October 2017 Cheese Club

Cheese Club – October 2017

This month Cheese Club Members will have great choices of 3 award-winning cheeses to choose from to accompany their steaming bowl of soup and baguette! You will also find a package of Le Fou des Noix’s (‘Completely Nuts’) Vanilla Chai walnuts created by an individual in Gatineau, and perfect on a cheese board.

FROMAGERIE LE DÉTOUR, Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Québec

Grey Owl

Type of milk: Goat’s milk
Texture: Soft
Awards and distinctions: 2015 winner in its category at the Selection CASEUS; 2011-1^st place winner in its category at the 2011 American Cheese Society

The name not only refers to the colour of the cheese, it also honours the legend of Archibald Belaney, one of Canada’s first conservationists, also known as Grey Owl. He lived for a number of years on the edge of Lake Témiscouata and was known as a complex character who shed his English roots for a Canadian lifestyle more in keeping with Ojibwe Indian cultures. The milk for Grey Owl comes from Saanen goats, a Swiss breed of goat raised about 30 kilometres from the dairy.

Tasting Notes

Grey Owl is a cheese of contrast in personality. It has layers of color, textures and flavours. The dark vegetable ash coating contrasts sharply against the snow-white cheese. This soft, wrinkly, vegetable ash rind elegantly reveals a dense, snow white, velvety, chalky, tangy interior. As it melts in your mouth, the smooth and silky texture of the cheese offers pleasing sharp and lemony flavours. Grey Owl is a visually stunning choice to serve as the focal point of your next cheese plate.

Pairing opportunities:

This cheese partners well with a nice crisp Chablis or a Pinot Grigio. It also pairs well with fruity red wines such as a Beaujolais or a Valpolicella. When choosing a beer for this cheese try the Tatra Beer.

La Fromagerie Blackburn , Jonquière, Québec

Le Mont-Jacob

Type of milk: Cow’s milk
Texture: Semi-soft
Awards and distinctions: World cheese Award: 2016 silver medal winner, Semi-Soft Cow’s Milk Cheese class. 2015 and 2011 gold medal winner, as well as 2011 Super Gold medal winner, Washed Rind Cheese class. Sélection Caseus competition 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011 and 2010 1^st prize winner, Semi-Soft Cheese with Washed, Mixed or Natural Rind class.

Its name is inspired by Mont Jacob, a mountain across from the cheese shop, near downtown Jonquière. The area attracts nature lovers because of its nature paths, and culture buffs on account of its cultural exhibition centre. This cheese is made with thermalized Holstein cow’s milk from the Blackburn family farm in Quebec.

Tasting Notes

Le Mont-Jacob has a delicate aroma and flavours of fruit and roasted peanuts that makes it unique. Its washed rind results from a lengthy washing and rubbing process allowing the flavour to develop from the outside in. Its rich creamy and fruity sweetness ends with salty and lactic flavours. Equally good melted as it is sliced, the cheese pops with flavour as soon as it hits your palate.

Pairing opportunities:

If looking to pair this cheese with red wine, look for a Merlot or a Cabernet Sauvignon. Mont Jacob pairs well with a Sauvignon Blanc. When choosing a beer look for a less hoppy beer; try the Spaten Original Munich Beer.

Glengarry Fine Cheese, Lancaster, Ontario

Aged Lankaaster

Type of milk: pasteurized cow’s milk
Texture: Hard
Awards and distinctions: Global Supreme Champion Award at the 2013 Global Cheese Making Competition in Somerset, UK; 2011 Grand Champion at the Royal Agricultural Fair; 2011 1^st in its category at the American Cheese Society awards

The Aged Lankaaster is a hard cheese with a slightly open texture. The cheese is shaped as a loaf to express the fact that it is meant to be sliced and eaten directly on bread as the Dutch farmers do. It has a unique profile that is given by the specific starter culture used, and, by making it in typical methods of cheeses made on Dutch farms earlier in the century.

Tasting notes

Aged Lankaaster is a firm cheese, traditional rind, characteristic gouda “eyes” present, paste is dark, laden with crystals, with lovely butterscotch, pineapple and lactic notes. It has a soft, sweet aroma with buttery, toasty undertones. The flavour is immediately warm and nutty, not overwhelming, yet sophisticated and understated. It is a success in creating buttery and rich flavour without the sharpness of an aged cheese.

Pairing opportunities

The aged Lankaaster marries well with a merlot or a smooth Pinot Noir. Choose a white wine such Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc. When choosing a beer, try the Hobgoblin Ale or the Martens Pilsner.