Featured Cheese - April 2010

A bloomy rind cheese with lots of flavor, Fromage d’Affinois is mild and buttery. Often confused with brie, its texture is similar to a creamy cheesecake. It is made using a process known as ultra filtration. This imparts a taste like a triple-crème, although the fat content is closer to a double-crème. Enjoy it with grapes, pears, strawberries or crusty French bread. Accompany it with a tasty zinfandel, a sauvignon blanc or a viognier.

Mirabo Walnut is a classic Brie crafted in German style. Made with pasteurized milk, it is a creamy soft cheese with a mild, pleasantly tasty flavor. Enjoy this Brie at its peak of flavor by opening the tin and unwrapping, letting the cheese stay at room temperature for one hour before serving. As a classic dessert cheese, it is perfect for rounding off a meal. You can also serve between meals with plain crackers or crusty bread.

Bonne Bouche is no ordinary cheese. Hand ladled and ash-ripened, the cheese is round – resembling brie – contrary to the logs of goat cheese more prevalent in the United States. Introduced by the Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery in 2001, this cheese is extraordinary. When you taste it, you, like many, may be skeptical that a goat cheese of such quality could possibly be made in the U.S., but Vermont artisan cheeses now rival those produced in Europe. Not surprisingly, Bonne Bouche won instant acclaim nationally among food writers, retailers and chefs. The first year it was introduced, it won first place for aged goat cheese at the American Cheese Society competition.