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12:57 PM Fri, Jul 11, 2008 | Permalink |
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Usually when I buy a round of cheeses for tasting, I strive for the classic balances: cow, goat, sheep; fresh to aged; creamy to semi-hard. This time, dazed and happy, I bought a range of styles but they were all made from cow's milk. They included a nice, ripe, salty Brie de Meaux; Constant Bliss, an aged raw milk cheese from Vermont based on French Chaource; a raw milk blue with a nutty edge from the same producer, Jasper Hill Farm; and Fiscalini cheddar from California. All unique and different and worth trying, but the favorite from this round both personally and in an informal office tasting was Ubriaco al Prosecco, an Italian aged raw milk whose rind is washed with sparkling Prosecco. (Ubriaco, sometimes also spelled umbriaco, is Italian for "drunk," as in "tipsy.") This cheese stems from an ancient tradition wherein after-harvest wine was used to preserve cheese. Ubriacos are also made with a number of different red wines, but the Prosecco variation tastes so appropriate for summer. You can smell the wine very distinctly before biting, and the cheese has an almost effervescent fruitiness to its flavor. Its semi-soft texture is offset by an occasional, delightfully grainy crunch, a result of the minimum-six-month aging process. Even though it's washed with white wine, the overall pungency of the cheese pairs well with light or medium-bodied red wine. You may not even need any bread for this one, just slice it off in crumbly chunks and eat it with your fingers. |
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Comments
Posted by Kim Pierce @ 5:02 PM Fri, Jul 11, 2008
You are right - about this cheese and about the store. For me the killer was Carles Roquefort, quite possibly the best Roquefort in the world. Be still, my clogging arteries.
Posted by Margie @ 9:43 AM Sat, Jul 12, 2008
God, this all sounds so good. Roquefort makes me want to cry. I think we might stray from our little White Rock comfort zone today and check out some cheese!
Posted by Kate @ 1:52 PM Sat, Jul 12, 2008
I bought some Bayley Hazen Blue there today. The staff bends over backwards to give everyone a good experience. What a great place!
Posted by Michael @ 3:42 PM Sun, Jul 13, 2008
This is the first I've heard of this new cheese "emporium". I usually shop at Roy's but never noticed it. I'm hoping they will have the Vacharin Mont D'or mentioned in the above post about last meals...
Other than Central Market and, to a lesser degree, Wholefoods. There are no real "cheese stores" in Dallas that I know of.
I'm excited because, I never met a cheese I didn't like!
Posted by Bill Addison @ 3:57 PM Sun, Jul 13, 2008
Hey Michael --
Molto Formaggio (or any other store who carries serious cheese) won't have vacherin mont d'or right now, it's a seasonal cheese available in the winter. Look for it starting in late October or November: The Molto folks have assured me they'll carry it.
Posted by Helder @ 8:43 AM Mon, Jul 14, 2008
Not to burst anyones bubble but Vacherin Mont d'Or is not legal in the US. Some people bring it in illegally (tsk, tsk), others put a Mont d'Or label on a cheese that is similar but not raw milk.
Posted by Bill Addison @ 9:06 AM Mon, Jul 14, 2008
Actually, Helder, Swiss-made Vacherin Mont D'or is produced in both pasteurized and unpasteurized versions (and I just checked the cheese bible, Steven Jenkin's "Cheese Primer," to verify that), so it's the pasteurized we get here seasonally. Before the 2001 FDA crackdown on cheese (and I do not agree with your "tsk, tsk," I think those regulations are ridiculous, to put it mildly), we could occasionally get the raw milk slipped into the country, and it was profound stuff. The pasteurized is still mighty good, too, though.
Posted by Helder @ 9:35 AM Mon, Jul 14, 2008
I agree that the regulations are absurd (oh to eat soft raw milk cheese in the US would be sublime!!!) but let me explain further...I actually help supply Molto with cheese and as an importer we follow the letter of the law. The importers that don't cause problems for the importers that do and could delay shipments which ultimately makes stores upset when they can't get what they need. As for pasteurized Mont d'Or, I believe it comes up short. Not being snobby, it's just the way I feel.
Finally, I applaud your love for cheese.
Posted by Michael @ 4:54 PM Mon, Jul 14, 2008
I got to visit Molto Formaggio today for the first time. Ended up buying a number of cheeses and other items like, a fabulous black olive "cream" and some wonderful organic olive oil from Spain.
I spoke to the owner about the Vacherin Mont D'or cheese. He did confirm that the unpasteurized version can not be shipped to the USA because, unpasteurized raw milk cheeses under 60 days old are not allowed to be imported here.
Our "user (un) friendly" FDA government restrictions are hard at work.
Btw, my shopping experience at Molto Formaggio was delightful!
Posted by Lea @ 8:05 PM Fri, Jul 18, 2008
I much prefer the cheese department at Whole Foods(Preston/Forest). The prices and selection are a bit better. AND FYI, they had Vacherin Mont d'Or in winter when it was in season.