milk: sheep
Made with 100% pure sheep milk and aged a minimum of six months, DANTE has a rich, nutty flavor with a firm and somewhat dry texture. Dante complements pasta, dried fruit and balsamic vinegar as well as medium red wines and semi-sweet white wines.

After the George Washington portrait lecture at the Portrait Gallery we went to the nearby farmer’s market where Chapel’s Country Creamery had a stand. We got these:

Chapelle Cave Aged Cheese – This young moist cave aged cheese has a bloomy white rind which has rich mushroomy flavor that compliments the creamy interior. Chapelle drains naturely overnight. Then is placed in a cave for two months. Great with a wine and cheese platter or display at a party.

Cave Aged Cheddar – Chapel’s Country Creamery cave aged cheddar cheese has been aged a minimum of 8 months or longer to ensure optimum flavor. This superior cheddar cheese has just the right sharpness for any use.

Mary & Angela also bought some bastard cheeses (cheeses mixed with things) at the Eastern Market: one had sage, and the other had cheddar and stilton in layers. Bowers Fancy Dairy Products “Cheese from All Parts of the World!” let us try others, too — one was pink (red wine) and another with chives (would have been good on burgers).