Blue Juliette

We recently returned from a week long trip to BC with a cooler full of cheese (and about 15 bottles of wine!) New cheeses, stuff I had never tasted before! Most of it is made from goats milk (which thrills me no end.) While it was hard to choose a favorite, I think I have. Salt Spring Island Cheese Co.'s Blue Juliette is probably one of the best cheeses I have ever tasted.



The soft-surface ripened goat cheese has a lovely blue mold rind and a delightfully mild blue cheese flavor. The texture is similar to a perfectly ripened triple cream brie, gooey and smooth. And a bonus for those of you who are sensitive to cow's milk - goats milk is much easier to digest so you can enjoy this lovely cheese too.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to track down a website that you can order from but if you are in the area, the Salt Spring Island Cheese Co.'s tasting room and shop is open daily, and visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour of the property year-round.

Saint-André

I had a few friends over last night so of course a cheese plate was in order. There were four different cheeses served and I will try to review them all this week :)

We really enjoyed the first cheese, Saint-André from France. The creame de la creame of cheese. I purchased it from my favorite cheese shop, Springbank Cheese Company, on sale! A 200g mini wheel is normally $8.15 but the box was damaged and they were offering it at 50% off! Yay for sale cheese!



From Wikipedia:

Saint-André cheese is a high (75%) milk-fat ("Triple cream") cow's milk French cheese in a powdery white, bloomy skin of mold. It has a soft buttery texture, and tastes like an intense version of Brie. Extra heavy cream is added to the cheese during manufacture. A traditional wheel of Saint-André is smaller and shaped higher than the familiar flat wheel of Brie. Saint-André is so fatty it can make a white wine taste sour and metallic: a crust of baguette and a light beer or simply a slice of pear are often suggested as better complements. Any cracker used should be utterly bland.

The Verdict:

Everyone loved this cheese. Creamy, mild (but full of flavor), and just plain delightful. It is a great alternative to Brie on any cheese plate. This would also make a devine dessert. In fact, it would be delightful with fresh fruit in a tart. When cold, this cheese is quite firm and difficult o spread. Remove it from the fridge quite a few hours in advance and it will soften to a lovely, creamy, spreadable texture.

All in all, delishious.

Pont L'eveque

This weeks cheese is Pont L'eveque from France. Purchased from Springbank Cheese Company in Willow Park (the have a north Calgary location as well.) Cost was $5.42/100g - my piece was $9.43.


From Wikipedia:

Pont-l'Évêque is a French cheese, originally manufactured in the area around the commune of Pont-l'Évêque, between Deauville and Lisieux in the Calvados département of Basse-Normandie, and probably the oldest Norman cheese still in production.

Pont-l'Évêque is an uncooked, unpressed cow's-milk cheese, square in shape usually at around 10cm square and around 3cm high, weighing 400g. The central pâte is soft, creamy pale yellow in colour with a smooth, fine texture and has a pungent aroma. This is surrounded by a washed rind that is white with a gentle orange-brown coloration. The whole is soft when pressed but lacks elasticity. It is generally ranked alongside Brie, Camembert, and Roquefort as one of the most popular cheeses in France.

Our verdict:

Stinky but yummy! Our piece was not a small square (as described above) but a large triangle like the picture. I left it out on the counter for a few hours and it was sooo yummy spread on crackers. Creamy, strong, and delish. I would not recommend heating this cheese up (on pizza for example) because it has a very similar texture to brie and would probably end up being a bit rubbery.

All in all a very nice cheese and I will be very tempted to purchase it again (although I am supposed to buy something new - boo.)

Welcome!

Welcome to our new blog! A place where Rob and I can share our love of two wonderful things - wine & cheese! Well, one of us loves wine :P

In an attempt to break out of our comfort zone, we will be trying a new cheese each week, and I will *try* to remember to share my thoughts on it. Rob will be posting wine reviews when ever he gets the chance :)

Enjoy!