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.