Name: Montenebro
Brand: none listed
Place of Purchase: Wheatsfield Organic Co-op in Ames, Iowa
Country/Region of Origin: Spain
Price in Iowa: $27.60/lb.
Milk: pasteurized goat
Processing: Bleu, aged 2 months, coated with Penicillium and ash.
Texture: semi-firm, softening with age
Color: bone white (no veining)
Rind: Moldy (like gray wood)
Aroma: sharp dairy
Taste: piquant, peppery, nutty, salty with a strong bleu finish
Mouth feel: creamy and smooth
Notes: I got to try a rarer cheese this week. Montenebro is made by Rafael Baez and his daughter, Paloma, in Avila, Spain near Madrid. I'm glad that I got my mitts on this one. Imagine a complex, multi-layered cheese (with interesting bitter and bleu notes) that you can spread smoothly onto crusty bread or a cracker. That's Montenebro. Such a good cheese, but hard to get in the US due to the single-maker nature of the cheese and its Spanish origin.
But, if you can find it, buy a whole wheel. This stuff is fantastic!
No comments:
Post a Comment