A Taste of Australia

King Island's "Roaring Forties" Blue Cheese

Our first selection this month is a unique cheese from the King Island Dairy in the land downunder. A full flavored blue cheese, King Island's "Roaring Forties Blue" is a choice and flavorful pick for connoisseurs with a penchant for sweet delights. Not only an extremely savory cheese, it is one that has been recognized by the most prestigious dairy and agricultural institutions in Australia. In 1995 it was awarded the silver medal from the Dairy Industry Association of Australia; in 1999 it received the silver medal at the Royal Agricultural Society's Royal Melbourne Show and the Australian Grand Dairy Award. Most recently it was a 2001 Fancy Food Show award winner. But you won't need to see any medals to know why this cheese, so favored by Australia, is fast becoming an international delight. One taste is all the award you'll need.

The King Island Dairy Story

King Island is located south of Melbourne at the Western end of Bass Strait. This small island in the Great Southern Ocean is one of the few lasting remnants of the land bridge that at one time linked Tasmania to the Australian mainland. The old European origins of the island are rooted in the sealing trade of the early 1800’s. Later, the population was boosted by the post war soldier re-settlement programs. In current day, there are less than 2000 people on the island, the main livelihoods being fishing, kelp harvesting, beef, wool production and, the most renowned industry on King Island, dairying.

King Island is a picturesque spot on a fine day, but the "Roaring Forties" can turn this island paradise into a stormy isle. The ferocious westerly winds and treacherous seas have added to the mystique of King Island’s history. Hundreds of souls have been lost in shipwrecks on its rocky shoreline. Legend says it was these very tragedies that gave the island its unique quality that survives today. It is said that straw mattresses containing dried grass seeds drifted ashore from the many shipwrecks. The seeds, germinating in the rich soils of the island is what created the lush pastures that are the very foundation of the King Island Dairy industry.

For the better part of a century, the dairy herds on the island have grazed on these verdant, dense pastures, supplementing their rich diet occasionally with a helping of kelp washed up from the shore after heavy storms. When comparing to the total of 3 million dairy cows in Australia, those from King Island are perhaps the most fortunate. Their home is a pollution and chemical free haven. This high quality of pasture and the clean environment, combined with a year round growing season, make it possible for the dairy farmers to practice traditional methods. There is no need for the artificial feed supplements and stock growth additives that other farmers have come to rely on. It all adds up to nature's best, with the cows of King Island renowned for producing the sweetest milk on the land. From this creamy milk comes an array of dairy products recognized throughout Australia and rapidly winning the same sort of reputation in the international market place.

Taleggio

The Cave-aged Italian Delight

Our 2nd selection this month is the most supple and creamiest member of the famous Italian Stracchino cheeses. Taleggio originated in the valley of the same name, located in the historic region of Bergamo. Making its debut on the international cheese markets after World War I (around the same time as its cousin Bel Paese); Taleggio quickly became one of the world favorites. Its soft and incredibly flavorful interior is creamy in texture and has a pungent aroma. The cheese bestows the essence of the Italian countryside in such a demonstrative manner that you could swear you were sitting among the cows on a grassy hillside in Lombardy. Indulge and enjoy the view!

Morbier

Comte's French Cousin

The first Morbier ever produced was made from leftover milk of Gruyere de Comte production. The cheese artisan would press the leftover curd from the evening's production of Comte into a round mold and cover that curd with a thin layer of ash. This would prevent it from drying out. The next day he would press the leftover morning curd on top of the ash, which resulted in a two-layered, semi-soft cheese with a complex fruity flavor and a slight zing. The layer from the evening milking tasting fruitier than that from the morning milking, gives the cheese two slightly different taste sensations. Not only serving as a divide, the ash separating the cheese makes an aesthetic, dramatic presentation. This European delight is made using raw cow’s milk and has a complex, bold flavor. The ivory-yellow interior of the cheese has a silky texture and is wrapped inside a creamy-brown crust. Bon appetit!

Tasting Notes

Roaring Forties is a full bodied blue with a honeyed, slightly nutty quality and good aftertaste. It is a rindless cheese, matured in wax, which helps it retain moisture and creates a smooth and creamy texture. A Roquefort style mould is used to create this singular and exciting cheese style.
Taleggio is a rough, rosy crust cheese enveloped in a cheese that is inedible. The light yellow interior, the rich and buttery, fruity, and slightly salty flavor are Taleggio's distinctive qualities.

Jude's Serving Suggestions

Taleggio

Cave-aged Taleggio is excellent as a hors d'oeuvre when sliced and baked on top of crusty Italian bread. A great cooking cheese, you can also melt it atop polenta. While a flavorful snackfood with ham, salami, fruit and bread, you can also enjoy it all by itself - it is that fantastic!
Try grilling a Portobello mushroom then melt a generous amount of Taleggio on top - simply delicious. Add a young red from Northern Italy like Valpolicella and Bardolino or a Beaujolais (Gamay) and you've got a gourmet precursor to a delightful dinner!

Morbier

This incredible cheese is best enjoyed when served at room temperature. Remove it from the refrigerator about an hour before serving. -A wooden or marble cheese board makes a decorative and sturdy surface for presenting. Include other cheeses
of different textures (ripened, soft, hard, blue), flavors (mild, strong, sharp), and milk types (cow, goat, sheep), and serve with crusty French bread. You'll have a cheese board to die for!

Recipes

Pear and Blue Cheese Puffs

The bold taste of King Island's "Roaring Forties" Blue is an excellent complement to the sweet pears and cranberries in this recipe..

1/2 package (17.3 oz) puff pastry (1 sheet)
2 ripe Bartlett pears, chopped and peeled
2 tbs. sugar
4 oz. crumbled Roaring Forties Blue Cheese
Sweetened, dried cranberries or cherries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. At room temperature, thaw puff pastry for 30 minutes. Toss the pears in sugar. Set aside.

On a lightly floured board, roll pastry out into a 14 in. square then cut into 36 equal squares. Place each in a mini muffin pan. Place equal amounts of pear and Roaring Forties Blue Cheese in pastry lined pans. Place 2 or 3 dried cherries or cranberries on top of each.

Place in oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes and serve warm.

Yields 36 slices

Rosemary Blue Cheese Bites

Roaring Forties Blue Cheese and the rosemary make a mouthwatering combination in this recipe.

1 (12-inch) pre-baked pizza crust
2 tbs. finely chopped Italian parsley
4 tbs. fresh chives, cut into 1/16"
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
4 oz. crumbled Roaring Forties Blue Cheese
1-1/4 c. finely shredded mozzarella cheese
3 ripe Roma tomatoes, diced 1/4"
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In medium-sized bowl, combine chives, rosemary, parsley, pepper, Roaring Forties Blue Cheese, and mozzarella. Place the crust on pizza pan and spread the cheese mixture evenly over crust to 1/2" all around the edge uncovered. You can prepare recipe ahead up to this point. Cover and refrigerate to keep until ready to finish.

Bake crust for 8 to 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling. While the crust is baking, dice the tomatoes and toss with vinegar in a small bowl. With a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut crust into 1" wide strips, and then cut strips into 1" squares. Top with 3 to 4 pieces of tomato on each square. Serve warm.

Yields 55-60 pieces

Roasted Beet Salad with Watercress, Lentils, Sopressata and Taleggio

1-1/2 c. roasted beets
1 c. cooked lentils
1 bunch watercress, washed and spun dry
4 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
3 tbs. balsamic vinegar with salt and pepper to taste
4 small slices Italian country bread, toasted, cooled
8 oz. thinly sliced Sopressata sausage
6 oz. cave-aged Taleggio cheese

Toss beets, lentil, watercress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a large mixing bowl. Season to taste. Divide salad among 4 plates. Divide the sausage around base of each salad. Divide Taleggio over each of the four pieces of toast. Place in center on top of each salad. Serve immediately.

Yields 4 servings

Baby Beet Salad with Morbier Cheese Crouton

2 lbs. baby beets, mixed (red, pink and golden)
1 bulb fresh fennel, shaved paper thin
1/8 c. toasted walnut halves
Juice of 1 lemon
5 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. sherry vinegar
1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped fine
4 oz. Morbier cheese
1 sourdough baguette
1/2 lb. mixed greens
Salt and pepper to taste

In preparing the beets, simmer in salted water until the skins come off easily (about 20-30 minutes). Mix 1 tbs. of olive oil and lemon juice - add salt and pepper to taste. Marinate the shaved fennel in this mixture and set aside. To make the sherry vinaigrette dressing, whisk together 4 tbsp. of olive oil, sherry vinegar, thyme and salt and pepper. Set this aside. Cut the baguette on the bias into 1/4 inch slices. Spread with Morbier cheese and toast on a sheet pan in a 425 degree oven until golden - approx. 10-15 minutes. Cut peeled baby beets into quarters halves (or quarters). Marinate in the sherry vinaigrette while still warm.

Toss all ingredients together when serving, season with salt and pepper, and top with a crouton.

Cheesy Advice

When Entertaining...

Vary your cheeseboard selections so as to please everybody.

Never take rinds away before serving the board - real connoisseurs would find this a misstep.

Cheese is best when served with various sorts of bread. Slices of roasted bread will enhance the flavor of most cheese; however fancy bread (flavored with raisin, nuts or hazel nut) can be an exquisite complement. Have fun and experiment with your palate. Make sure to include butter on the table as well.

Wheels and soft cheese should be cut up like cakes. Cut angular and square cheeses up like cakes or in thin slices, starting at the center. Cut up tall cheese in small rounds. Small goat's-milk cheeses are best cut in two. Divide pyramidal sorts starting from the center and bevel the portions with a knife so as to avoid crumbing them.

When Pairing with Wine...

A general rule is that, most of the time; cheese will blend well with wines from the same region that the cheese originated from. However, here is some additional advice for a smashing wine pairing:

For cooked cheese choose white wines or full bodied red wines (such as Arbois, Saint Emilion).
For blue, choose light, red wines (Morgon).
For soft cheese or blooming pastes, red tonic wines (Pomerol, Médoc, Chinon).
For washed cheese, full bodied red wines (Morgon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape).
For cream cheese, white wines and sweet rosés.
For goat's-milk cheese, dry and fruity and light wines.