Past Newsletters

Vol 4 No 4

William the Conqueror's Favorite

With the cold winds of Winter behind us, it is time to smell the enchanting wild flowers that are starting to bloom. In keeping stride with the many changing colors of the season, your discriminating cheese aficionados at In Pursuit Of Cheese bring forth three regal cheese selections from Great Britain. Your first selection is Farmhouse Cheshire [CHESH-ur], stemming from the county of Cheshire. Farmhouse Cheshire is scarce, and therefore very little of it is exported. It's usually aged 3 to 9 months which gives it a richer, fuller- bodied, fresh flavor, and a firmer, silky texture, although it may be slightly crumbly. Unlike Farmhouse Cheshire, all other Cheshire cheeses are young, having an average age of 8 weeks. This cheese has long been a favorite for making an authentic Welsh Rabbit. Cheshire is complemented by Riesling and/or a Cabernet Sauvignon. Check out www.winemonthclub.com for more cheese and wine pairings.

Being one of England's oldest cheeses, it is thought to predate Roman times. When England was a province of Rome, the city of Cheshire was well noted for its fine cheese. So remarkable was this cheese that the Romans built a wall around the town to protect it. Imagine cheese amazing enough to need its own security wall!

Cheshire cheese was renowned during the Medieval Ages. Norman women who made Cheshire Cheese were mentioned the Doomsday Book, 1086. No doubt William the Conqueror and the warriors that survived the Battle of Hastings ate a lot of Cheshire that must have tasted just like the cheese you are about to sample! Five hundred years later, it still maintained its prominent status. The sixteenth century historian, John Speed, declared that Cheshire was the very best cheese in all of Europe. Now, this is a cheese with history!

The county was originally made famous for its sheep's milk cheeses, but Cheshire cheese has always been made from cow's milk, as are most of the cheeses made in northern England, today. The region of northern England is fortunate to be irrigated by the River Dee, and the deposited minerals are a part of the dynamics leading to its distinct flavor. Cheshire cheese owes its salty characteristic to the area's soil, which has a high concentration of underlying bedrock salt. With a tip of the hat from nature, the salt and minerals make it to the cheese via the grass eaten by the cows.

In order to meet the standards that define Cheshire cheese, a cheese must be made solely from milk derived from pastures in the Cheshire county. It must be created there as well, using a very specific cheese-making process, and the aging is also carefully regulated. Cheshire cheese comes in three varieties - White (actually pale yellow), Red (similar to that of a cantaloupe or apricot), and Blue. The Red Cheshire is organically dyed with annatto, a flavorless coloring agent made from the pulp of Annatto trees that are grown in the tropics. It tastes the same as the White, but since most English cheeses fall into the White category, it really steals the show at the cheese shop!

Lo and behold there also exists a Blue Cheshire, boasting a beautiful golden interior veined with blue, that is just as rich as Stilton, but milder in flavor. As you sit outside dreaming of and planning your summer vacation, enjoy your original Farmhouse Cheshire, a truly unique and savory selection.

The Ultimate Party Cheese

Perfection often attracts imitations and there are a few imposters when it comes to Sage Derby, but the well-honed palettes at In Pursuit Of Cheese found a Sage Derby (pronounced "darby"), made in the traditional ways for you to savor. The cheese you have before you is made by blending garden sage into Derby cheese curd during the production process, allowing the sage flavor to develop during the time the cheese matures. (Sage is an ancient evergreen perennial herb and many varieties can be found growing wild. It's the herb that many add to their stuffing for their Thanksgiving turkey.)

Because of the Sage, the cheese has a subtle but distinctive flavor, and it develops attractive and unique green marbling. Sage Derby used to be made only at harvest time, and for Holidays and special celebrations, but now it's available all year. Because it's so unusual looking and has a mild and pleasing taste, Sage Derby makes a welcome addition to any cheese board. Count on a fresh flavor like no other.

As the story goes, the first Sage Derby was made in England sometime during the 17th Century, and it was a favorite as part of a ploughman's meal. Many cheese connoisseurs believe its origin to be based on an age-old recipe for Derby cheese that originated in Derbyshire, which is still well known for its farming and lush green pastures. (Derby is a yellow cheese with a firm texture similar to Cheddar.)

The addition of sage leaves to the curd was not for looks, or even taste. It was medicinal. During the 17th Century sage was believed to have powerful therapeutic properties that could cure a variety of ailments. English Sage can be made into tea and taken to counteract sweating and to aid in digestion. Infusions of Sage can be used to treat depression, nervous anxiety, and liver disorders ' no wonder it was popular! Since the leaves are also antiseptic, the infusion makes a great gargle for laryngitis and tonsillitis, and can also be used as a mouth freshener.

Let It Roll!

There is documentation that suggests Double Gloucester was made as early as the 8th century. We think that Double Gloucester was the first colored cheese, originally with carrot, beet or saffron, dating back to the 17th century. Your cheese has been made in the County of Gloucestershire, in the area of the Cotswolds, since the sixteenth century!

Double Gloucester is traditionally made in large wheels using the cream from the night milking and the following day's milk. (Its sister cheese, Single Gloucester uses milk from one day and is pale yellow.) You may see distinctive gray-blue mould on its hard and thick natural rind, and also marks from the cloth that surrounded it during maturation. Like all traditional cheeses Double Gloucester is made with unpasteurized milk. It's a semi-hard cheese with a smooth but flaky texture, and a buttery, creamy, mellow flavor that works beautifully with a Rioja or a Riesling.

The thick rind served two important purposes. First of all, these cheeses needed to withstand annual cheese rolling ceremonies, since Double Gloucester was rolled down the hills of Gloucestershire to demarcate grazing rights. And also, Cheese merchants would jump on it with both feet as a test to see if the wheel had matured enough so that it could be shipped. The cheese would pass inspection if the rind didn't crack. What a horrible, but tasty, mess to clean up when it did!

The city of Gloucester has always been legendary for its cheese fairs. For hundreds of years, all of the farmers competed for prizes. Today, many English shires host agricultural fairs where cheesemakers gather to reconnoiter, and as in Centuries past, to compete.

CheeseBytes
Pass The Mold Please! ' Molds that are part of the paste (internal) ripen the blue veined cheeses. They acquire their color from Penicillium glaucum, or Penicillium roqueforti spores, which are introduced to the cheese after it has been poked with holes. Surface molds are created after the cheese is rubbed with a Penicillium spore. Bluish surface molds are found in French goat milk. Blue Castello, Duet, and Bavarian Blue have both a surface and an internal mould.
How to Slice - The key to cutting cheese is to divide the cheese so that each piece has the same amount of inside and outside paste because the inside will have a different texture and taste. You should cut round cheeses like a cake. It is better to cut slices lengthwise rather than across, and tall cheeses are much easier to serve if sliced horizontally.

When to Slice ' You will maintain the subtle flavors and aromas of unpasteurized cheeses by slicing them at the time of purchase, and eating them soon thereafter. Although hard cheeses may be fine for up to several months, softer cheeses will usually remain fresh anywhere from one to three weeks.

Let it Breathe! ' One must remember that the organisms in cheese are still alive; therefore, cheese will continue to ripen, until you eat it. Cheeses need air, but it's equally important to maintain its humidity. Wrapping your cheeses in greaseproof or waxed paper, and storing them in an airtight food container will help to maintain a good environment. Cheese needs to breathe, but don't expose it to other foreign aromas or you will end up with a cheese that has a very different taste than intended.

Storing Blue Cheese ' Those feisty mold spores found in blue cheese are alive and they will migrate to all other foods, so place blue cheeses in separate containers. A common concern is if the mold is friend or foe - If your cheese didn't have mold when you bought it, but it does now... cut ½ inch off and use it soon. Molds are generally harmless.

Temperature Talk ' It is best to store hard, semi-hard and semi-soft cheeses at 35°F to 40°F, but remove them 1 to 2 hours before serving in order to enhance their tastes and smells. Cheese tastes best when eaten at room temperature.

Tasting Notes

Cheshire: A popular table cheese, this Cheshire is slightly salty with a rustic, mild, tangy flavor. It is neither nutty like Comte, or fruity like Mahon, nor sharp like Cheddar. This semi-hard English creation has a 48% fat content. Fruits like grapes, and pear and apple slices make excellent pairings, and Cheshire will be deeply appreciated as part of the cast on a cheese tray.

Sage Derby: It has a creamy aftertaste that is well complemented by the gentle herbal flavors of the sage leaves. It has a texture similar to cheddar, with a firm, compressed body, and 45% fat content. Sage Derby is definitely a Party Cheese ' a show-stopper on a cheese board! Our apologies to the purists out there, but we also recommend melting this semi-hard cheese on fresh rye bread and topping it with an egg for breakfast. And try accompanying Sage Derby with a microbrewed ale. For some mouth-watering beer pairings, visit us at www.beermonthclub.com.

Double Gloucester: This cheese is firm, but with a subtle, closed texture. Note the full, imposing flavor with notes of nuttiness and citrus. Double Gloucester melts well, making it perfect for cooking. Serve it with fruit and a fine wine, and you will forget those cold days of Winter!