Cheese of the week: Pave de l'averyron

Name: Pave de l'averyron

Brand: None listed

 

Place of Purchase:  Wheatsfield Organic Co-op in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: France

Price in Iowa: $20.27/lb

Milk: pasteurized sheep

Processing: at least 4 weeks of aging, characteristic square shape

Texture: soft

Color: pale yellow paste

Rind: Washed with a reddish dust of mold and color

Aroma: Musty, woody, strong dairy

Taste: Woody, mushroom, earthy

Mouth feel: A tight, but soft cheese.

Notes: I picked this little quarter-square of cheese from the local co-op simply because of the color and the hatched pattern on the rind.  I could smell it all the way home, even in the bag.  I've been doing this long enough to know that a really strong cheese smell does not always mean a really strong flavor.  This cheese has a nice, complex flavor profile with a unique mixture of woody and mushroom notes.  It is definitely not for the faint-of-palate, but a true fromagophile will enjoy the luscious paste and the unique flavor of this hard-to-find cheese.

Cheese of the week: Irish Whiskey Cheddar

Name: Irish Whiskey Cheddar

Brand: Cahill's

 

Place of Purchase:  HyVee Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: Ireland

Price in Iowa: $11.99/lb

Milk: Cow

Processing: A monastery-style cheddar mingled with Kilbegga's whiskey.

Texture: Semi-firm

Color: cream-yellow

Rind: Natural waxed

Aroma: Sharp, salty dairy

Taste: Musty, acrid, bitter

Mouth feel: A solid cheddar paste

Notes:I'm not sure about the flavor profile of this cheese.  The freshness shouldn't be suspect, since I grabbed it the day my cheesemonger sliced the wheel, but it is Summer and something may have happened to the cheese on the way home.  Regardless, whiskey is a high proof alcohol with a low-water content.  Cheese is a mix of fat and protein, both soluble in alcohol.  I was surprised that this cheese held together at all, but it's no wonder that there is a bitter flavor.  Not my favorite, and I bought a few more Cahill's with this one.

Cheese of the week: Bel Paese

Name: Bel Paese Cheese

Brand: Galbani

 

Place of Purchase:  HyVee Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin: Italy

Price in Iowa: $13.99/lb

Milk: Cow

Processing: A cooked, cow's milk cheese aged at least six months.

Texture: Semi-soft

Color: cream-yellow

Rind: Natural

Aroma: Sweet, buttery dairy

Taste:  Creamy and buttery, with a mild, piquant aftertaste

Mouth feel: A solid, yielding paste somewhere between cream cheese and mozzarella.

Notes: This cheese is a nice, mild snacking cheese.  It reminded me of a comte, but a bit softer.  It is supposed to be spreadable, but my wedge was a bit too firm for that.  The cheese itself has a delicate, mild dairy flavor with a bit of an aged edge in the background.  The Italians eat this cheese with fruit, fruity wines, honey and nuts, even a bit of chocolate.  It accentuates the acid and sweetness of the accompaniments, but alone does not offer much more than a buttery flavor.  Still, the popularity of this cheese with Italians is reason enough to try it.  Just be sure to some fruit or wine to the table.

Libation of the Week: Waialua Hawaiian Sodas

Name: Lilikoi, Pineapple and Mango Hawaiian Sodas

 

Brand:  Waialua Soda Works

Place of Purchase: World Market in Urbandale, IA

Country/Region of Origin: Waialua, HI

Tasting Conditions: Chilled in the bottle

Price in Iowa: $1.49 for 12 oz.

Description: Simple carbonated sodas made with natural, island ingredients

Flavors: Lilikoi: a Hawaiian passion fruit, with hints of sweet guava and tart papaya

                     Pineapple: clean, sweet pineapple and nothing else

                     Mango: spicy mango and orange flower nectar, a symphony of sweet and floral notes

Mouth-feel: Crisp and clean

Aroma:      Lilikoi: guava and passionfruit flowers

                     Pineapple: the lightest, airy notes of pineapple and summer days

                     Mango: flowery and astringent mango notes

Notes: I picked up three of these Waialua sodas from the World Market down in West Des Moines.  I will admit that I was first attracted to the hula girl artwork on the label and bottlecap.  But, I love fruit-flavored sodas.  Most of the better natural sodas come from south of the border (like Mexico's Jarritos).  These Hawaiian sodas are an especially nice addition to the beverage world because they use only natural ingredients (including pure Maui natural white cane sugar).  Because there's no high fructose corn syrup, these sodas a lighter and more airy.  The folks at Waialua Soda Works were also very careful with their formulations to make these sodas not too sweet or overpowering in flavor.  The finished product is a light, refreshing and FRUITY soda that will please everyone, young and old.  You can buy them at World Market online at sodaking.com or popsoda.com, or by using the Amazon links below.

 

Cheese of the week: Frumage Baladin

Name: Frumage Baladin

Brand: Fattorie Fiandino

 

Place of Purchase: Gateway Market in Des Moines, Iowa

Country of Origin: Italy

Price in Iowa: $16.99/lb

Milk: raw Cow

Processing: raw cow's milk is coagulated with thistle (a vegetarian rennet), pressed into rounds and washed with a Piedmont craft beer (Baladin)

Texture: semi-soft

Color: cream-yellow with holes

Rind: Washed and mold

Aroma: Earthy, malty, musty

Taste: Tart, meaty, wheaty, effervescent

Mouth feel: A meaty, soft paste

Notes: This is a nice, unique cheese.  The soft paste is luscious and flavors are like something I have never experienced.  The Chimay cheese, also washed in beer, seemed to only take up the fruity and acidic flavors.  This cheese actually has malty beer aromas and flavors.  If you can find it, grab it and share it.

The Summer of Flavored Stiltons: Lemon Stilton and Blueberry Stilton

Name:  The Fruity Stiltons

Brand:  Coombe Castle

 

Place of Purchase:  Hy Vee Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin:  England

Price in Iowa: $14.79/lb

Milk: cow

Processing: A plain stilton mixed with lemon zest./A plain stilton with added blueberries.

Texture: soft

Color: Bone white with lemon bits./Lavender with blueberry bits.

Rind: none

Aroma: Sour dairy and lemon oil./Sour dairy and blueberries.

Taste: The lemon was sour, with both from the dairy and the citrus.  The blueberry flavors were nice, but the cheese was still sour and the blueberries added  a winey, fermented flavor.

Mouth feel:  Crumbly, but moist.

Notes: Not that good.  If this cheese was paired with fruit or preserves, it might have paired well with the sour/tart flavors.  However, shouldn't the fruit have provided that element.  The end result of these cheeses are a sour, crumbly paste with a hint of fruit that might be better for Middle Eastern palates (with their sour Laban-style cheeses).

The Summer of Flavored Stiltons: Sticky Toffee Stilton

Name:  Sticky Toffee Stilton

Brand:  Coombe Castle

 

Place of Purchase:  Hy Vee Foods in Ames, Iowa

Country of Origin:  England

Price in Iowa: $14.79/lb

Milk: cow

Processing: A plain stilton mixed with toffee, dates and raisins.

Texture: soft

Color: Caramel brown with chunks

Rind: none

Aroma: Burnt sugar and clean dairy

Taste: Sweet, really sweet.  Like plain butter fudge with bits in it.

Mouth feel:  Mostly a nice, even paste.  But the raisins were really juicy.  Juicy cheese = not good eats.

Notes:  I have been avoiding the local chocolate cheeses because I don't think that cheese should try to be fudge.  Cheese can try to be custard, but not fudge.  This cheese is fudge.  It's sweet paste is tasty, but nt very cheesey.  This might make a great addition to an ice cream sundae, but it is a dessert first and a cheese second.