Chaumes is a soft cheese made in the southwest of France in the village of St Antoine, at the foothills of the French Pyrénées. The washed rind and soft-ripened cheese is made using ancestral methods with pasteurised cow's milk. The name French word Chaumes literally translates to ‘stubble’. Based on the Trappist style of making cheeses, Chaumes has got an aromatic soft golden rind and a pale yellow, creamy pate. The smooth, supple and rather springy texture is complemented by the rich, intense and full bodied flavour of the cheese. Its taste can be described as complex, leaving behind a smooth and hazel-nutty aftertaste. The aging time for the cheese is about 4 weeks.Chaumes is a favorite addition to children’s snacks and tastes tantalizing when grilled or served with crusty breads. A limited edition of spreadable Chaumes is also available in France, called Chaumes la Crème.

Chaumes

Bongrain

Meaning "sweet" in Italian, Gorgonzola "Dolce" DOP is a soft, blue, buttery cheese made with uncooked cow's whole milk. The cheese took its name from a small town in Lombardy near Milan, where it said to have been born in the 12th century. It has a white or pale yellow, buttery and melty paste speckled with a homogeneous distribution of blue coloured veins. The rind is compact, rough, hard and grey/pinkish in colour but not edible. Flavours are not very assertive but sweet, mild with notes of sour cream and lactic tang. It takes a minimum of 50 days ageing to let Gorgonzola demonstrate its unique characteristics.  The cheese pairs well with a Tuscan Vin Santo and Champagne.
Gorgonzola Dolce DOP from Arrigoni Battista Spa recently won Super Gold at the 2014 World Cheese Awards and was also judged as one of the world’s 62 best cheeses.

Gorgonzola Dolce DOP

Arrigoni

Morbier is produced in the village of Morez in the Jura mountains. Its creation dates from the 19th century. Its origin was for the personal consumption of the Comté cheesemakers. Each night, soot was sprinkled on the fresh curd that remained at the bottom of the barrel which prevented a rind from forming and kept the away. The next day left over pieces of cheese were put on top to make the Morbier. The cheese is uncooked and pressed and allowed to mature for two months. It is then brushed with salty water. The shape is round with sides that bulge slightly, it has a horizontal, black furrow through the middle. Its taste is savory and fruity.

Morbier Cru de Montagne

Tete de Moine cheese is being made for eight centuries. It is believed that the monks staying at Moutier the mountainous zone of the Bernese Jura in Canton of Bern manufactured this cheese. And hence the cheese takes the name 'Tete de Moine' meaning 'Monk's Head'.

The cheese is made from cow's milk and half-cooked or half-hard pressed paste. The cheese develops its scented flavours effectively only when it is scraped. So, to enjoy the best taste, a tool called 'Girolle' was invented in 1982. A scraper attached to the central axis of the apparatus makes scraping the cheese easier!

Tete de Moine proves to be the best companion of Crisp White Wines such as Pinot Grigio.

Tete de Moine

Tête de Moine AOP

Taleggio is a smear-ripened Italian cheese named after the caves of Val Taleggio. It’s one of the oldest soft cheeses produced in every autumn and winter. During cheese making, the acidic milk is brought to the lab and kept on the wood shelves in the chambers as well in caves according to tradition. In order to prevent it from mould infestation, the cheese is washed with seawater once a week. The maturation takes 6 - 10 weeks forming a thin crust.
This cheese has been granted a PDO designation and contains 48% fat. The cheese has a strong smell, but its taste is relatively mild with an unusual fruity tang. To make it brighter and moderate, factories add spices, raisins, nuts and some lemons to it. When grated on salads such as Radicchio and Rucola, it tastes like a wonder, as well melts well. Taleggio can be served with Italian Nebbiolo wines, and also a wide range of Reds and Whites.

OldElPaso

Activities

Share

Get the App. It's Free