Cheese and Dairy

Brillat Savarin - the man and the cheese

Google Brillat Savarin cheese and you will encounter one of the most decadent, ripe triple-creme brie style cheeses on the planet - the cheese equivalent of ice cream that the anonymous wikipedia author describes as 'what Dairlea tastes like in heaven'. Brillat Savarin is just sone of several readily available triple creme cheeses and not in its usual, plain vanilla form our favorite. However, Brillat Savarin Truffe - vanilla ice cream cheese with a layer of crushed perigord truffles - is literally a cheese to die for. 

Brillat Savarin Truffe is not so easy to find. We buy it at Foster and Dobbs and it is also usually available at the Heathman Restaurant, but as far as we can tell that's it. The folks at Foster and Dobbs tell us that with a little luck some may be in this Tuesday.

Promises, Promises:

1. We promise first that even though Brillat Savarin Truffe is outrageously expensive you won't regret it.
2. We promise to reveal the triple creme brie like cheeses that we like the most.
3. We promise to talk much more about Brillat Savarin the man - starting now:

Google ‘the physiology of taste’ and you will encounter Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s now classic work of the same name – ‘Physiologie du gout’.  Lest you think you have encountered as the name suggests a scientific treatise, rest assured that Brillat-Savarin (1755 – 1826 )  was was a French lawyer and politician who gained fame as an epicure and gastronome.  He did study chemistry and medicine, but his opus whose full name

Physiologie du Goût, ou Méditations de Gastronomie Transcendante; ouvrage théorique, historique et à l'ordre du jour, dédié aux Gastronomes parisiens, par un Professeur, membre de plusieurs sociétés littéraires et savantes

belies its philosophical premises ( admittedly at the time there was little in the way of distinction between the sciences and philosophy ) reflects the philosophy of Epicurus and offers the following:

"The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity, than the discovery of a new star."

"How can anyone be expected to govern a country with 325 cheeses?"      
            - Charles de Gaulle
Aged Boerenkaas
Rogue Creamery Reserve
Bandage Wrapped Cheddar
Barely Buzzed
Mopsy's Best
Sunset Bay , Petite Bonheur
Fenacho

Following de Gaulle, the view from the The Wedge, Portland's first homegrown cheese celebration, suggests that Oregon, while not in jeopardy of becoming ungovernable any time soon, is at risk of becoming somewhat unruly.

The Wedge was great fun and first among the many unexpected surprises was what to our taste was the best cheese at the show - an Aged Boerenkaas made by Willamette Valley Cheese Company. 'Boerenkaas' is Dutch for farmers' cheese' that has been hand-made on the farm using pure unpasteurized milk from the farm’s own herds. Willamette Valley's regularly available, award winning Boerenkas is a raw milk Gouda like cheese aged for a minimum of 4 months and is very good. The specially aged ( 18 months ) and unfortunately unavailable Boerenkaas ( even if you drive to the farm ) was amazing. The cheese is hard, almost brittle with caramel colors and flavors that sparkle across your mouth.

Jeffrey Roberts' Atlas of American Artisan Cheese lists 14 Oregon artisan cheese makers. If we expand our concept of 'Oregon' to include the territory covered by the Wedge ( Northern California, Washington, Utah, Oregon ), more than 25 cheese makers showcased their cheeses and the promise of good taste and small scale sophistication bodes well for the future of the northwest.

Others cheeses of note, that are available, included, inevitably Rogue Creamery's release of their incredible, Reserve Blue Cheese ( aged for 1 year, soft, creamy, intense, a little salty ), Fiscalini's Bandage Wrapped Cheddar ( aged for 18 months, very sharp, fruity, complex, even grassy ), winner of the Wyke Farms Trophy for the best extra mature cheddar in the World. This is the first time in the 20 year history of the WCA that this trophy has been awarded to someone outside of Great Britain.

In the completely out-of-the-box and delightful category was Beehive Cheese Company's Barely Buzzed promontory cheddar - hand rubbed with a Turkish grind of Colorado Legacy Coffee Company's  ( the cheesemaker's brother ) "Beehive Blend" coffee ground with lavender buds, suspended in oil.      ( aged, firm, full bodied, nutty ).

We loved Black Sheep Creamery's Mopsy's Best, a British style,raw sheep's milk cheese ( aged  3 months, hard, caramel color with multiple flavors that "wake up and roll over your tongue.") and sincerely hope that cheese maker and farmer Brad Gregory never goes back to his day job.

Chevre ( French for 'goat') or Goat's milk cheeses admirably populate the Oregon artisan cheese scene and of these we discovered two soft cheeses from Rivers Edge Chevre - Sunset Bay their featured cheese for October, which stands out by the fiery orange line of Spanish pimenton praprika running through its center, complementing the ash rind and the dense, creamy freshness that only 3 week old chevre can give, and their Petite Bonheur, a bloomy rind, surface-ripened cheese with a  heart full of pink peppercorns.

In the last but not least category, Fenacho, from Tumalo Farms, a 2007 American Cheese Society Blue Ribbon winner, is a cheese that confounds our expectations.  It is a very hard pasteurized goat's milk cheese made with fenugreek seeds      ( rhombic yellow to amber colored fenugreek seed, commonly called Methi, is frequently used in the preparation of pickles, curry powders and pastes and is often found in Indian cuisine ). The seeds are sprinkled in the body of the pale yellow cheese imparting a sweet, oniony flavor and a crunchy texture.

For a complete listing of cheesemakers at the wedge - Artisan Cheese Makers in the Northwest.

 

Spring Milk / Summer Milk ? -– Why does some cheese seem to taste so much better? Maybe it is the milk. Cheese made from spring or summer milk ( April through August - when does summer end? ) tends to be sweeter, richer because of the quality of grass the cows, sheep, goats eat.  Although the season for soft, fresh cheeses from spring milk has passed, semi-firm and other cheeses made from spring milk are just now entering the market. These include a large variety of cheeses including Roquefort, Whole Milk Mozzarella, Mild Cheddar, Fontina, Provolone, Swiss cheeses, Muenster, etc.

Beaufort D'Ete by Herve Mons is for a very limited time  available at Pastaworks ( There is not much left.) .   Beaufort D'Ete ( D'Ete - summer milk )-  is one of three Beaufort cheeses made in the French Alps in the valleys of Beaufortain, Tarentaise, Maurienne and of part of the Valley of Arly. The Beaufort D'Ete at Pastaworks is made by French affineur ( cheese ager ) Herve Mons. The cheese is wonderful aged cheese, with a strong - not at all overpowering, complex, fruity flavor and if you close your eyes and wish like Dorothy you can imagine the summer milk it is made from.

Gorwydd Caerphilly from Neal's Yard  is a raw cow's milk semi soft cheese made by Todd, Maugan & Kim Trethowan at  Gorwydd Farm in Wales and available at Steve's Cheese (2321 NW Thurman St. Portland, OR 97210  503.222.6014 ) and  Whole Foods.  The cheese is simple and very direct revealing a pure, clean flavor of the cow's milk. Gorwydd Caerphilly is a excellent example of cheese aged for 60 - 90 days made from Spring Milk.

The Wedge Cheese Recommendations: ( There will be many, many cheeses at the Wedge; following are some that we have recently tasted and enjoyed.)

Brindisi Fontina - Willamette Valley Cheese Company's Italian-style Brindisi Fontina is a fairly hard, golden colored cheese. The shelf aged hard rind and almost brittle texture is highlighted by occasional crystalline morsels sprinkled throughout.  The cheese I bought from Pastaworks  was aged for almost a year and had a rich, sharp flavor, unlike a softer, more traditional Fontina. Willamette Valley Cheese Brindisi Fontina is made from 100% Jersey milk and is a great table cheese and like its traditional cousin, and great to cook with. 

Redmondo - Juniper Grove Farm's aged, semi-hard goat cheese is lush, caramel, somewhat salty with a pronounced flavor. We have been told that the cheese's flavor changes significantly during the year.

Rogue River Blue - Rogue Creamery's award winning blue cheeses are all wonderful ( Crater Lake Blue, Rogue River Blue, Smokey Oregon Blue, Oregonzola ) Rogue River Gold -- is released but once a year. This blue cheese is amazing and probably worth the extravagant price.  It can be hard to find; after a little time in the market it is truly scarce.  Try to get it early. Rogue Creamery will be showing Rogue River Gold and their other cheeses at the Wedge and it will be in cheese shops soon.

These artisan cheese makers will be displaying and tasting their wares at The Wedge
. 

A highlight of the wedge will be the release of Rogue River Gold. Released but once a year by the Rogue Creamery,this blue cheese is amazing and probably worth the extravagant price.  It can be hard to find; and after only a little while in the market tends to become more so.  Try to get it early. Rogue Creamery will be showing Rogue River Gold and their other cheeses at the Wedge and it will be in cheese shops soon.

See Cheese Recommendations

Artisan Cheese Makers in the Northwest
 

Oregon
          Juniper Grove www.junipergrovefarm.com
          Rogue Creamery www.roguecreamery.com
          Fraga Farm www.fragafarm.com
          Oregon Gourmet Cheeses         www.oregongourmetcheeses.com
          Tillamook Cheese www.tillamookcheese.com
          Tumalo Farms www.tumalofarms.com
          Rivers Edge Chevre www.threeringfarm.com
          Ancient Heritage Dairy         www.ancientheritagedairy.com
          Willamette Valley Cheese Co. www.wvcheeseco.com
          Silver Falls Creamery www.silverfallscreamery.com

       

California
          Fiscalini Cheese Co. www.fiscalinicheese.com
          Redwood Hill Cheese Co. www.redwoodhill.com
          Vella Cheese Co. www.vellacheese.com

       

Washington
          Beecher's Handmade Cheese         www.beechershandmadecheese.com
          Monteillet Fromagerie www.montecheese.com
          Mt. Townsend Creamery         www.mttownsendcreamery.com
          Estrella Family Creamery        www.estrellafamilycreamery.com
          Silver Springs Creamery           www.silverspringscreamery.com
          Jumpin' Good Goat Dairy         web.mac.com/relaena/iWeb/Jumpin/Home.html
          Black Sheep Creamery             www.blacksheepcreamery.com

       

Utah
          Beehive Cheese Co. www.beehivecheese.com

       

Idaho
          Ballard Family Dairy and Cheese         www.ballardcheese.com
          Rollingstone Chevre  homepage.mac.com/chevre

      

 

Comments

[marcia]

any suggestions for a cheese fodue?