Mahón

Mahón, a cheese with DO (Denomination of Origin) status, comes from the Spanish island of Menorca.  It's a hard cow's milk cheese, typically aged anywhere between 20 days and 5 months (although some are aged up to 10 months, which causes it to become similar to a Parmesan in texture), depending on what the afinador, or ripener is wanting to achieve or bring out through aging in underground caves. The bright yellow-orange color of the rind is from being rubbed with butter, olive oil and paprika.

While not completely sure, I believe the Mahón I tried was semi-cured, or aged between 2 and 5 months.  The texture was firm, but not hard.  There were some small, irregular holes scattered in the wedge, a result of fermentation during aging. The taste was buttery and had hints of warm grass, making it a perfect cheese to simply eat and enjoy.

have cheese, will travel

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.

Only in moderation

You know dinner is going to be wonderful when your plate looks like this:

This was our first sampling of the cheeses we picked up from Corrieri's: Humboldt Fog, Lamb Chopper, Midnight Moon and Manchego.  We decided not only to taste them alone, but also to sample them with some of their recommended pairings, since we happened to have several of the items on hand.  While perhaps not the most well-balanced meal, since it consisted primarily of dairy and carbs, it was nice for one of the many meals we eat in a week.  It was a plate to be slowly savored.

Humboldt Fog is a beautiful cheese from California.  It's a soft goat's milk cheese that has been surface ripened and has a layer of vegetable ash in the center.  Hands down, it's one of the most interesting cheeses I've ever seen or tasted.  The center has the texture and flavors of what I am used to with a goat's cheese, but the edge, just under the rind, has a texture similar to brie and a stronger flavor.  The wedge is aesthetically pleasing with the gray stripe of ash in the center and the contrast in texture from the center part to the ripened edge.  It's like getting two types of cheese in one!  Delicious alone, we also paired with the recommended mandarin orange, cranberries and walnuts.


Lamb Chopper is a sheep's milk cheese from Holland (which I learned makes up two provinces within the Netherlands, so I should stop using them interchangeably for the country).  Smooth and almost buttery, with a chedder-like firmness, it was very enjoyable alone.  Since it was recommended for kids on a grilled cheese sandwich, we melted some on toasted French bread, which tasted quite good.


Midnight Moon is a goat's milk cheese from Holland.  The nutty flavor reminded me of a Parmesan, although not quite as dry or salty, and the texture occasionally seemed a bit gritty.  We paired it with apple slices and the same fruits and nuts as the Humboldt Fog.


Manchego is a Spanish sheep's milk cheese from the dry plateau south of Madrid.  A hard cheese with DOC status, it is aged anywhere between 6-18 months.  Although most Manchego is now made in factories, much of the milking is still done by hand.  The surface of the wedge was pocked with small irregular holes.  It was dry, nutty and a bit salty, and as it warmed to room temperature, the surface became slightly oily.  Delicious alone, we also grated some over pasta drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper, which was equally good.

I enjoyed all four, but if I had to pick a favorite, the Humboldt Fog might have a slight advantage.  It was delicious and incredibly unique.

Mafiaoza's Part 3: the feast continues

Initially, I was a bit disappointed that one of the cheeses at Mafiaoza's was a Stilton with blueberries, but I decided to give it a fair chance. I liked this one much better than the one we had at New Year's. It was softer, more crumbly and not as sweet, which helped balance out the sweetness of the berries.

We also tried Asiago. There are two types - Asiago Pressato and Asiago d'Allevo.  I think we had the latter although the menu did not specify.  Asiago d'Allevo is a hard cheese made from the milk of cows grazing on mountain pastures while Asiago Pressato is semi-soft, contains irregular holes and is made from the milk of cows grazing in low pastures. Both types can only be made in specific production areas within the Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige and are aged 20-40 days in wheels ranging from 24-33 lbs.  It was dry and crumbly, but less so than Parmesan, and I thought it had a slightly sweet and very smooth flavor.

One of the highlights for me was the Drunken Goat cheese, or Murcia al Vino. I wasn't sure what to expect after the waiter described it as goat cheese soaked in wine, but I was intrigued at once.  It's a Spanish cheese from the Murcia region in the Southeast.  It is made from the milk of the native Murciano-Granadina goats.  A semi-soft washed-curd cheese, it is aged at least 3 weeks and washed with local Jumilla and Yecla red wines.  The wine gives the rind a beautiful dark purple stain.  It tasted mild to me in comparison to tangy, soft goat cheese I was familiar with, and though it seemed a bit rubbery in texture, I really enjoyed it.  Although I usually find myself cutting the rind off cheese, I did eat this one as it was quite thin and contained the subtle flavors of the wine.

presentation counts

Back in September, my husband and I went to Rumba during Nashville's Restaurant Week. We picked different appetizers to share (pork confit tacos and spring-rolled quesadillas), but there was no debating on the entree. One stood out to us both, and I'll be honest - we each wanted our own. There would be no "let's order two different plates and share" that night. We both selected the roasted Piedmontese beef, and it was amazing. The entire plate was delicious, from the presentation, to the sides that accompanied it. It was an Italian-style steak complimented by a sun-dried tomato paste served with a grilled corn salad (with red peppers and edamame) and Manchego-potato puree. This was the first time I recall tasting Manchego cheese.  I had also never had mashed potatoes like this - they were not the typical fluffy potatoes I was used to. I suppose they may have been more of a French style. They were much thinner and super smooth and creamy.  And they were incredibly cheesy! The ratio of cheese to potato seemed to be 50:50, so I was in heaven. It was a smooth, slightly salty cheese that worked so well with the potato puree. I am looking forward to trying Manchego alone when my cheese tour visits in Spain! We did opt for different desserts. I had the tres leches cake, while Brett had the cupcakes and ice cream. Both were a great way to end a unique meal.