Vol 2 No 4
Taleggio Will Lure You Back For Morsel After Morsel
This cheese was first made in the area of Val Taleggio as early as the tenth century, but the name, Taleggio (pronounced tahl-EH-zhee-oh), has only been used since the early 20th century. In 1988, Taleggio was designated an Italian cheese of Denomination of Origin, and in 1996, it obtained the European acknowledgment of Denomination of Protected Origin, DOM. This means its production and commercialization are controlled and guaranteed by the Association for the protection of Taleggio cheese. Today, this cheese is made all throughout Lombardy, and also the regions of Piedmont and Venetia.
Val Taleggio, its point of origin, is in the northern region of Italy called Lombardy, which borders the Swiss Alps, where the climatic conditions are most favorable for abundant and superior quality fodder for dairy cows… unspoiled high pastureland where commercial fertilizers and other chemicals are restricted.
Taleggio is a soft, unpressed, cow’s milk cheese, and is a member of the Stracchino family of northern Italian cheeses. Stracchino means tired, which refers to the time of year the cheese was originally made… in the fall when the cows were brought from their alpine pastures to their valley pastures. It stands to reason that the cows may have been tired from the journey… well, at least the herders were! These days Taleggio is made year round.
The Origin of Taleggio Dates Back to the 10th Century!
Originally Taleggio cheeses matured in the caves of Valsassina, in the province of Como. These caves are particularly renowned… thanks to deep fractures in the rocks; they provide a unique climate that favors maturation and the growth of molds on the rind.
Still largely a northern Italian secret, Taleggio has only recently attracted the attention it deserves. This rich cheese, 48 percent fat, is traditionally made in square or rectangular pillow shapes that weigh about 4 to 5lbs.
Today, you can find Taleggio sold in flat blocks or cylinders, covered with a wax coating or a thin mold.
Farmhouse Taleggio comes wrapped in several layers of paper, and if the cheese is fully ripe it is nearly impossible to remove. Just rub it off or ignore it, you are about to enjoy one of the world’s most magnificent cheeses!
The inside of the cheese, the dough, is semi soft and rather streaky with small straw color eyelets. It is pale ivory to pale yellow, with a compact consistency. The dough is softer close to the naturally pink or rosy, thin, soft, and wrinkled rind. As Taleggio ages, it darkens to deep yellow and becomes rather runny.
In Italy, Taleggio is a typical… yet most outstanding table cheese, eaten at the beginning, or the end of the meal. It goes well with robust wines, such as, Red Franciacorta, Oltrepò Pavian, Pinot Nero, Piave Merlot, and Red Piceno. Italians consider it to be a splendid dessert cheese, served with apples and pears. I like to include pecans as well.
Wensleydale Historically Noteworthy
Wensleydale is a northern county of England, just a few miles northwest of York. This area is also known as The Dales, and is especially famous for cheesemaking. Dales cheeses have origins that date back to Roman times. Some of the more obscure ones like Cotherstone can be traced back to Yorkshire’s now defunct monastic orders that were a result of the Norman Conquest in 1066. We’re talking about exceedingly deep-rooted traditions and ancient cheese making recipes here! There is no doubt in my mind that William The Conqueror ate cheese made from the very same recipe as the cheese you about to try.
In the early days all the cheeses called Wensleydale were made from sheep’s milk and briefly aged into a soft, moist, blue cheese. By the middle of the 17th century, cows had replaced sheep as the main source of milk for Wensleydale cheesemaking. With the Industrial Revolution came standardization. Factories and creameries cropped up and the character and style of Wensleydale changed. It was now a harder textured cheese with no blueing that was sold quite young. By the end of World War II less than a dozen farms were left making Wensleydale.
In the 1950’s, the Milk Marketing Board started to layout strict guidelines for cheesemaking. These guidelines didn’t take flavor or tradition into consideration, it was all percentages, yields and standardization... not a great criteria for full flavored cheese and unfortunately, in utter frustration the last few farmhouse Wensleydale cheesemakers gave up. There was however, one small creamery that continued to make Wensleydale.
Wensleydale Creamery is the only company in the world that still makes true Wensleydale
All the rest is made in huge factories that also make a myriad of other cheeses, which curiously enough all taste pretty much the same… it’s just the labels that are different.
White Wensleydale with a fine curd, minimal texturing, and a high moisture content is usually eaten young, at about a month old. It is creamy yet crumbly, with slightly sweet, but also tart flavor. Wensleydale is sometimes described as having a buttermilk, nutty, flavor with a honey aftertaste, and an aroma of cut grass.
If you are ever in England, keep an eye out for a rare and delicious cheese, Blue Wensleydale. The celebrated blue veined Wensleydale requires six months to mature. It has a smooth creamy texture similar to Stilton but with a mellower flavor.
8 Pints of Milk Per Pound!
Hand crafted, wrapped in muslin cheesecloth or wax, this delicious, creamy-white, flaky cheese is pure, natural and wholesome. The fresh milk drawn from cattle grazing in the sweet limestone Wensleydale meadows, and of course, eating the wild herbs growing in this area of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, give this cheese its distinctive and extraordinary flavor. (Designated an Environmentally Sensitive area, the use of artificial chemicals and fertilizers is heavily restricted.)
Le Chevrot, C’est Magnifique!
This cheese has been described as a French masterpiece… a superb little goat's milk cheese, handmade near Poitou with a fresh, buttery, faintly winy taste, and an aroma of ripe figs. It has also been described as having a freshness and lush quality that is magnificent, and a slightly nutty, almost fermented taste that is addictive. The wrinkly rind is edible and the cheese itself is a moderately aged cheese… an excellent compromise between mild taste and rich texture.
The Loire Valley is famous for its goat’s milk cheeses that come in a wide array of shapes… pyramids, rounds, truncated cones, hearts, logs and cylinders. This style of cheese was probably introduced to the Loire in the eighth century, when the Saracen invaders from Spain reached its southern banks. Most of the invaders were later repelled, but some remained with their goats to provide the foundation for these famous Chevres.
The Dying Art of Classic French Chevre Production is Embodied in Le Chevrot
The flavor intensifies when the cheese is grilled. Broiled Chevre is the basis of a delicious Chevre salad popular all over France. The serving of this salad is also said to mark the beginning of spring.
Jude’s Extraordinary
Goat Cheese Salad for 2
6 slices of Le Chevrot: cut horizontally into discs 2/8 inch thick.
6 wonton wrappers and olive oil for frying
Mixture of favorite leafy greens (spinach, mesclun, cos lettuce)
Favorite vinaigrette, or try mine (olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper)
Wrap each slice of cheese in a wonton wrapper and set aside in fridge. Prepare leafy greens in a bowl, and your favorite vinaigrette. Dress and toss salad and separate onto 2 plates.
Heat oil in a fry pan to a medium heat and gently place cheese wrapped in wonton wrappers into pan. It will spatter a little but that’s ok. Fry for about 2-3 minutes or till wonton wrappers are golden. Flip over and cook other side.
When golden remove and place 3 pieces on each salad. Serve immediately under sunny skies with a chilled bottle of white wine and a loaf of crusty bread.
An alternative to frying the cheese is just to place slices of cheese onto pieces of toast and broil under heat till golden brown. Then serve on your salad.
The Loire Valley Supremely Regal
The glorious valley of the Loire is rich in history, architecture and food. Orleans was France's intellectual capital in the 13th century, attracting artists, poets and troubadours to the Royal Court. But this medieval court never stayed in one place for long, which led to the building of magnificent châteaux all along the Loire River.
Its sophisticated cities, luxuriant landscapes, magnificent foods, and superb wines add up to a bourgeois paradise.
The lush Loire Valley is renowned for its sumptuous châteaux, and the relics of royal days gone by. Like the river Loire, this vast region runs through the very heart of French life. For more information: http://www.franceway.com/regions/loire/intro.htm
Crepes Florentine Torte
2 ½ cups prepared red pasta sauce
¾ cups Ricotta cheese
½ cup of chopped toasted pine nuts
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
7 eight-inch crepes
¾ cup shredded Taleggio
Spoon all but 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce into a large bowl. Add the Ricotta cheese and pine nuts followed by the spinach. Salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to 425°. Place a crepe in the bottom of a pie pan coated with non-stick material. Spread the crepe with 1/3 cup of the spinach mixture and sprinkle with the Taleggio cheese.
Repeat the layers, ending with a crepe on the top. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the crepe and top with the remaining cheese. I always like to add more of each cheese and the pines nuts too.
Garnish with more roasted pine nuts (don’t chop). Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through. YUM!
Taleggio…
A Precious Ingredient
You’ll find that Taleggio lends magic to the preparation of pastas, risotto, soups, omelet’s, and on just about every kind of pizza. In fact, Taleggio is exceedingly versatile in many recipes because it melts very easily, and also browns nicely. Its performance is outstanding when used in gratins, and for broiling when placed on top.
Tasting Notes:
Taleggio
To fully appreciate its flavor and aroma, Taleggio is best at room temperature. It is up to you whether you eat the rind or not… of course, the cheese will be stronger if you do. Farmhouse Taleggio has a great depth of flavor that is certainly a result of the high-unspoiled pastureland. The flavor depending upon the age is often described as “sweet, buttery and delicate with aromatic shadings,” or “nutty and meaty with a wonderful salt-smack” at the end. Once maturation is reached the taste gets decidedly spicier and more peppery.
Le Chevrot
Young Le Chevrot has an off-white, slightly wrinkled rind. When very young, the cheese has a gentle, aromatic, yeasty taste and a fine, moist texture. As it gets older, the interior softens and the flavor becomes nuttier and full-bodied. At its peak age (This is what In Pursuit of Cheese brings to you this month.), the cheese is denser and creamier, and there is a fruity tinge to the taste.
Apple pie without Wensleydale cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze!
Wensleydale
White Wensleydale is firm but not dry and hard, creamy yet the surface is slightly uneven and crumbly, and has a slightly sweet but also tart flavor. It’s sometimes described as having a nutty, buttermilk flavor and with a honey aftertaste, and gentle aroma of cut grass. It has a fine curd, minimal texturing, and high moisture content. Wensleydale is usually eaten young, at about a month old. This cheese goes well with a crisp apple and is traditionally eaten with fruitcake.
Q: What is the difference between a dairy and a creamery?
A: A creamery is a company that buys milk from surrounding farms to make cheese. A farmhouse cheesemaker is one who has their own dairy and herd, and only uses milk from that herd to make their cheese.
