Going Coconuts!

It's here!  We have waited patiently and sometimes impatiently for the Canadian summer to hit and it's here!  Thoughts of lazy afternoons poolside or at a cottage...easy meals and our favorite beverage.  And what could be easier than a cheeseboard and a few bottles of your favorite libation?

Today, we are going to put together a selection with a tropical feel.

First up is Brie Coco by Alexis de Portneuf.  To quote their cheesemaker:  “I have two passions: Coconut and brie, happy union… an indulgence for big and small occasions. By adding a tropical touch to this triple cream brie, our master cheese makers will delight even the most demanding gourmet.”  

A bloomy rind, triple cream brie, this has the distinctive creamy texture and nutty, mushroomy flavours of a brie with a hint of coconut..not overwhelming for those of you who aren't crazy about coconut but just a little "Je ne sais quoi" that will have you going back again.  Let's pair this with a new product at C'est Cheese Please!, Tropical Mango Chutney from Yummies in a Jar.

Next on our Tropical-themed cheeseboard, we will put a piece of Stilton Mango and Ginger.  This is always a favorite, the base white Stilton is blended with the sweetness of mango and the spiciness of ginger.  And to finish off this board, a piece of Gorgonzola Cremosa would be perfect.

Be sure to include some nuts and fruit (grapes, blackberries and kiwi would look pretty) And for crackers, we have a new cracker exclusive to C'est Cheese Please!, it looks like an Italian Pizzelli cookie but is a cracker, firm enough to handle the cheese without being overwhelming.  Everything described here is in stock and waiting for you at C'est Cheese Please! 

To finish off, why not pair this board with a lovely sparkling Rose?  Crisp and cold, pretty in pink and you will be dancing around just like the famous Carmen Miranda.  Check out this YouTube link: 

 Carmen Miranda -Chica Chica Boom Chic

Bon Appetit!

Something Blue for Ewe!

Lanark County is the home of Back Forty Artisan Cheese, the "lab" for Jeff Fenwick, Cheesemaker.  Jeff  and Jenna produce a few cheeses all made from the milk of the sheep on Back Forty Farm.  In the past, Lanark County was known for its textile miles producing woollen goods so it is quite apropos that the area is developing a reputation for another product of sheep, its milk.

Highland Blue is a raw Ewe's milk cheese, unpressed with a bloomy rind.  The bloomy rind is more familiar on a brie or camembert where it imparts a mushroomy taste to the cheese.  Highland Blue has those delicate notes of mushroom along with the piquantness of the blue mold combined with the tangy sheep's milk.  Being an unpressed cheese, the ivory coloured paste is buttery on the palate.  It is an award winner at the Royal Winter Fair.

Try this beautiful, rich cheese with Port or a personal favourite of mine is Cidre Glace from Quebec.  This is a cider made in a similar fashion to Ice Wine.  The apples are allowed to freeze on the trees before being pressed.  Serve Cidre Glace the same way as an Ice Wine, very cold and in a small glass...it is the perfect accompaniment for blue cheese.  And this pairing makes a perfect weekend cheeseboard.

Highland Blue is in stock at C'est Cheese Please!

Bon Appettit

Canadian Cheese Awards

On April 14th, the winners of the Canadian Cheese Awards were announced at a gala held held in Montreal and this year's grand prize was awarded to Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar by Cows Creamery, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.  We have carried this cheese since C'est Cheese Please! opened....we loved it then, we love it today!  It is a thermalized milk cheese (the milk is heated but not completely pasteurized) made in a typically British fashion of binding the wheels of cheese with cloth.  This keeps the moisture in the cheese resulting in a creamier aged cheddar.  The unique feature of Avonlea Cheddar is that the cloth that is used to bind the cheese is potato sacking which gives the cheese an earthy taste...the taste of PEI.  This cheese has won many awards internationally and now adds this honour to its pedigree.

There were 31 categories in the 2016 Canadian Cheese Awards.  The Regional Awards were as follows:

Best B.C Cheese - Traditional Clothbound Cheddar, The Farm House Natural Cheeses, BC

Best West Cheese - Natural Smoked Gouda Medium - Sylvan Star Cheese, Alberta

Best Ontario Cheese - Tania (Sheep's Milk) - Lenberg Farms Classic Reserve, Mariposa Dairy, ON

Best Quebec Cheese - Le Pionnier - Fromagerie Nouvelle France, PQ

Best Atlantic Cheese - Cows Creamery Appletree Smoked Cheddar - Cows Creamery, PEI

Currently, there are a number of the cheeses which were on the short list for the awards in stock at C'est Cheese Please! including L'Hercule de Charlevoix, Tania, Lindsay Bandaged Goat Cheddar, Avonlea and Alfred le Fermier to name just a few.  So celebrate our fabulous artisanal cheese makers this weekend!

Bon Appetit!