Italian cheeses.....7 down, 993 to go....

Before I dive into the Piave river here I want to say that my fear about gaining 700 pounds with this job is rapidly fleeting. It turns out small bites of cheese fills me up faster and longer than a full dinner! I mean it- I always save half of my tasting for James so he can taste too and I'm still totally full as if I had had a huge meal. Also this is a highly physical job. The cheese caves and the production room are going to get me very strong.  So that's how that French Paradox thing works...small bites of high protein and good fat.

Okay so on to Italia!!!!

I took a class on Italian cheeses on Tuesday and it was amazing and taught by the talented and lovely Erin Hedley. She was once an Artisanal intern just like me and was so kind to keep me super involved throughout the whole class. She also took time at the end of the class to give me some advice about my dream of my own cheese shop.

The major difference between Northern Italian cheese and Southern Italian cheese is the terrain. The Northern terrain is alpine and is better suited for cows. So as a general rule if you are eating a Italian cow's milk cheese it is most likely from the north. Southern Italian terrain is more of a grassy wetland landscape. It is better suited for sheep and goats. So again in general if you are eating an Italian sheep's milk cheese it is most likely from the South of Italy (and probably Tuscany).

The wines for this class were amazing. My favorite was the white of course although the cheeses paired best with the Primitivo (red).

1. Friuli Di Lenardo TOH! Da Uve Friulano Italy 2009.
2. Nero D'Avola Ajello Sicilia Italy 2007
3. Primitivo Liveli Cellino San Marco Italy 2008.

The cheeses and their Artisanal descriptions:

1. Pecorino Balze Volteranne- sheep milk
    I want my vegetarian friends to check this cheese out! This cheese was aged 5-6 months.

"This raw Organic pecorino from Tuscany is made with vegetable rennet of wild artichoke. It is aged in oak barrels for 60 days, the rind is then covered in oak and olive wood ash. The ash imparts a unique green olive flavor and long finish. This cheese is firm, toothsome (al dente!) and has a nutty texture."*

2. Pecorino Toscano Stagionato- sheep milk
    Love the salty crystals in this one. Also Erin mentioned this would be delicious with honey or heavenly
    on pasta.

"Pecorino Toscano Stagionato is a centuries old D.O.C. (or name controlled) table cheese from Tuscany. This Pecorino is sturdy and nutty with a hint of salt on the palate. Its pleasant and inviting nature appeals to cheese lovers and novices alike." *

3. Bra Tenero- cow milk
    Holy crap that is good creamy cheese. It was very hard for me to leave half for James on this one.

"Bra Tenero is a cow's milk cheese from Piedmont region of Northern Italy. The city of Bra is the self proclaimed capital of cheese in Europe. Bra Tenero, a younger and softer cheese than its cousin Bra Duro, has a semi-hard texture and a dense, slightly piquant flavor."*

4. Taleggio- cow milk
    so gooey and melty and wonderfully stinky.

"Taleggio is a semi-soft, salt solutions washed rind cheese from the Valtaleggio region in northern Italy, near Lombardy. It is characteristically aromatic yet mild in flavor and features tangy, meaty notes with a fruity finish. The texture of the cheese is moist-to-oozy with a pleasant melt-in-your-mouth feel. The combination of the soft texture, pungent aroma, and buttery flavors has proven to be addictive when spread on fresh crusty bread."*

Side note- the definition of a Straca cheese is a mixed milk cheese.

5. Ubriaco Prosecco- cow milk
This should be paired with Prosecco and sweet dates or figs

"This raw cow's milk cheese is from the Vento region in Northern Italy, home to the Prosecco growing region and several superb sparkling and still wines. During the maturing process, it is covered by Prosecco grape must (skins), giving the cheese a sweet, delicate aroma of the wine and complex finish. Ubriaco is seasonally-produced and perfect during Autumn months while its flavor is a fresh, uplifting and subtle."*

6. Piave- cow milk
LOVE THIS CHEESE. It was a class favorite...so addictive and minerally.

"Piave is named after the river Piave, whose source is found at Mount Peralba in Val Bisdende, in the northernmost part of the province of Vento Italy. the land surrounding the ancient river is integral to the character cheese: it is where the milk is collected, the curd cooked, and the cheese aged until hard. Piave DOP has an intense, full-bodied flavor, reminiscent of Parmegiano Reggiano, which intensifies with age and makes the cheese absolutely unique."*

7. Gorgonzola Piccante, cow milk

"Gorgonzola Piccante, a formidable cow's milk blue cheese from the region north of Milan, is Italy's answer to Roquefort. Its rough, reddish rind protects a tender, light yellow, blue flecked paste that is firm, moist and buttery. The flavor is sharp and sweet."*

Erin went into some of the history of Italian cheeses. My favorite part was how she explained the blue cheese making process to the class. It seems if you want to make blue cheese you need a whole lot loaves of rye bread that have grown moldy, preferably in a cave. Then you grind that bread and mix it with the cheese mixture. Once the cheese has formed the cheese is stabbed with metal skewers creating holes and places for oxygen to enter the cheese and let the blue mold bloom. It sounds gross but you have to appreciate the cleverness of humans once you have tried the Gorgonzola.

* These descriptions are the official Artisanal definitions.

She is from France...

Well as promised here is the description of the amazing class I took on Monday evening: An evening of Exquisite Foie Gras, Artisanal Cheese and French wines with proprietor Ariane Daguin of D'Artagnan and Maitre Fromager Maz MacCalman.

The class was amazing, informative, decadent and very special to me. Ariane has that super French breezy confidence mixed with a down to earth, warmth that just made it so easy to listen to her. Ariane is credited with bringing Southern France to America and luckily for us the Hudson Valley.

On the Cheese Menu we tasted in order along with offical Artisinal descriptions:

1. Chabichou du Poitou- Goat cheese (thick, rich, this cheese is all about texture)

"This is one of the older French cheeses. It has won AOC, guaranteeing the authenticity of its origin. It is made in the very limited geographic area above the chalky soils of the threshold of poitou, halfway between Paris and Bordeaux. The size of a wine tumbler, Chabichou has a crinkly skin and nice, dense, chalky paste that melts in the mouth. One small piece weighs approximately 6 ounces."*

2. Flueur du Maquis (as James said the star of the show here is the rosemary, the cheese itself is very subtle)

"Fluer du Maquis is made in Corsica from the milk of the Lacuane ewes. Its name means "Flower of the Maquis." the maguis being the local term for the typical thickets of rough underbrush where highway robbers and guerrilla fighters used to hang out. This cheese is quite similar to Brin d'Amour, meaning "a breath of love". During production, the smallish wheels are encrusted with rosemary, fennel seeds, juniper berries and the occasional bird's eye chili"*

3. Abbaye de Bel'loc (Aunt Heidi would like this cheese and it is so earthy)

"Abbaye de Bel'loc is still made in the traditional manner by Benedictine Monks at the abbey of Notre-Dame de Belloc. A French Pyrenees sheep's milk cheese. Abbaye has a fine, dense texture and is high in fat. The milk comes from the red nosed Manech ewes (an old local breed) whose milk is brought into the monastery from neighboring farms. Abbaye de Belloc has a trye Basque character, and it is believed that many centuries ago the monks from the Belloc Monastery first taught the Basque shepherds how to make cheese. Proper care in the right maturing conditions will accentuate the rich, caramelized flavors that make this cheese so addictive."*

4. Le Moulis ( this was Jame's favorite, the unpasteurized nature of this cheese makes the flavor go on and on, lots of grassiness and needs a strong red. I like the air pockets too- its a nice break from the dense nature of the cheese)

"Le Moulis is a firm, moist cow's milk cheese made in a small mountain creamery high in the Pyrenees. The Pyrenees are generally known as a haven for delicious sheep's milk cheeses. Moulish is a cow's milk cheese rarity. It's rustic natural rind lends a distinctive earthiness to Moulis' more dominant buttery, eggy flavors."*

5. Fleuron (really interesting lots of flavor packed so tight)

"Fleuron is a rare cheese from Aquitaine with the distinctly rich and floral flavor of brown Swiss cow's milk. Since 1928, the Baechler family has been making this cheese at the Domaine de Broc. Today, the 5th generation continues to produce this excellent pressed and cooked cheese, which, like fine wine, hold in its caves for a full 12 months of affinage before releasing. This permits enough time for it to develop the complex flavor of a true Artisinal cheese."*

6. Blue de Laqueuille (Summer's favorite of the 6 cheeses- it punches you right in the face with salt love it)

"Blue de Laqueille, produced in the volcanic mountainous Auvergne region of France, is made only during the summer and autumn months from the milk of Salers cows. This robust blue, reminiscent of Blue d'Auvergne, is salty and full-bodied with a creamy blue paste. It pairs well with robust reds."*

On the Foie Gra Menu she provided:

1. Duck Liver Pate with black pepper on bread
2. Foie Gras emulsified with sauternes wine on bread
3. Foie Gras center of prune soaked and aged in Brandy
4. Foie Gras emulsified with black truffles on bread
5. Foie Gras seared in olive oil, salt & pepper with dollop of duck fat on bread

I will say that the night was very special to me. It was a really powerful way to start my internship. I had never had foie gras before, mostly because of the animal cruelty aspect of it all. The concept of gavache seems horrific but as Ariane explained it is a natural process that geese perform on themselves in order to prepare for the long flight and high altitudes of migration. She explained that geese and ducks have the ability to store calories only in their skin and in their livers for this migration experience. She even notices that unlike the liver on almost any other animal the liver is found in the middle of the stomach area so that when it is at it's heaviest the bird can still fly.

To be honest it doesn't make me okay with gavache. I would very much like the geese to gorge themselves naturally then by machine. But I thought it would be in very bad form my first class to abstain from this honor of attending this once a year class. My feelings aside, I must admit this foie gras was delicious, luscious and a very unique taste and texture. My favorites were the emulsified foie gras starting with the black summer truffled foie gras and then the sauternes wine foie gras. The black truffle foie gras was so silky and so aromatic.  Sauternes wine is a very special wine that uses grapes that have "noble rot" which is actually kind of mold on the grape. This fortuitous mold yields some of the world's most fancy schmancy wines and to have it emulsified with this fine foie gras probably meant that my little tiny piece of this delicacy cost more than my groceries last week.



I apologize for losing the wine sheet!!!

* These descriptions were not written by me but by the magic makers at Artisanal Cheeses

Working Blue...

Upon my arrival at Artisinal I donned my hairnet, booties, gloves and crisp white jacket. Matt took me into the blue cheese cave- which is even stinkier then you are imagining and yet smells amazing at the same time.

The first thing we tackled was the reasons for flipping cheese, more specifically the blue cheese I was working with. Cheese that is aging naturally emits butter fats and whey throughout the aging process. If left unattended these liquids will settle on the bottom of the cheese and cause discoloration and an inconsistency of flavor that is unattractive and not very tasty. 

The Blue Cheese I spent the most time with last night was Roquefort. There are three classes of Roquefort Blue Cheese and are classified much like fine scotches. The first is wrapped in Gold, Carles and is considered to be the most premium. The second is wrapped in black, Papillion and is the second most premium. The third is wrapped in green, Societe B and is considered the third most premium. These cheeses weigh on average 3 pounds and are also wrapped in plastic which helps maintain moisture levels and contain the rather messy and stinky whey and butter fats that come out. Roquefort ingredients contain ewe's milk, water and rennet.

I also was asked to flip the Blue Stilton from Tuxford and Tubbett farms. These are not as wet and do not emit butterfat and whey but still need to be flipped at least once a week. The idea behind flipping many cheeses it seems is that you want both ends of the cheese to be perfectly flat. If a dome on the top of the cheese begins to form again it leads to inconstancy of flavor and also makes it impossible to cut the cheese (Hee!!) perfectly. Blue Stilton is roughly 10-12 pounds and is wrapped in paper. Through the aging process the paper does tear away to reveal a goldish brown rind.

The most glamorous blue cheese I saw was a wheel about 4-5 pound thick wrapped in Sycamore leaves. Below is my hairnet glam shot with said Sycamore leaf wrapped blue cheese. Also enjoy pictures of Roquefort, Papillion.

After some less educational but highly useful cardboard box breaking down and ice pack replenishing, I was allowed to help prepare and attend and break down one HELL of a opening masterclass. I will be writing more about that tomorrow as it really is worthy of it's own post...and I forgot my wine sheet at work. The class was a look at Foie Gras and cheese. Hold on to your booties people it was one hell of a show.....

The stuff that dreams are made of.....you know.....cheese

In February of 2010 I found myself in good company and out of a job. I have been in administrative roles for the last ten years in New York City.  The prospect of returning to this administrative hell had me sinking into both the Pit of Despair and the Swamps of Sorrow. I seem to have a talent for finding Dickensian, loathsome and sadistic bosses...which trust me is putting it politely. Like so many other folks I discov ered that being unemployed was terrifying, thrilling, healing and depressing all at once. My best friend Brett who had been in the exact same position as me bravely turned his back on the financial world to enroll in the French Culinary Institute for pastries. Inspired by his boldness it was clear to me it was time to rethink my goals and my life. When I did my new path began with this simple epiphany:
I want happiness during my whole day not just when I get home.

After a whole lot of thinking and feeling I decided I wanted to open a cheese shop and tasting room. It started out as a nagging joyful whim and over the last two months it has become a full on obsession. With the overwhelming support of my boyfriend James, best friend Brett, sister and parents I have written out a four year plan to realize my dream.

I began this journey by deciding to put my need for cheese education first and applied and received an internship at the "Harvard" of the cheese world- Artisinal Cheese Corporate with Max McCalman. I start my internship tomorrow and can barely sleep I am so excited. In my internship I will be splitting my time between working in the cheese caves and assisting with the classes they host. I will not be paid for this internship but will be allowed to attend all the classes I want which is a prospect almost too joyful for my brain to contain.

One of my mentors there, Matt suggested that I start a cheese journal to discuss what I'm tasting, what I like, what I don't like and I thought that I may as well save a tree and make it a blog. The more cheese enthusiasts I meet the more I realize I am not alone in my need for cheese talk and cheese dreams. This is such a major opportunity and one that I take so very seriously...despite the hairnet. Despite all my fears, my lack of money, my anxiety over paying my electric bill, as of tomorrow I am a cheese tender, a tender of cheeses and damn proud of it.