What a Friend We Have in Cheeses
I have come upon an amazing cheese and I must evangelize. On Friday, I made a trip to DeLaurenti's to visit one of the most enjoyable cheese counters in Seattle. A very helpful cheese man put me on to Adelle. That's a cheese, not a person.
Last night, with the addition of a loaf of campagne and some ripe fall pears, we made a dinner out of our cheeses. In the spirit of comparing things, we also sliced three types of pears: a bartlett, bosc, and concord to go along.
The review:
The Adelle was perfectly ripe, creamy nearer to the rind and a bit like crumbly butter at the center. Its flavor is slightly sweet and tangy. Not a pungent cheese at all. Plus, it's very cute. Reminds one a bit of La Tur, also a mixed milk cheese. It went nicely with everything we ate it with -- savory flavors like olives and pickled peppers or sweet crisp bread with dried fruit. Pretty delicious.
As for the Rochefort, it had a great texture, a nutty-salty flavor, and tasted great on the rustic bread. We liked it, but it doesn't stand out as one of the best cheeses ever. Nor was it as remarkable as our new friend, Adelle.
The Humbolt Fog was the chevre you expect it to be. Smooth and tangy, with a nice aged flavor and flavorful rind. Can't ever go wrong with that one.
As for the fruit, the concord pear came in first on the taste test, followed by the bosc and then the bartlett.
In all, the perfect dinner for a rainy Seattle night.
I had never before heard of Ancient Heritage Dairy of Scio, Oregon -- the cheese maker. But I was curious and liked the idea of a Northwest cheese, so I went for it. According to its label, this petite cheese was made on their farm with cow and sheep milk on October 13, 2009.
In addition to the Adelle, I picked up a slice of Humbolt Fog, a perennial favorite made with goat milk and containing a distinctive line of vegetable ash.
I also tried a French tomme-type cheese called Forme de Rochefort made from cow's milk. Turns out, people used to pay their property taxes with this cheese back in the 18th century. How civilized.
The review:
The Adelle was perfectly ripe, creamy nearer to the rind and a bit like crumbly butter at the center. Its flavor is slightly sweet and tangy. Not a pungent cheese at all. Plus, it's very cute. Reminds one a bit of La Tur, also a mixed milk cheese. It went nicely with everything we ate it with -- savory flavors like olives and pickled peppers or sweet crisp bread with dried fruit. Pretty delicious.
As for the Rochefort, it had a great texture, a nutty-salty flavor, and tasted great on the rustic bread. We liked it, but it doesn't stand out as one of the best cheeses ever. Nor was it as remarkable as our new friend, Adelle.
The Humbolt Fog was the chevre you expect it to be. Smooth and tangy, with a nice aged flavor and flavorful rind. Can't ever go wrong with that one.
As for the fruit, the concord pear came in first on the taste test, followed by the bosc and then the bartlett.
In all, the perfect dinner for a rainy Seattle night.
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