Sunday, March 3, 2013

A date with Winnie


So there she was, waiting and watching me through the casement with shy longing. As I approached, her mask of timidity melted away to reveal a true nature as she wordlessly beckoned me to approach. Her heady scent caught my senses and led me closer with hints of deep earth and woodland passion.  I knew at once that I had met my equal as my lips met her cleanly washed… rind?


Wait a minute. That’s not what happened at all! Oh sure, things like this are definitely possible, but tend to only happen in books that people buy without a cover for twenty five cents. The real romance that occurs in the world of cheese most commonly appears in two places. The first is with the artist. The cheese maker that takes pride in the product he or she produces, in the natural elements that come into play which make this cheese unique, and in the effort required to turn their toil into a small piece of perfection.

The second romantic encounter is the tentative moment when one tries a cheese for the first time. Just like a first date, the initial taste of a new cheese can be both anxious and exciting. The differences between cheeses can be rather expansive like comparing  a cheddar to a Brie, but it can also be incredibly subtle like comparing two cheddars produced in two very different regions. It is for this reason that trying out something new from your local fromagerie can have that awkward first date feel.

So this is how my encounter with “Winnie” more accurately occurred. I sped to my new favorite cheese shop, the Bloomy Rind, only barely beating their closing time. (I am becoming famous for this already) I explained to the lovely Curator Mary that I had begun to blog my experiences regarding my journey through the wonderful world of curd, and that I wanted something to try for my next review.  I had already reviewed a cheese in the cheddar family and I wanted to move onto something a bit more-creamy like a nice bloomy or washed rind cheese. That is when she introduced me to Winnimere.

As any good purveyor of fine fromage will do, Mary at first offered me a sample before my decision to buy, but as I was looking for a cheese to review, I politely declined. I mean, if I only blogged about cheeses I liked, it really wouldn’t be very objective, now would it? Mary liked that idea and did something that impressed me. She suggested a smaller sample of the cheese than I initially asked for unless I was planning on sharing with a group. To me, that showed not only class, but it told me this person cared about her customers as well as the products she is clearly passionate about. The Bloomy Rind has definitely earned my loyalty and its owner my respect.

Now, on to the cheese, shall we? (More on the Bloomy Rind in an upcoming feature.) I took my date .. uh.. I mean my cheese home and set out a plating of all of the things I planned to pair it with. In this case I went with a nice Casalingo Salami by Creminelli, some Sunburst tomatoes, and a locally produced wildflower honey. All of this to be delivered on some olive oil and sea salted crostini.

First base –As this is a washed rind cheese it came standard with a fairly strong smell indicative of the majority of this breed of cheeses. My first taste of the cheese included some of the top rind which is not as strong as some washed rind cheeses and didn’t overpower the flavor of the creamy center. It was a mildly pungent taste with a sweet interior and expressed both woody and meaty accents. One of my guests equated it to smoked bacon.

Second base – (the meat test) My next sampling included a piece of the Casalingo, and they blended together rather well. Both the cheese and the salami had similar tones and together they managed to enhance each other very well. As far as I was concerned this was definitely a pass. There are several crass jokes I could make here since my theme seems to have turned into a dating show, but since I am trying to keep this blog PG, I will refrain from commenting on the innuendos prevalent to the mention of salami. Nope. Not gonna do it.

Moving on!

Third Base –( Tannin test) Now it was time to see how well it did when paired with a fruit that produced a fair amount of tannins, so I added the Sunburst tomatoes. You see, the micro flora (AKA mold) on some washed and bloomy rind cheeses can react poorly to the tannins in things like wine and some fruit such as tomatoes. This is definitely an unpleasant happenstance should you encounter it that is akin to chewing on a mouthful of aspirin. (Not recommended by the way) In the case of “Winnie” there was no such reaction. She remained sweet with the tomatoes, and even enhanced the flavor of their pairing with the meaty earth tone fragrance she was wearing. (I’m horrible.)

Rounding on home base – (Going for the sweet spot) At this point I brought out the honey and gave it a shot. We’re going all the way at this point, so no turning back right?  The result?  You’re outta there! Don’t get me wrong, the honey was enjoyable, and the pairing didn’t taste bad, but the sweetness of the bee juice just totally overshadowed poor Winnie. A lot of the flavor notes from the cheese were completely drowned out by the boldness of the honey. It was so much so that eating it with the cheese seemed redundant since the cheese wasn’t really contributing anything with it. I would recommend a nice fig jam or some dried fruits in this category if you’re planning on trying the dessert route for serving this cheese.

All in all, Winnimere is definitely a cheese worth exploring. She can be a bit shy at first but once you get going, don’t be afraid to explore new things. I think you would find her a most willing partner. I would just avoid anything with too strong or sweet notes as Winnie can get lost in the music. Keep things earthy or meaty like something by Barry Wh.. I mean a nice cured meat or something with a bit of smoke. I would definitely recommend this cheese to just about any tasting, but keep in mind, her perfume might not be for everyone, so handle introductions to new people very delicately.

Now, a word on the creamery behind this delicate flower. The Jasper Hill Creamery is nestled in the hills of Greensboro, Vermont. The cheese is produced between January and June using the winter milk of their Ayrshire herd of cows and aged in the creameries underground cellars. The cheese is wrapped in bark gathered from the local spruce population, and this adds both a woody flavor to the cheese, and also helps it hold its shape during the aging process. In order to elevate the flavor producing bacteria, the cheese is washed in beer produced by a local micro-brewery. All of these elements definitely go a long way to making Winnimere a very distinctive and pleasant cheese. It is recommended by her makers that Winnimere be served by removing the top rind allowing access to the creamy and scoopable center. I definitely predict a second date. (I hope she calls.)

Have you tried this cheese?  Do you have any pairing suggestions or recipes that might benefit from the addition of a Winnimere? If so, tell me about it as a comment to this entry!