CHEESES
Fleur de Maquis
This sheep’s milk cheese from Corsica is variously called Brindamour, Brin d’Amour, and Fleur du Maquis. A strikingly beautiful cheese, Fleur du Maquis is sold at many stages of ripeness. When young, its coating of rosemary needles is still green and the interior of the cheese is snow white with a fresh, sheep’s milk flavor. As the cheese ages, the interior gets soft and develops a stronger flavor, while the rosemary dries and browns. It also displays the characteristic fuzzy blue edible mold coating in between the rosemary needle, peppers, and juniper berries that rest on top. The interior is still firm and the flavor has absorbed the herbs of its coating. Fleur du Maquis pairs better with savory flavors than with sweet things like fruit. Try it with olives, tomatoes, and fresh peppers. Recommended wine: Red wine – 2002 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Sonoma County (California)
La Tur
La Tur is a specialty of the Alta Lange region of Italy. The cheese is straw-colored with a soft surface and a delicate and harmonious flavor. La Tur is handmade in a traditional manner. After the pasteurization, which takes place at the lowest temperatures allowed by law, the milk is poured into special ripening cells where locally produced ferments and rennet are added. Then the curd is poured in moulds and left to drip. The curd is aged for only 15 days, then air-shipped across the Atlantic. Very fresh cheeses like La Tur are extremely hard to find in America. Recommended wines: Red wines – 2001 Leasingham Wines Bin 61 Shiraz Clare Valley (Australia) or 2001 Shingleback Shiraz McLaren Vale (Australia)
Valdeon
This Spanish blue cheese is often sold as Cabrales in the United States because its flavor is similar to that bold blue, but is slightly tamer. It, therefore, appeals to a wider range of palates. The cheese is made in the Castille-Leon region of the northwestern Spain and is wrapped in chestnut leaves before being sent to market. The cheese has a very intense blue flavor, but is not as yellowed or as biting as true Cabrales. Recommended wine: Red Wine – 1998 Montecillo Rioja Reserva (Spain)
Trunkle Wensleydale
First made by the Cistercian Monks at Jervaulx Abbey in Wensleydale, using milk from their herds, this cheese is now produced according to a time honored traditional recipe by the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes, northwest of Yorkshire. Its full creamy flavor offers a clean, lemony tang which tends to sharpen with age. Firm and flaky, but not by any means dry, this pasteurized cow’s milk Wensleydale is fragrantly sweet and perfectly paired with fresh fruits such as pears, grapes, and apples. This cheese has gained international attention through the popular English animation feature of Wallace & Gromit and their long lasting devotion to their favorite snack of Wensleydale with cream crackers. They went through exceptional means to get hold of Wensleydale. Recommended wine: White wine – 2001 Chateau Reynella Chardonnay Southern Vales (Australia)
Explorateur
In the 1950’s, a category of cheeses called triple creams was created and defined as any cheese containing at least 75% butterfat. (Keep in mind that butter typically has about 80% butterfat.) This level is achieved by adding pure cream to the milk used to make these cheeses. Explorateur is one of these cheeses with its 75% butterfat content. Because it is so rich, a little bit goes a very long way, and unless you have several friends with which to share a pound or even half a pound of these cheeses, they will usually go bad before you can eat them all. Like all triple creams, this cheese can be eaten at nearly any stage of ripening. As the cheese ages, its interior with go from a chalky, firm, pristine white to a runny, yellow to beige mass with a much more intense flavor. Each stage is delicious in its own right. Recommended wine: 2003 Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling Eroica Columbia Valley (Washington State)
Cheese Information: Igourmet.com
Main Courses and Wines
Salad with Pears and Gouda
White wine – 2003 Brancott Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)
Red wine – 2001 Chateau de La Chaize Beaujolais Brouilly (France)
Orecchetti Pasta with Shrimp, Sambuca Tomatoes, Broccoli, and Basil
Red wine – 2001 ILCardo Dolcetto D’Alba (Italy)
Grilled Skirt Steak, Grilled Fingerling Potatoes, Mushrooms, Crispy Onions, Balsamic Glaze
Red Wines
1999 Gallo of Sonoma Barelli Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
1999 Cuvaison Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (California)