This month cheese club feature one Ontario cheese maker, Quality Cheese and two Québec cheese makers, La Fromagerie Montebello and la Fromagerie Rang 9.
The garden is starting to produce and we found ourselves with more cucumbers than we could eat. Sandra proposed to make a soup with the surplus. Not being a fan of cold soup, I was not very enthuse about the prospect of a cold cucumber soup. To my surprise, I loved it! And on a steamy, sticky hot day it was very refreshing. Here is the recipe
FROMAGERIE DU PRESBYTÈRE, Sainte-Elizabeth de Warwick, Quebec
The Ferme Louis d’Or is a family-run company operated by four generations of the Morin family. They changed to organic farming in the middle of the 1980’s. The pastures provide the herd of Holstein and Jersey cows with clover, timothy grass, bluegrass and other organic grains. Furthermore, the cows are never given antibiotics or hormones. As a result of this care, the milk used to produce the cheese is of exceptional quality.
Le Champayeur
Tasting notes
Typical of cow’s milk, Le Champayeur’s flavour is refined. It is a mild tasting cheese with a soft, bloomy rind. The cheese holds its shape and has a mild and smooth texture with a slightly chalky mouth feel with cream, fresh butter and mushroom flavours.
Pairing opportunities:
The best way to savour le Champayeur would be with a fresh, cold Chardonnay, or sparkling wine or a cider on ice. If you want to drink red, go for one with bright berry fruit like a Pinot Noir. Beer drinkers may want to pair it with a Farmhouse beer. These ales, instead of being driven by malt or hops, depend on the yeast for their distinctive spicy, floral, and tart flavors. For example, try the Golden Pheasant beer from Slovakia.
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 Tomme du Haut Richelieu
Tasting notes
This cheese offers an aroma of an earthy dampness, of hay that is sweet and clean. La Tomme du Haut Richelieu has a cream-coloured, supple paste. This semi-firm cheese is encased in a washed rind which gives a nutty, fresh-milk flavour to the cheese.
Pairing opportunities:
This cheese would pair well with a fruity, full-flavoured and bodied red wine such as a Merlot. When choosing a white wine try a full-bodied and oaky Chardonnay. A white Belgian beer pairs well with La Tomme du Haut Richelieu.
FROMAGERIE L’ILE-AUX-GRUES Ile-aux-Grues, Québec
Located 40 minutes east of Québec City, in the middle of the St-Lawrence river, lies a 9 km long island: l’Ïle-aux-grues. The fromagerie employs a good number of the island’s inhabitants and plays a major role in the economic development of the region. Their primary mission and values reflect their concern to preserve the agricultural heritage and to contribute to the development of the island, by transforming all the milk produced by the cooperative.
Cheddar 1 year
You are in for a treat! We absolutely love all the L’Isle-Aux-Grues cheddars.
Tasting notes
This cheddar has a balance of flavour, from fruity to nutty to salty. This 1 year cheddar has a firm texture yet that feels creamy when left to warm to room temperature. It has a traditional cheddar taste with a sweetness of the milk, the classic acidity of a cheddar and a nuttiness that finishes with a lovely flavour that lingers in the mouth.
Pairing opportunities
When pairing this cheddar look for a Merlot. As for white wine, a Sauvignon Blanc would a good choice. When choosing a beer go for a strong ale.
Easy Peasy Pizza with 1 year old L’Isle-Aux-Grues Cheddar and Sautéed Onions
Sauté sliced onions on med-low heat until soft and sweet.
Take a pita, spoon on some Mutti brand pizza sauce, add fresh chopped basil and oregano from your garden, sprinkle grated L’Isle-Aux-Grues cheddar on top, then place sautéed onions (or spread some dobbs of jarred caramelized onion chutney) on top and bake at 400F until it looks ready to you, between 10-20 minutes.
After many days and weeks of confinement, and with the O.K. from health authorities, we can finally get together with some of our close friends or family. What better at this time of year, when the weather is warm and sunny, than to have a BBQ. I love a good burger, especially one made from scratch by Sandra. She makes wicked burgers (never gives her recipe, different every time and ALWAYS SUPER JUICY)! This time it was my turn and I had a craving for lamb burgers with Indian type spices and herbs. I came across this recipe and tweaked it so it fit my cravings.
There was a time when Father’s day gift ideas were to offer a nice tie, a pair of socks, or cologne! Today, we can show the Dad in our lives how much we appreciate him with gifts that are diverse and fit his personality and taste.
