I had purchased a second
Living Social deal to
Corrieri's and had been planning to use it in March to sample some more new cheeses. But a few days before it expired, I found out that I had to go to Louisville for work, and since Louisville is almost halfway, Brett and I decided to tack on an extended visit to the in-laws in Indiana, which meant I wasn't going to make it back before the voucher expired. So, the night before we left town, the husband and I went to the shop to make some selections. After sampling several types, we walked away with five wedges: St. Andre, Ossau Iraty, Garroxta, Monte Enebro and Prima Donna. The next day, the cheese came along with us in a cooler. We also packed several items to pair the cheese with - bread, apples, walnuts, dried cranberries, olives and honey.
St. Andre is a French soft-ripened cheese from the Normandy region and is produced from cow's milk. If you think that the picture looks like butter, you'd be about right. This triple cream cheese contains up to 70% butterfat! It was creamy and incredibly rich, so much so that it almost required pairing with bread, walnuts or dried cranberries. The texture in the center was similar to whipped butter, while the texture closer to the rind was silky smooth and heavier more like cream cheese. Very decadent!
Ossau-Iraty is a hard sheep's milk cheese from the Aquitane region of France. It is aged at least 3 months and is protected by the AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controllee). This sharp cheese had a firm texture, and I thought it tasted like the warm grass or hay eaten by the sheep. It had a pleasant animal smell.
Garroxta is a goat's milk cheese from Cataluña, Spain. It's classified as a semi-soft cheese and is aged between 2 and 4 months. Compared to many other cheeses, this artisan cheese is a relatively new, having first been produced in 1981. Like most goat cheeses, it was tangy and bright white in color. I enjoyed it not only alone but also with Spanish olives. The rind was especially beautiful with it speckles in various shades of gray.
Monte Enebro is classified as a natural rind goat's milk cheese. Made in Avila, Castilla-Leon, Spain, the curds are pressed into the shape of a mule's hoof.. The girl at Corrieri's explained that the mold covering the rind is the same kind that is injected into Roquefort cheese, but only covers the surface on Monte Enebro. According to the
World Cheese Book, it was the first modern Spanish artisan cheese to gain recognition internationally. I found the appearance to be very unique. I preferred the center, which was softer, creamier and milder than the part close to the rind, which definitely had a stronger, more blue flavor. The flavor of the goat's milk, which I love, was easier for me to detect in the center, as the blue flavor near the rind was more dominant. However, this was a nice blue cheese for me, since I tend to shy away from them.
Prima Donna is a hard Gouda-style cheese from the Netherlands. Made from cow's milk, it's aged about a year (Corrieri's noted the one we had was aged 16 months). This is significantly less than some Goudas, some of which are aged for several years. There were small round holes scattered throughout. It had a firm texture with a rich, strong flavor from start to finish that paired very well with apples. While delicious alone, I imagine it would also be great on a sandwich. It's a cheese that should seem familiar to Americans with a texture and sharpness similar to a medium cheddar, however it had a nuttiness similar to a Parmesan.
St. Andre is a French soft-ripened cheese from the Normandy region and is produced from cow's milk. If you think that the picture looks like butter, you'd be about right. This triple cream cheese contains up to 70% butterfat! It was creamy and incredibly rich, so much so that it almost required pairing with bread, walnuts or dried cranberries. The texture in the center was similar to whipped butter, while the texture closer to the rind was silky smooth and heavier more like cream cheese. Very decadent!
Ossau-Iraty is a hard sheep's milk cheese from the Aquitane region of France. It is aged at least 3 months and is protected by the AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controllee). This sharp cheese had a firm texture, and I thought it tasted like the warm grass or hay eaten by the sheep. It had a pleasant animal smell.
Garroxta is a goat's milk cheese from Cataluña, Spain. It's classified as a semi-soft cheese and is aged between 2 and 4 months. Compared to many other cheeses, this artisan cheese is a relatively new, having first been produced in 1981. Like most goat cheeses, it was tangy and bright white in color. I enjoyed it not only alone but also with Spanish olives. The rind was especially beautiful with it speckles in various shades of gray.
Monte Enebro is classified as a natural rind goat's milk cheese. Made in Avila, Castilla-Leon, Spain, the curds are pressed into the shape of a mule's hoof.. The girl at Corrieri's explained that the mold covering the rind is the same kind that is injected into Roquefort cheese, but only covers the surface on Monte Enebro. According to the World Cheese Book, it was the first modern Spanish artisan cheese to gain recognition internationally. I found the appearance to be very unique. I preferred the center, which was softer, creamier and milder than the part close to the rind, which definitely had a stronger, more blue flavor. The flavor of the goat's milk, which I love, was easier for me to detect in the center, as the blue flavor near the rind was more dominant. However, this was a nice blue cheese for me, since I tend to shy away from them.
Prima Donna is a hard Gouda-style cheese from the Netherlands. Made from cow's milk, it's aged about a year (Corrieri's noted the one we had was aged 16 months). This is significantly less than some Goudas, some of which are aged for several years. There were small round holes scattered throughout. It had a firm texture with a rich, strong flavor from start to finish that paired very well with apples. While delicious alone, I imagine it would also be great on a sandwich. It's a cheese that should seem familiar to Americans with a texture and sharpness similar to a medium cheddar, however it had a nuttiness similar to a Parmesan.
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