Brebirousse d'Argental - Easy for you to say!!

Hello everyone!

 

I was going through my myriad cheese pictures and realized that I had taken a picture of this cheese, but never blogged about it! Today I'm going to talk about the super yummy Brebirousse d'Argental...

 

Cheese: Brebirousse d'Argental
Production Location: Lyon, France
Milk: Pasteurized sheep's milk
Rennet: Traditional (animal)

Brebirousse literally means "red sheep" which makes sense since it is made of 100% sheep's milk and has a reddish hue. It is a soft ripened cheese (like a Brie, or Humboldt Fog) but has been dusted with b. Linens to encourage the development of the orange-red color.

One thing I have noticed is that people often assume that if the cheese has this orange color, that it is going to be super stinky. While often true, it is not necessarily true in the case of the Brebirousse. This cheese certainly gets stinky when it's been hanging around for too long, but if you get a nice, freshly cut piece, you will be pleasantly surprised by how mild and creamy this cheese is. There are not many soft ripened sheep's milk cheeses out there, so it's always a treat to revel in the fatty, unctuous, meaty flavors of an ooey-gooey sheep's milk cheese.

In researching this cheese I stumbled upon this write up on the and it literally had me laughing out loud, so I thought I would share it with you: http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/eat-this-cheese-brebirousse-dargental.html I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

This cheese is not necessarily available at every cheese counter, but if you happen to see it, make sure to snatch a piece. You won't be disappointed.

Until next time, eat, drink and be happy!!

Chimney Rock - The Fall Seasonal Cheese from Cowgirl Creamery!

Every season Cowgirl Creamery comes out with a new seasonal cheese. For the Fall season, they have the Chimney Rock, which has just recently been released... When I worked behind the cheese counter at the Whole Foods in San Jose, this was one of my team's favorite cheeses.

Cheese: Chimney Rock
Producer: Cowgirl Creamery
Location: Petaluma, CA
Milk: Organic, pasteurized cow's milk
Rennet: Microbial (vegetarian)

Now, most of us are very familiar with the Mt Tam from Cowgirl Creamery. Their seasonal cheeses are similar, but with a few important differences. First, the milk used to make Mt Tam comes from the Strauss Family Creamery. The milk used to make all of their seasonal cheeses is organic milk from the Jersey cows of Chileno Valley Jersey Dairy. As many of you know, the Jersey cow is known for having a higher amount of butterfat in their milk, so the paste will be a little more yellow than the paste of the Mt Tam. If you look at the picture below, you can see the two cheeses aging side by side and how their colors differ. The Chimney Rock is on the left, with the Mt Tam to the right.

The other thing that sets the seasonal cheeses apart from the Mt Tam is the fact that they are washed in a sweet white wine and covered in different herbs, spices or in this case mushrooms, depending on the season. The Chimney Rock is covered with dried organic Pioppini and Shiitake mushrooms from Far West Fungi, organic savory from Allstar Organics and black pepper.

Needless to say, this cheese, while super buttery, has a wonderful umami-ness from the mushrooms and savory. In order to fully appreciate the complexity of the flavors in this cheese, you must eat the rind! This is where all of the mushrooms are and where you really get to experience the full flavor. I feel like this cheese is almost meaty because of the richness of the flavor. I would definitely pair this with a nice Cabernet Sauvignon because the cheese has enough flavor to hold it's own and I think the mushrooms and tannins from the wine would play together nicely. :)

Don't miss out on this cheese! It's a perfect addition to any cheese plate whether it be for an upcoming holiday party or the next NFL game... it is available now, so swing on by your local Whole Foods Market and ask for a taste!

As promised, here are a couple more pictures from when I was making cheese at Cowgirl Creamery...

Here I am cutting the curd...

 Ok, the curd comes out of those hoses REALLY fast, that's why I looked so afraid! Haha

 



Helping put the curd into the forms

Cleaning the cheese vats...

Gotta wash the inside AND the outside

Me wrapping cheese!

 

 

As I've said before, I had a blast at Cowgirl Creamery and I'm so thankful to everyone who made it a reality.

 

And on that note, until next time, eat, drink and be happy!!

Alta Langa Nerina

Good evening everyone!

Being the cheese dork that I am, I get really excited when I try a cheese that really blows me away and when I decide to blog about it, I see that one of my food idols has already done so! This is the case with the Nerina from Alta Langa. I found in my research that three days ago, Janet Fletcher had already written an article on the Nerina. You can find her much more articulate article here: http://www.sfgate.com/food/cheesecourse/article/Ash-coated-Nerina-tantalizes-the-senses-4793694.php She is one of my idols for a reason, she knows her stuff!

I won't go into too much detail as I don't want to seem like I'm ripping off any information from Janet, but I did want to get you all excited about this cheese because it is currently on special at the Northern California Whole Foods!

Cheese: Nerina
Producer: Agrilanga - a creamery recently inherited by Alta Langa
Location: Piedmont, Italy
Milk: Pasteurized goat's milk
Rennet: Traditional (animal) rennet

Nerina means "little black one" which is appropriate as this cheese is dusted with vegetable ash. You can see in the picture above that there can be some other mold growth that occurs, but this is totally natural and helps make the cheese even more tasty!

When left to sit, the paste starts to yield a bit and become a bit more ooey-gooey. Like all goat's milk cheeses, the paste is bone white and while it smells a bit gamey, the flavor is more mild than you would expect. The ash helps to cut through some of the acidity, while the mold growth on the outside adds an earthy, grassy, mushroomy flavor to what would otherwise be a pretty intense goat cheese. When these flavors combine, you get a much more approachable and absolutely delicious goat cheese.

Be sure to swing on by your local Whole Foods Market cheese counter and ask for a taste of the Nerina. It's a great addition to any cheese plate and if you're a goat cheese fan, you're bound to love it.

My next post will be about the most recent seasonal cheese that Cowgirl Creamery has just released - Chimney Rock! It's super tasty and I'm really excited to try this year's batch. I also recently received some more pictures of when I was making Mt Tam at Cowgirl Creamery that I will share on that post as well. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Until next time, eat, drink and be happy!!

2014 Dates for the Academie Opus Caseus!!



Hello everyone!

 

Exciting news! The Academie Opus Caseus has announced their class dates for the year of 2014. Take a look at their latest press release... super exciting!

 

 

Academie Opus Caseus Announces Course Dates for 2014

 

St. Haon le Châtel, France – The Academie Opus Caseus, professional development center at the heart of MonS Fromager Affineur, has published its 2014 course schedule for English language programs for 2014.

 

Applications are now being accepted for all programs on the Academie’s website; course enrollment is limited to 6 participants.

 

Essential Foundations for Cheese Professionals

February 10-21

May 5-16

Essential Foundations covers cheese knowledge from milk preparation to fabrication and affinage, through sourcing, merchandising and marketing.  Classroom education is reinforced with practical, hands-on work in cheesemaking and affinage, as well as in the MonS production room practicing receiving and triage, cutting, wrapping, and preparing orders.  Sensory analysis training is a daily focus.  Students visit MonS retail shops and prepare their own case set in our mock cheese shop.

 

 

Affinage: The Art and Science of Maturing Cheese

July 14-25

October 6-17

Study the science of cheese ageing from make process to affinage care, including in-depth study of the life cycles of cheese rind flora and how to manage them through affinage techniques and environments.  In addition to classroom sessions, students work with MonS staff in the caves and Tunnel de la Collonge learning the techniques used in aging cheeses of all kinds. Sensory analysis training connects the experience of eating the cheese to the work of bringing it to its full potential through affinage.

 

MonS Fromager-Affineur is widely recognized in France and internationally as one of the premier affineurs in the world. With a catalogue of up to 250 different artisanal cheeses, MonS presents a unique opportunity to learn from masters with over 50 years' experience. The curricula evolved out of practical, daily experience over decades, in collaboration with top French dairy scientists and researchers. 

 

The Academie Opus Caseus has been approved as the first ACS CCP™ Authorized Education Center by the American Cheese Society*.

 

*Certified Cheese Professional™ (CCP™) is a registered trademark of the American Cheese Society® (ACS). ACS has authorized the Academie Opus Caseus as an ACS CCP™ Authorized Education Center based on the Academie’s representation that its course content aligns with the ACS Body of Knowledge and ACS CCP Exam domains. ACS is not responsible for the content of this course. ACS does not warrant or guarantee course content, accuracy of information, effectiveness of test preparation, or individual performance on the ACS CCP Exam.

 

 

* * * * *

 

For more information, please contact :

Susan Sturman

ssturman@academie-mons.com

or by phone at 617 505 6235

 

Until next time, eat, drink and be happy!

Another CCP-Made Cheese! Grand Cru Original King Cuts

Hello everyone!

I figured I would continue with the CCP-made cheese theme and decided to talk about the Grand Cru Original King Cuts. My friend, Tiffany Cunningham, who is a CCP that works at the global offices of Whole Foods Market in Austin, TX, had the opportunity to make cheese at Emmi Roth in Monroe, WI. She specifically helped in the making of the King Cuts (along with other yummy Emmi Roth cheeses) which is super exciting because this cheese is only available at Whole Foods Market! Pretty cool right?

Cheese: Grand Cru Original King Cuts
Producer: Emmi Roth Kӓse
Location: Monroe, WI
Milk: Pasteurized cow's milk
Rennet: Microbial (vegetarian)

The Grand Cru Original is a cheese that is made in the style of Gruyere, the Alpine, washed rind cheese from Switzerland. It is super creamy, floral and nutty. Like Gruyere, this cheese is often used as a cooking cheese (think fondue, quiche, or soup), but I really like to feature it on my cheese plate as a cheese that everyone will like. It's very approachable yet still kinda fancy!

I especially love to pair Alpine style cheeses with charcuterie. Today I paired it with some tasty Calabrese salami. The fatty, saltiness of the meat goes perfectly with the rich, creamy Grand Cru Original.

Here are some pictures of Tiffany making the Grand Cru Original... Good work Tiffany, the cheese tastes amazing!

Tiffany cutting and stirring the curd
 

Here she is setting the molds for the wheels of Gruyere

Trimming up the Gruyere so it's nice and uniform

Tiffany babysitting the cheese as it sits in a brine solution

Gruyere getting ready to be aged!

Here she is washing the Gruyere with a brine solution

 



If this cheese is tempting your taste buds, be sure to swing by your local Whole Foods Market cheese counter and ask for a taste! You won't be disappointed. Until next time, eat, drink and be happy!!

My Day Making Mt Tam at Cowgirl Creamery

Last Friday I had the wonderful opportunity to make cheese at Cowgirl Creamery in Petaluma. I had made cheese in the past when I was in Wisconsin at the Center for Dairy Research, but I had never spent a whole day making a single batch of cheese... It's quite a workout! Here are some pictures from my Mt Tam cheesemaking adventure...

First thing you need to make cheese is milk! The big metal contraption in the top picture is their vat pasteurizer. The milk comes in through the pipes and is pasteurized there and then poured into a basin that is a little less than 400 gallons... it's a lot of milk!

 

Once the milk is in, we added the starter bacteria. This has the consistency of a yogurt and helps acidify the milk. The brown specks you see on the top are the Penicillium that help create the bloomy rind that we all know and love. We then left the starter culture to work on the milk for about 40 minutes. After that we added the rennet (for Mt Tam they use microbial, non-GMO rennet).

 

 

 

The rennet starts working almost immediately, but we let it set for another 40 minutes. The milk coagulates and becomes almost like a jello. I was able to cut it myself to see if it was ready... see below...

 

 

Eric, the head cheesemaker told me that this curd was almost perfect because the part of the curd that I'm lifting up is smooth with just a little bit a whey expulsion. If the curd sets for too long, it will start to break unevenly. Once the curd has set for the appropriate amount of time, it is time to cut!

 

 

It doesn't take too long for the curd to get to the size that we want. We then drain out one third of the whey and replace that liquid with water (a Dutch technique). After a little more mixing the curd is ready to be put into the forms.

 

 

It's a little hard to see in this picture, but there is a hose that is coming out of the cheese vat that the cheesemakers use to put the curd into the forms. This curd comes out super fast! I had the chance to do this with our batch of cheese and it was pretty intimidating. I'm still waiting on the pictures that they took of me and I'm pretty sure there are a couple pictures of me being super nervous about spilling the curd everywhere... haha.

 

The cheese is then flipped a couple of times before the end of the day and left out in order to drain off the excess whey. When the cheesemakers return the next morning, the wheels are put into a brine solution for around 3 hours.

 

 

 

I got to help remove the previous day's batch of Mt. Tam's from the brine and then put them onto a rack so they can be aged in the aging room, which looks like this!

 

 

The cheese is flipped twice a week and is left in the aging room for about two weeks before it is off to be wrapped (and all cheese is hand-wrapped at Cowgirl Creamery! I was able to jump in and help with some wrapping as well...). After two weeks, the cheese looks like this...

 

 

Pretty cool huh? I had such a great time... and was super duper sweaty by the time my day was done.

 

Thank you so much to Cathy Strange for helping organize this, Peg Smith for allowing me to come by and help make cheese and to Eric Patterson for being so patient with me and walking me through the steps of making this wonderful cheese. I can't wait to go back to help with another batch! I've been told that next month you should be able to buy the cheese that Danielle (the other WFM NorCal CCP who made Mt Tam the day before I did) and I made. Just look for the Mt Tam that is labeled as being CCP made! Hopefully it tastes just as good as the other Mt Tams...

 

Thanks for reading my blog! I hope you enjoyed this unique post. I'm hoping to have many more posts like this in the future as I have more opportunities to make cheese... Until next time, eat, drink and be happy!!



















Redwood Hill Cameo

Hello everyone!

Today I get to share with you one of the yummy cheeses I got from the American Cheese Society Conference. It's funny that I had to go all the way to Madison, WI in order to get it because it is a local cheese to me! Don't worry, it's readily available in California, I just hadn't bought cheese for a few days and I was given a TON when I left Wisconsin.

Cheese: Cameo
Producer: Redwood Hill Farm
Location: Sebastopol, CA
Milk: Pasteurized goat's milk
Rennet: Vegetarian

I have had many cheeses from Redwood Hill Farm before but I had never had the pleasure of trying the Cameo. The Cameo is a camembert inspired bloomy rind goat cheese. It has some tasty fresh herbs and peppercorns on the top as well. The wheel that I had was a little bit aged, but not very much. The paste was still pretty firm but had started to develop a tasty herbaciousness (I know that's not a word, but I use it frequently!). It does still taste like goat cheese, but when you add the bloomy rind you get a little bit of mushroomy, earthiness. If you let the wheel age even more, the paste will soften even more and the flavors will become more intense.

I enjoyed the Cameo with some Raincoast Crisps that I had with me. It was quite a tasty treat. I would pair this cheese with a nice sparkling wine or some yummy charcuterie... Darn! That makes me want some salame right now.. :(

Well, this post was short and sweet, but I have plenty more cheese to come. You can find the Cameo at many Whole Foods in the NorCal area. Swing by your local cheese counter and pick up a wheel for yourself!

Until next time, eat, drink and be happy!