Andy Shay on Cheese, a Gremolata exclusive:
 Gremolata's Cheese Expert, Andy Shay of Shay Cheese, looks at fine cheeses and related topics in Canada and around the world. You can order your own supply of artisanal cheese from Shay Cheese to be delivered right to your door. Browse all of Andy's cheese wisdom at the column to the left. Click here to find out more and see the latest Shay Cheese selection. Canadian Cheese Grand Prix 2006
April 6, 2006
Last night I attended the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix, a rather spectacular bi-annual cheese award sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. As I have mentioned in a previous column, Canada is a “cow-centric” country and this is cow milk based award since Dairy Farmers of Canada represents cow milk in Canada.
Dairy Farmers of Canada is supported by its producers and many of those producers are very big businesses. Saputo is one of the biggest and while many of their cheeses fit squarely into the commodity cheese category, there is clearly a story of quality – they walked away of 6 of 17 awards, including best cheese. The interesting thing is that Saputo has grown from 300 employees to 8200 employees, world wide in the last ten years. The six awards that they won were spread over 4 brand names, representing companies and special expertise that has been bought over the last years of growth.
Compared to Farmhouse cheeses, are all Saputo cheese big volume? Unequivocally, yes. But does unpasteurized high volume cheese mean uninteresting? Not necessarily. There are loads of high volume French cheeses that are fabulous like Pont l’Eveque, Explorateur and Liverot. Under the tutelage of Louis Aird (one of North America’s few members of the exclusive French cheese brotherhood, Confrérie du Taste Fromage de France) Saputo is creating a new class of Canadian, interesting, high volume specialty cheeses. The two that come to mind are the grand champion winner La Sauvagine and soft cheese category winner Du Village Triple Crème (see tasting notes below). And word has it that there are more on the way.
Here is a complete list of the winners. Many are currently unavailable in Ontario but with the awards in hand, you may see them soon! Have fun trying them out for your self!
Grand Champion – La Sauvagine, soft ripened hybrid washed/bloomy rind cheese. It is absolutely delicious. It is very soft, creamy, even and light on the tongue. It is mildly salty with a delicate mushroomy flavour. This is a new cheese for Saputto and is only available in specialty stores in Quebec – but soon available at a store near you!
Fresh cheese – Feta, Paramalat
Soft Cheese – Triple Crème du village de Warwick. This should be a staple of all Canadians. If you are a fan of St Andre, be patriotic (and act in your own interest) and make the switch to Triple Crème. It is superb and even in its young form does not have a core like St Andre (the core is the dry looking part at the centre which has less flavour and texture and in St Andre consumes most of the cheese.) Available at some Loblaws stores.
Semisoft cheese – Tilsit, La Fromagerie Alexis de Portneuf (Saputo) primarily available in Quebec
Firm cheese – Gouda, That Dutchman’s Farm – Delicious but only available in Nova Scotia or on line at www.denhoek.ca. From the makers of the also delicious, but rarely found in Ontario, Dragon’s Breath.
Swiss type cheese – Miranda, Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser. This is really more like a gruyere – not readily available in Ontario.
Pasta Filata – Provolone, Silani sweet cheese
Mozzarella – Mozzarellissima, Saputo – Soon to be introduced to grocery stores in Ontario
Blue Cheese – Bleu Benedictin, Abbaye Saint Benoit. A many time winner and past grand champion of the Grand Prix. A lovely, well balanced blue. Widely available in grocery and specialty stores in Ontario.
Flavoured cheese – Smoked Gouda, Sylvan Star From Alberta, not available in Ontario, delicious, tastes a bit like a smoked ham!
Flavoured cheese with particles – Spiced Gouda, Sylvan Star. This is Stellar! Medium spicy hits the tongue instantly and is followed by an herbal edge creating a wonderful complex flavour. Not available in Ontario.
Mild Cheddar – Armstrong Cheese (Saputo) – widely available at supermarkets
Medium Cheddar – Balderson – available widely at supermarkets
Old and Extra Old Cheddar – Balderson 5 year– available widely at supermarkets – Yes, it is everywhere, but it is excellent cheddar. (the best deal I have seen is at Costco where it is a few dollars cheaper than everywhere else)
Artisanal Farmhouse Cheese – Extra aged Gouda, Sylvan Star. A wonderful nutty and not hard cheese, but completely unavailable in Ontario. Lets hope that status changes soon! Andy Shay:
Andy Shay is a food devotee. After graduating from the Cornell Hotel School, Andy managed gourmet food stores in Manhattan and Sydney Australia. He moved to Toronto in 1995 and founded Shay Gourmet with his wife Meredith Johnson. For the past year, Andy has been a cheese consultant helping Quebec and Ontario artisan cheese producers access the market in Ontario. Currently he teaches at Centennial College, is the busy father of Max and Simon and delights customers with monthly cheese boxes from Shay Cheese. | -Ad-
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