This Month Cheese Club features 3 Quebec cheeses. Part of the club is a lovely brie type La Coulée Douce from La Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser of Noyan, a tasty semi-soft named Les Métayères and from la Fromagerie Du Champ à la Meule, and from Fromagerie RANG 9 of Plessiville, Québec great hard cheese La Meule des Champs. Yummy!
Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser, Noyan, Québec
Fritz Kaiser in Noyan, Quebec, founded the Fritz Kaiser cheese factory in 1981 near the border with the state of New York. Mr. Fritz Kaiser began crafting his cheeses in 1981 according to traditions from his homeland Switzerland.
La Coulée Douce
- Type of milk: pasteurized cow’s milk
- Texture: Soft
Tasting Notes
This soft, surface-ripened cheese with a bloomy rind is made with pasteurized milk and cream. Under the white bloom-covered rind is a cheese that has a soft, creamy texture and a butter, fresh mushroom and hazelnut taste. It is great with crusty bread, fruits and nuts, on a platter, or in a sandwich.
Pairing opportunities:
La Coulée Douce pairs well with a dry, fruity Chardonnay . You could also try a Rosé. If you prefer a red, choose a light-bodied, fruity Pinot Noir. When choosing a beer look for a light ale such as Crow’s Castle from Almonte’s Crooked Mile Brewing Company.
Fromagerie Du Champ à la Meule, Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Québec
Cheese maker since 1995, Martin Guilbault and his team passionately manufacture famous and well-respected cheeses in the Quebec industry. Today, two generations of Guilbault ensure the development and creation of the best cheeses, for the pleasure of a clientele of connoisseurs and fine palates.
Les Métayères
- Type of milk: Unpasteurized cow’s milk
- Texture: Semi-Soft
A métayère is a share farmer or sharecropper: someone who rents out a farm in exchange for a portion of the crops. This cheese was created in 2011 and was named in honour of Marguerite Bourgeoys and the sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal who have operated the Maison Saint-Gabriel farm for nearly three centuries.
Tasting Notes
Aged for at least 60 days, this semi-soft, washed-rind cheese is reminiscent of the Victor et Berthold. Its coppery-orange rind, covered with a very fine white fuzz, hides a supple and creamy-beige interior. It exudes a creamy milky flavour with not even a hint of bitterness. Its texture on the palate is truly creamy. Yummy!
Pairing opportunities:
This cheese would partner well with lighter, more elegant reds such as a Pinot Noir. If you prefer white wine, choose a Chardonnay. This cheese partners with pale ale such as Standing Stone from Almonte’s Crooked Mile Brewing Company.
FROMAGERIE RANG 9, Plessiville, Québec
La Fromagerie Rang 9 is an artisan cheese dairy founded in the early 1990s by the Dubois family. The family has been organic farming for two generations and was keen to focus on making cheese with milk they produced on the farm. The Dubois family has lived and breathed the Appalachian Mountains for over 7 generations.
La Meule des Champs
- Type of milk: cow’s milk
- Texture: Firm
This cheese, formerly named La Clef des Champs, was renamed La Meule des Champs in 2013. The name comes from the fact that the cheese maker uses milk from dairy cows on nearby farms, at the feet of the Appalachian mountains. The region’s climate is ideal for growing quality forage crops, which produces dairy cows of exceptional quality.
Tasting Notes
La Meule des Champs features some small holes and is supple and waxy when cut. Its aroma resembles damp straw, and it has a slightly sweet fruit and hazelnut taste.
Pairing opportunities: This cheese would pair well a fruity Pinot Noir l. As for white wine, we suggest a dry wine and fruity Chablis or Chardonnay. The Ephemere Blackcurrant would be a good beer to accompany this cheese.
