Cheeses Flashcards
Brillat Savrin
(France) cow’s milk, soft pasteurized
Region: lle de France
This is a rich Triple créeme cheese, which means that it contains at least 70% butterfat. It is a bloomy rind cheese (same type of rind as brie). It has a slight mushroomy nose, and a rich creamy mouth feel. It is currently only produced by three families in France.
Robiola Fresca
(Italy) sheep’s milk, soft
Region: Piedmont or Lombardy
Cheese obtained by lactic coagulation, with a soft texture and creamy, with a delicate slightly sour taste and a slight hint of goat. It’s a fresh, highly digestible and low in cholesterol.
Manchego 6mo
(Spain) sheep, semi-firm
Region: La Mancha
Perhaps the most famous Spanish cheese, Manchego is a D.O. (Denominación de Origen) protected cheese, meaning that only 100% Manchega cheep’s milk is used in a traditional recipe. The breed has proven sturdy enough over the centuries to traverse the rocky, arid central plateau region known as La Mancha - where cows just can’t hang. The distinctive criss-cross pattern on the rind points to the traditional use of esparto grass belts to shape fresh curd. This younger, pasteurized selection is great for melting and perfect for parties - traditionally served with marcona almonds and membrillo quince paste.
Mahon (Spain)
Cow’s milk; semi-firm
Region: Menorca
Mahon, named after the port of Mahon on the Minorca Island, Spain, is a cow’s milk cheese, produced by various dairies. Mahon is a soft to hard cheese with buttery, sharp, salty in taste. During maturation the cheese is hand rubbed with butter / paprika or oil. Mahon is sold at different ages ranging from 2 months to 10 months.
A traditional way of eating Mahon is my sprinkling it with black pepper, tarragon and olive oil. It pairs well with Madeira or Rioja.
Tete de Moine
(Switzerland) unpasteurized
cow’s milk; Semi-Hard
Region: Jura
Eight centuries ago, in the Swiss Jura Mountains, monks of Bellelay Abbey had a sense of humor. Fashioning small cylindrical “monk’s head” cheeses. they invented a machine, called a girolle, to thinly shave away layers from the top, exposing a bald spot. Made of raw cow’s milk, these Semi-Hard cheeses have a dense texture and a seriously intense, fruity flavor. One of the stronger, sweeter Swiss cheeses we’ve experienced, it pairs nicely with fresh or dried fruits or heavy dessert wines of equal intensity.
Idiazabel
(Spain) sheep’s milk; smoked, semi-hard
Region: Basque
Lacta and Carranza cheep bask on the hillsides of Basque, and the rich, buttery raw milk they produce helps to create the region’s favorite Spanish D.O. cheese — Idiazabel. Similar to its Spanish cousin, Manchego, this cheese is lightly pressed and gently smoked, a nod to its humble history of drying by the fireplace. Ours is lightly smoked, and aged only 2-3 months. We like the supple, toothsome texture at this point and the subtle sharpness. The particular sheep breeds give exceptionally rich, fatty milk, resulting in a buttery mouth-feel and an intriguing gamy character. Best enjoyed hearth side with a mug of hard cider or a fruity Spanish red.
Reypenaer 2yr Gouda
(Holland) cow’s milk, hard
Region: Holland
The Dutch make great cheese and Reypenaer is an extremely good example of artisanal workmanship. It is a variety of Gouda that is took through a series of maturation stages in an entirely natural way. In fact, the aging of Reypenaer is the highlight of the cheese which takes place in a 100 year old warehouse along the Oude Rijn river in controlled conditions.
There are three different varieties of Reypenaer segregated according to its age. Classic Reypenaer cheese is matured for one year and comes with a soft, creamy flavor that stays on the palate throughout the tasting.
Gorgonzola Mountain (Dolce)
(Italy) Cows milk
Region: Lombardy
Italy’s famous Gorgonzola is made in two styles; Dolce is sweet and creamy while this ‘mountain’ variety offers some bite buried in dense, milky paste. Lombardian cheesemakers employ a two-step process in which pasteurized curds from morning and evening milking are layered into each wheel. Blue veins develop over several months of afínate producing a firmer, more sliceable wheel than its gooey cremi-cousin. Mountain Gorg embodies the spicy, earthy flavors of valley pastures, lending itself to almost any application; baking, sauce making or serving straight-up with some Moscato d’Asti
Fiore Sardo
(Italy) sheep’s milk; hard
Region: Sardina
The “Brothers Pinna” began their cheese company in the Sardinia’s rich pastoral land of Logudoro in the early 20th century. These days, they collect the milk of 230,000 sheep grazing across the island of Sardinia to make cheeses steeped in tradition. This one is still produced by smaller shepherds who age the wheels for one month on-site, followed by four or more months in cool cellars, for a traditionally rustic flavor. Firm texture, wet smoke, and a piquant, nutty finish are hallmarks of artisan Fiore Sardo. Made of raw sheep milk, and gamey, slammin’ perfection with a glass of Muntepulciano.
Marcona Almonds
Spanish Almonds Tossed with Olive Oil and Sea Salt
Mixed Olives
Alergen List: Olive Oil, garlic, chili flake, oregano, lemon, Olives
Menu Price: $5
Menu Description: mixed Italian olives. Currently serving San Agostino (green) from Puglia, Castelvetrano (green) from Sicily, Gaeta (smaller black or brown olives) from Lazio, and Calabrese (larger green or black olives marinated with garlic and chilies) from Calabria. They are marinated in olive oil, lemon zest and wild Sicilian oregano.
Table Side: The marinade really helps accent the natural flavor of the olives rather than being masked by strong brine.
