Sylvan Star Nettle & Celery Gouda

Another unique cheese from Sylvan Star Cheese. We found their booth at the Farmer's Market whcih carries a wider variety of their products than the local Foo' Mar'. I'm a fan of nettle tea but I wasn't sure how it would taste in a cheese. Is this another win for Sylvan Star?

Tonight on Dinner Plate: Tartiflette par Camembert

In my last post I reviewed Le Rustique Camembert which I mentioned was purchased for a specific cooking purpose. Well here's what it went into:

Le Rustique Camembert

Today we review a French cheese from Normandy. Le Rustique Camembert by Jean Verrier Fromager. We bought this cheese for a special cooking project that I'll share with you soon but I thought it only right to review the cheese on its own merits.

Moroccan Spice Cheddar

Moroccan Spice Cheddar was the clear favourite of our last batch of cheese. It's a nice cheddar, not overly sharp but the various spices added give it a complex flavour. The main source of spice is Moroccan Harissa Paste that contains coriander, garlic, paprika, and other spices. We tried harissa marinade on some chicken a while back and it was pretty delicious. The same mix of flavours works well here.

This cheese was so good my mother-in-law brought some home in her suitcase. It works quite well on its own but would add a kick to sandwiches or omelettes. 

Highly Recommended.

My local cheese counter takes the big rounds and repackages them in smaller wedges so I can't always be sure of which company they come from but it's likely that this cheese was produced by Coombe Castle in the UK.

For more info follow the link: http://consumer.coombecastle.com/our-products/product/morrocan-spice

Chaumes Cheese

Chaumes Cheese is a semi-soft cheese on the brie-camembert spectrum.  This one has a bright orange rind and a pale white interior.  The bouquet is fragrant without being overpowering and the flavour is just delicious. As Mrs. ISMOTU put it " it's got that creamy brie-ness without being too bland."  So yes, the flavour is a bit stronger than your typical brie but nothing that should put off cheese neophytes. This was another of my much delayed reviews. So much so that I went out and bought some more just to properly refresh my memory.  And I was glad I did.

Recommended.

Chaumes comes from France and is made by Ile de France Gourmet Cheese. 

For more info follow the link: http://iledefrancecheese.com/index.php/Chaumes/chaumes.html

Swiss Cave Aged Gruyere

Today's review: Swiss Cave Aged Gruyere another treat from the Fromages du Monde counter at my local Co-Op.

This is a delicious mature gruyere that was strong and salty. It was nice to nibble on and worked quite well in a pair of quiches I made to impress my in-laws on their recent visit. (P.S. It worked!)

It's got a nice semi-firm texture and all flavour you'd expect from a quality gruyere. I fear my reviews are getting shorter as I try more variations of the same style of cheese because I'm by no means a gourmand and as such my vocabulary is somewhat limited. Plus I've been less that diligent about writing these reviews in a timely manner so this one is based more on memory than the actual cheese since it's long been devoured.

Recommended.

Sylvan Star Grizzly Gouda

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

I've got Christmas quiches in the oven and I used this cheese in them so I figured I should do a quick review of the cheese in its natural state.

Sylvan Star Cheese is a great local operation that continually impresses me with their solid cheese offerings. Their Grizzly Gouda is aged 12-24 months and has a strong sharp flavour to match. There's a hint of an almost fermented nutty flavour that reminds me a little of Amaretto liqueur but without the sweetness. Overall just a nice strong blast of gouda goodness.

The texture is fairly hard and crumbly and Grizzly Gouda has a wonderful pale golden colour and there are a few little holes every so often.

I think this cheese is great. It lives up to the ferociousness of its ursine name, though it's delicious rather than deadly.

Highly Recommended.

For more info follow the link: http://www.sylvanstarcheesefarm.ca/home.html