Adventures in Cheese: Boy Laity (Curds and Croust)

 

A superb Cornish Camembert cheese made by Martin Gaylard Speciality Cheese Ltd., from near Liskeard. This Camembert is better in my opinion than the traditional French Camembert. It's firm and creamy but a distinctive mellow flavour that is decidedly more-ish!  It's a cows milk cheese that comes in a 165g wheel, and is the winner of several awards.  We founds ours at Booth's supermarket. 

Adventures in Cheese: Snowdonia Beechwood Smoked

As a lifelong lover of cheese in all its types, one of my big worries about Brexit has been a possible reduction in the range of cheeses available in the UK. I might be worrying prematurely, so I thought it was time to explore some more of our wonderful British cheeses, starting with Snowdonia's Beechwood naturally smoked mature cheddar. I found this on sale in Booth's supermarket so had to try it and I have to say it's delicious! 

The Snowdonia Cheese Company was formed in 2001, and is based in Llanrwst on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park, hence the name. Their range currently includes 12 cheeses and 4 chutneys, which can be purchased individually or in gift packs from their webshop. They also have a page of recipes using their cheeses which is worth checking out - the Smoky Beechwood Fishcakes sound very tempting. 

I admit to having a liking for smoked cheeses, but with some I have found the aroma of smokiness exceeds the taste. With Beechwood smoked cheddar the taste is just as forthcoming as the aroma. It's a firm, tasty cheese in a yellow waxed coating, and is sold by Snowdonia Cheese Company via their website if you can't find it locally. They offer 200g and 2kg options in their webshop where it is described as a, "Mature Cheddar naturally smoked over beech wood chips for a smoky depth of flavour throughout."

The texture is slightly crumbly and definitely creamy. I had mine with olive, tomatoes and home-made crackers for lunch and it was delicious. Snowdonia's other cheeses will be featured in future adventures with cheese here on the blog, but to start with the Beechwood is highly recommended!

Adventures in Cheese: A Champagne Cheese!

"What?" I can hear you saying, "a Champagne cheese, what's that all about?"   Let me tell you about this most delicious cheese, from the Champagne-Ardenne region of Normandy in France. It's called Vignotte and is a high-fat, triple-cream cheese from pasteurised cow’s milk.

Vignotte contains nearly 75% fat due to the amount of cream it includes, and the cheese has a powdery white bloom on its outside and an seriously creamy, rich texture within. It's Brie on steroids! 

With a slight lemon-citrus flavour, it's delightful to eat on its own, or with crackers or artisan bread, and is one of the most delicious cheeses I've tried so far. I found it on sale in our local Booth's Supermarket at Carnforth. It's highly recommended if you enjoy rich creamy French cheeses.

Tipsy on Cheese - hic! (Adventures in Cheese)

Have you ever opened something which says it includes wine or spirit, only to find it smells of the drink but there's no taste of it at all? Isn't it disappointing?!

We picked up a piece of Belton Port Wine Derby and wondered if the same would happen: it didn't!

Unwrapping the beautifully veined cheese from its case, the aroma of port wine was strong enough to make my mouth water. Slicing off a piece I tentatively popped it in my mouth and immediately enjoyed the wonderful sweetness of port and the wine flavour along with the traditional Derby cheese texture. Wow! It was good!  The wine gave the cheese a fruitiness, described by its maker as "real blackcurrant undertones." 

Belton Farm, in Shropshire,  has been a cheese-making farm for more than a century, surely one of the great British cheesemakers! 

"Honestly h'officer, I've h'only been eating cheese... hic!"

PS It's also suitable for vegetarians!

Fettled in Yorkshire (Adventures in Cheese)

Our latest Adventure in Cheese is Yorkshire Fettle, a superb substitute for Greek Feta in recipes that call for it.  Made by Shepherd's Purse near Thirsk, in North Yorkshire, this is a Mediterranean salad-style cheese, which is made with milk from English ewes and its slightly tart creaminess is perfect with olives, tomatoes and lovely fresh bread.

The Shepherd's Purse website has this to say about Yorkshire Fettle,

This is Yorkshire's version of feta. Made with whole ewes’ milk, we handmake and hand-salt each cheese to encourage the piquant, lemony flavour and slightly crumbly texture. Matured over a minimum of two weeks, the salt infuses the whole cheese. We then hand-wax each truckle to lock in the fresh flavour and creamy texture. Originally called Yorkshire Feta, we renamed it Yorkshire Fettle in 2008 due to Greece being awarded the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin). This was Judy Bell’s very first cheese, produced in 1989. It’s won international awards, and was featured on Paul Hollywood's BBC One cooking program, Pies & Puds.

All I have to add is, it's yummy, try it and see for yourself!

Pinch the cow's udder again... (Adventures in Cheese)

Now you'll be wondering what the title is all about!  It is the literal translation of the word reblocher, which gives its name to today's cheese adventure Reblochon.  Most of my cheese adventures will cover cheeses that are new to me but this one isn't, as I have met the mighty Reblochon before courtesy of my cousin's ex-wife who is French. On a visit to see them Cathy made a wonderfully tasty French dish called Tartiflette and I was so enamoured with it she brought another for me when they came to visit us.

Reblochon was the first cheese of the Savoie - that mountainous Alpine region - to be granted the Appellation d'origine contrôlée certification back in 1958. It is a soft washed-rind and smear-ripened cheese traditionally made from raw cow's milk. The cow breeds best for producing the milk needed for this cheese are the Abondance, Tarentaise and the Montbéliarde.

Reblochon derives from the word "reblocher" which when literally translated means "to pinch a cow's udder again". This refers to the practice of holding back some of the milk from the first milking. During the 14th century, the landowners would tax the mountain farmers according to the amount of milk their herds produced. The farmers would therefore not fully milk the cows until after the landowner had measured the yield. The milk that remains is much richer, and was traditionally used by the dairymaids to make their own cheese.

This cheese measures 14 cm (5.5") across and 3–4 cm (1.2"–1.6") thick, has a soft centre with a washed rind and weighs an average of 450 grams (16 oz). As proof of its being well-aged in an airy cellar, the rind of this cheese is covered with a fine white mould.

It is a strong flavoured cheese with an equally pungent aroma, and it does leave a pleasant after-taste in the mouth after eating it. It is a slightly sticky soft cheese, rather like a ripe Brie in texture but not in flavour.

So other than eating it as is (which is delicious), how about having a go at making Tartiflette, which Cathy told me is a French peasant-style dish, but don't let that put you off! It's simple to make with easily found ingredients, but it tastes superb. 

To make Tartiflette you will need:

1 Reblochon cheese

1kg of firm-fleshed potatoes

200g smoked bacon or lardons

2 large onions (about 200g)

10cl of white wine (a small glass)

Ground Pepper

Optional: grated nutmeg

How to make it: 

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces.

Cut the onions into slices.

In a frying pan, cook the bacon or lardons for 3 minutes with the onions so that they begin to brown.

Add the potatoes and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 200 ° C - Thermostat 6-7.

Deglaze with white wine and cook for 5 minutes.

Add a twist or two of Ground Pepper (no salting with the bacon), and add the nutmeg according to your taste.

Cut your Reblochon in half to make two wheel shapes, keeping the rind. Keep one side to put on the top of the dish to make the topping (gratin) and cut the other side into small pieces to be mixed into the potatoes - bacon - onions. 

In a baking dish, arrange the potatoes-bacon-onions mixture and pieces of Reblochon and then put on the top the half Reblochon to gratinate, rind upwards.

Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes so that the Reblochon becomes golden.

Serve warm with a green salad.

Click the image above to find the Hairy Bikers' tartiflette recipe on the BBC Food Recipes website.