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Dominion Dairies for Vicky's Birthday
By Andy Shay
Is it really Queen Victoria’s birthday this weekend? Rumour is that it is not the actual date (Wiki says May 24, if you trust that), but like many celebrations, it has been moved for more convenient gathering time. Here are two dairy products fit to be served to the Queen . Queen might be more appreciative of these than the nine foot wide, 1000 lb cheddar that was presented to her as a wedding gift!
Beurre Ancestral:
salted - Fromagerie Detour, Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Quebec (south shore, near the Gaspe)
What better way to celebrate the improving weather, than a break from gardening with a fresh loaf of bread and artisan butter. Ordinarily I askew butter, having given it up many years ago, but in the past year or two I have found it again and have been on a quest for fine artisan examples to smear on fresh Thuet breads. Occasionally the two have even been a meal all by themselves.
Beurre Ancestral comes wrapped in a silver foil in the shape of a cup. Inside, it is a perfect buttercup colour – perhaps it could be wrung a bit more, there are a few beads of moisture on the surface. It smells like a mild cheese – a good sign. Immediately, there is a touch of salt in the tip of the tongue, but its level does not increase and is soon paired with a rich creamy flavour – one flavour enhancing the other. This is a cleverly and properly produced butter – I find that in most domestic salted butters, the salt usually is the dominant flavour. Beurre is a winner, now just find the right bread! I found this example at About Cheese in Toronto. $11.95/250g.
Romelia:
Salt Spring Island Cheese, Salt Spring Island, BC
David Wood is the storied gourmet retailer who left Toronto for the serenity of Salt Spring Island nearly 20 years ago and founded this company. If the island is his muse, it clearly works. His beautiful fresh goat cheese packages packed with fresh herbs leaves and flowers have begun to brighten my visit to cheese counters – even at my local Loblaws! Romelia is a new small format, washed/bloomy rind, goat milk cheese. It comes wrapped in low impact packaging with just a band of paper at the sides for support. The lovely pattern from the mould is visible and creates a pleasing, contemporary look. Like many washed rind cheeses, it is a stinker - a bit nutty and slightly bitter. The rind is sandy, a lovely contrast to the ultra smooth interior. In the mouth cheese is salty, almost too much so, but gradually a subtle goat flavour fills the mouth and warms the tongue, pulling the flavour back from the brink. It is sticky on the tongue and this keeps the flavour going on and on. Serve with dried fruits, perhaps dates, on a first, mid-spring picnic. $20.95/200g
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