Past Newsletters

September 2008

Try to Remember the Kind of September When Life was Slow and Cheeses Mellow!

Our cheeses this month complement the changing seasons beautifully—perfect for snacking or picnicking in the last days of summer and into the early fall. The three we've selected this month work perfectly on such a platter (the ploughman of two centuries ago wished he could eat this well!) The crumbly and buttery Lancashire, rich and creamy Explorateur, and the savory Bleu d'Auvergne represent a range of flavors and textures of cheese. The Bleu d'Auvergne and the Explorateur both make delicious desserts accompanied by fresh fruits. Serve them with bread and slices of apples and pears to celebrate the shift from summer to fall—officially September 22.

Lancashire: A Crumbly Buttery Classic

The county of Lancashire, located in the northwest of England and bounded to the west by the Irish Sea, is a combination of rough and rugged countryside and industrial towns. It was the home of the industrial revolution in England; and, until 1974, when county boundaries were redrawn and the city of Manchester booted out, it was also the Beatles' home county. Lancashire cheese is made in the area located a little north of Cheshire (home and namesake to another of Britain's finest cheeses). It's traditionally produced using the curd from two or three days' worth of milkings, which helps to give the creamy richness great depth. A white-colored cow's milk cheese, it is most appreciated for its fantastic crumbly texture and buttery taste. Lancashire is one of the lesser-known cheeses of England, often overshadowed by Cheddar and Cheshire, its more famous counterparts.

In Great Britain it is the classic "toasting" cheese: crumbled or spread onto bread and heated under the broiler. They place a layer of apple chutney on Farm Bread, then crumble some Lancashire on it and set it under the broiler 'til the cheese is bubbling hot and lightly browned. This home-country tradition became known as "Welsh Rarebit" or "Welsh Rabbit" and is a simple and classic way to enjoy Lancashire. Variations include heating ale or milk gently in a pan and then crumbling Lancashire into it. You'll want to go nice and slow, or the cheese will become stringy. When it's all melted together, spread the mixture over toast and broil until it's golden brown. Experiment with adding your favorite flavors or seasonings, such as chives, mustard – or, if you want to be very English, Worcestershire sauce. Lancashire, like most British cheeses, is the perfect complement to a good beer or ale. It's equally delicious paired with a Chardonnay or Muscadet.

Tasting Notes: Lancashire's combination of a delicate texture and rich, creamy flavor places it in a distinct category of its own. It often appears as a staple part of a "Ploughman's Lunch," a traditional meal served in pubs across Great Britain. Ploughman's Lunch originated as a filling meal of crusty bread and rich cheeses, accompanied by chutney, fruit, and raw vegetables that was carried to the fields by farmers. Hence the name.
Speaking of workingmen's traditions, if you haven't joined our Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club, you are missing out on some excellent microbrews such as the Tommyknocker Brewery's English Pale Ale. (They're in British Columbia.) That would complement your English cheese wonderfully. Check out the Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club at www.monthlyclubs.com.

Explorateur: France's Triple Crème Salute to America

Who says the French don't love Americans? They created Explorateur to honor the first U.S. satellite, Explorer One. Quite a tribute! Fittingly, it's out of this world. We can almost promise that this cheese, made in the Isle de France region, will be the most decadent cheese experience you'll ever encounter. Indulge in it with close friends! A full pound of Explorateur will easily serve 12 people. Triple Crème cheeses are the creamiest and most luxurious of all French cheeses. They're made by adding extra crème to the fresh curd used to make soft-ripened cheeses. By law these cheeses must contain at least 75% butterfat. Triple crème cheeses are cured for about three weeks before they develop a very thin, downy rind. Among the most famous are French Saint Andre, Explorateur, Brilliat Savarin, and Pierre Robert.

Tasting Notes: When ripe, Explorateur's ivory interior has a delicate aroma, a salty, mushroomy tang, and a delicate piquant flavor akin to buttery baked hazelnuts. Explorateur is usually served as an appetizer with crusty French bread paired with Champagne or a dry, fruity red wine such as the La Caselle Chianti featured this month by our International Wine of the Month Club (www.winemonthclub.com). Also in the French tradition, it's often served at the end of a meal as a dessert accompanied by a medley of ripe, fresh fruit.

Explorer One

The U.S. Army launched Explorer One on January 31, 1958—American's response to the Russian's launching Sputnik in October 1957. With it the Soviet Union also launched the Space Race as part of the Cold War. Explorer One used a rocket that had been developed to test guided missile components. The U.S. satellite orbited the earth every 115 minutes, 220 miles above the surface at its closest point and 1580 miles at its farthest. It measured cosmic rays and micrometeorites, transmitting this data until February 28, 1958.

Explorer One proved that the Earth is surrounded by intense bands of radiation, now called the Van Allen radiation belts. You can see America's answer to Sputnik at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in the Milestones of Flight Gallery.

Bleu d'Auvergne: A Roquefort Alternative

First appearing in the markets in the middle of the 20th century, Bleu d'Auvergne is relatively new in the world of cheese. The story goes that an Auvergnat farmer sprinkled mold from rye bread on his milk curd and then pierced the curd with a needle. This allowed the air through and the curd developed blue veins. Although this cheese could be mistaken for Roquefort in looks, it has its own distinct flavor.

Compared to Roquefort, it's super-intense and crumbly. Bleu d'Auvergne also has a creamier texture and a more subtle, rustic flavor. For a special treat, serve it with Sauterne and toasted nuts or with a full-bodied red wine.

Tasting Notes: Bleu d'Auvergne is made using century-old techniques and an uncompromising attention to quality. The result is a blue that's ideal for both snacking and cooking. As with the other great blues, you can contrast the heady flavor of Bleu d'Auvergne with the sweetness of fresh fruit, and/or a dessert wine. It's great crumbled on a tossed salad or added directly to your freshly-made vinaigrette. It will mellow the dressing's acidity. Try a small piece on a slice of apple for a beautiful, healthy snack!

The right wine with a superior cheese can be an excellent combination! Monthly Clubs offers fine domestic and international wines. Check out our International Wine of the Month Club at www.winemonthclub.com.

What a Cow Eats Really Does Flavor Her Milk

The Auvergne lies in the heart of the Massif Central, a mountain range with a chain of long extinct volcanoes, or "Puy." The Allier is rich farm country with gentle hills and huge forests. The landscape of the Puy-de-Dome and Cantal highlands changes into sweeping glacier valleys, lakes, waterfalls, and a wide plateau. There you will find unspoiled medieval towns and mountain villages. Charming farmhouses rest on the plateaus in the wilds of the Labradors. As you might expect, the people here are warm and friendly. From spring until late autumn, there are country fetes which are held to celebrate the harvest and the movement of the herds to their mountain pastures.

The terrain near Auvergne is craggy and desolate, and actually better suited to raising sheep than cows. Even so, the region manages to produce enough cow's milk to eke out its small annual production of Bleu d'Auvergne. The cheese boasts an abundance of blue veins and a smooth yet intense flavor that blue lovers covet!

This cheese, granted an AOC certification in 1975, tastes of clover, wildflowers, and wild onions. These are the main plants the cows feast on, and what a cow eats really does flavor the milk they produce, as well as the cheese made from that milk.

Why are some cheeses designated as AOC? The Appellation d'Origine Controlee, or AOC, applies to wines, eaux-de-vie, dairy, and farmhouse products. It guarantees that a product of quality has been produced within a specified region following established methods of production. The AOC is regulated by laws, the first of which was the Law for the Protection of the Place of Origin of May 6, 1919.

Culture Corner
Cheese	Pronunciation	Recommended Wine/Beer
Lancashire	LANK-uh-shur	Beer or any wine you enjoy. Try Chardonnay or Muscadet.
Explorateur	ex-plore-ah-TOOR	Champagne is an excellent companion to this cheese.
Bleu d'Auvergne	Bluh-doe-VAIRN	Big, bold reds. Comas. Red Bordeaux.