Morbier

It's been a long time but here is finally a new cheese review...
This time I have tried a French Semi-soft cheese made from pasteurized cow milk, the Morbier du Haut Libradois. This is a stinky cream/ivory colored cheese with a layer of gray ash in the middle.
In the old days the bottom layer was made from the evenings milk and was covered with a layer of ash to prevent a rind from forming during the night, and to keep flies away. The morning after the top layer was added, made from the morning's milk, and then the cheese was aged for about 3 months.
Opposite to the stinky exterior the taste of the cheese is pretty mild to medium bold and has a nice nutty flavor to it. This is definately an interesting addition to any cheese plate.

I happend to find it at my local supermarket, Safeway, but if you can't find it locally, buy it online at www.artisanalcheese.com.

A perfect pair

Very tasty is all I can say of this nice little combination. Dry Monterey Jack Cheese from Rumiano paired with Organic Adriatic Fig Spread. The cheese has a rich nutty flavor that goes great with the sweetness of the fig spread.
I have tried many fig spreads during the last couple of year and this is my absolut favorite. It looks great, has perfect texture and the right amount of sweetness. Find it at www.wholefoodsmarket.com. The cheese can be ordered from www.rumiano-cheese.com.

Does Smokey and Blue work?

Bel Air, a super market here on the west coast, just introduced a new cheese to their gourmet cheese selection, Rouge River Smokey Blue Cheese. Sounded like an interesting combination so I had to try it. It was a little confusing to my taste buds to start with but they grew to appreciate it. It is medium on the "smoke" and has a nice balance to the "blue". This is a hard cheese to pair with wine. White? NO! Maybe a smokey Chateauneuef Du Pape? You be the judge...

A Brittish Pride

My alltime favorite blue cheese is Stilton. You can eat it with crackers or put it in sallads, soups, as topping, etc. It is a Brittish cheese that can only be produced by six approved dairies in the three counties of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, in order to bear the name Stilton.
It is a blue veined, semi soft, crumbly cheese made from pateurized cow's milk. It has a really nice creamy feeling in your mouth with a rich, full flavor, although not to sharp.
Try it with a glass of port and I'll think you'll have a new favorite as well.

Cheese from heaven

One of my favorite brie-style cheeses is St. Andre. It is a soft ripened triple cream from France. It is made from cows milk and enriched with pure cream. That gives this cheese a very soft buttery texture. It is lush, creamy and ripe, and goes best with a bland cracker.
When pairing beverage with it choose a rose wine or an ale. It is so rich and buttery that it can make a white wine seem sour.
This is not a cheese that you can normally find at you local supermarket. Whole Foods Market is a great resource for cheese and other gourmet food, www.wholefoodsmarket.com. Or you can order it online at www.cheesesupply.com. Reserve a spot for it on your cheese tray next time you have guests over and I promise you will not be disappointed over this melt in you mouth cheese.