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Gres des Vosges from Alsace
By Andy Shay
I am on the prowl for cheese again - the greatest hardship of giving up Shay Cheese has been the lack of new and interesting cheeses. I have Ontario Cheeses on my mind - I saw some new ones at the market the other day but failed to purchase - and today I do not seem to be able to see any Ontario artisan cheese at the St. Lawrence market. (To taste the best of Ontario cheeses in one spot be sure to purchase a ticket to the Ontario Cheese Society Marketplace on Tuesday, April 28) Since the fall listeria scare, there are many less interesting Quebec cheeses available and the usual suspects do not peak my interest today.
After making my way down the east wall, past Alex, I make my way up the west wall to Chris-s where there is usually a fair selection of Canadian cheeses. Not so many today. I am about to give up when I spy a thin golden oval wheel wrapped in micro-perforated paper. On the top of the cheese was a fern frond, delicately outlined by the translucent paper. Judging by the colour and the sticky look the there was no doubt that it was a washed rind cheese. Access to oxygen is crucial to washed rind cheeses - if they are deprived of it they quickly develop a bitter flavour - hence the importance of the micro-perforated paper. The cheese was Gres des Vosges - and I snapped it up.
It is a stinker, there is no doubt, and it made its presence well known through the wrapper, through the bag and through my briefcase, creating a little cloud around me on the subway. Being a cheese transporter on public transit is not for the faint of heart.
The cheese is from Alsace and comes in a variety of forms and sized. It is made young and plain, washed with local Kirsh or with local Cremont - the sparkling wine of Alsace. My piece is of the Kirsh (liquour made from the areas famous cherries) variety.
There is no hint of the kirsh in the aroma of this cheese, just a big, socky sort of smell. Inside the cheese is fairly soft, completely lactic just under the rind, a bit firmer further in. The rind is sandy, a result of the brine that washed the cheese for 5 weeks. I like the grittiness in my teeth juxtaposed to the very soft interior. The flavour is more delicate than the aroma as is often the case with washed rind cheeses - but this is no push over. It boasts a big, burnt asparagus flavour, is faintly smoky, and there is indeed a hint of cherries in the finish.
Pair this cheese up with a bold red or faintly sweet Riesling and a crusty baguette - Paradise in Toronto!
($6.92/100g at Chris's in the St. Lawrence Market.)
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