Tuesday 25 March 2008

Grandvewe Blue by Ewe

The people at Grandvewe must have a sense of humour going by their choice of names for their various cheeses - take for example this one, Blue By Ewe

grandvewe blue by ewe© by Haalo

Cheese Maker: Grandvewe Cheese
Cheese Name: Blue By Ewe
Location: 59 Devlyns Road, Birchs Bay Tasmania
Open:
September - June: 10am-5pm, 7 days excluding Christmas day
July - August: 10am-4pm daily except Tuesdays


grandvewe blue by ewe© by Haalo

Blue By Ewe is a Roquefort style cheese made using penicillium roqueforti and is hand salted with Murray River salt.

grandvewe blue by ewe© by Haalo

There's a good degree of marbling - deep green in colour.

grandvewe blue by ewe© by Haalo

It is a bit crumbly but not at all dry. The sheep milk brings a sweetness to the flavour - pleasantly creamy with a delicious tang.


Originally published on here

Tuesday 18 March 2008

Boosey Creek Warby Red

I've been holding onto this cheese post as I knew nothing about the cheese-makers and couldn't really find any information about them. As it happens, the farmers' market was having a regional promotion and rather fortunately the cheese-makers where there - so not only did I find out more about their cheese I also got to sample more of their range.

Boosey Creek Warby Red© by Haalo

Cheese Maker: Boosey Creek Cheese
Cheese: Warby Red Washed Rind
Address: 734 Grinter Road, Boosey, Victoria
Open: 10am-5pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays/Victorian School Holidays

Boosey Creek Warby Red© by Haalo height=

That tell-tale orange skin should immediately let you know that this is a washed rind cheese. In the words of the cheese-makers, it is "hand-washed in our secret blend".

Boosey Creek Warby Red© by Haalo

All the milk used comes from their own herd of Friesian-Holstein cows - with the cheese making facilities located within the dairy.

Boosey Creek Warby Red© by Haalo

Unlike most of the other washed rinds, this is quite a firm cheese - in fact it is surprisingly firm give the ripe aromas wafting from its skin. Even leaving it out reach room temperature didn't alter the firmness.

Boosey Creek Warby Red© by Haalo

If you eat the skin, then this is a rather potent cheese - Paalo who loves his blue cheese even felt it was just too overpowering. However, remove the skin and the cheese itself is very pleasant - there's enough of those washed rind characters coming through but the creaminess of the cheese softens the overall flavour.

Not for the faint hearted but if you'd like to try it - here in Melbourne, it's only available at Leo's in Kew.


Originally published on here

Wednesday 5 March 2008

Woodside Cheese Wrights Etzy Ketzy

I seem to be in a "stinky cheese" mood of late but when I spied this cheese from Woodside Cheese Wrights at Leo's, I just had to try it

etzy ketzy© by haalo

Cheese Maker: Woodside Cheese Wrights
Cheese Name: Etzy Ketzy
Cheese Type: Washed Rind Cow/Goat Milk
Location: Woodside, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Retail Outlet: 7 Henry Street, Woodside, South Australia
Open: Monday - Sunday: 10am - 4pm

The name Etzy Ketzy is said to mean half and half or middle in Greek - an apt name considering this is a mix of cow and goat milk. It's made in the winter when there's less goat milk available.

etzy ketzy© by haalo

With about another 4 weeks to go before it reaches it's best before date, the skin has already started to become sticky - there is also an excellent earthy aroma to the cheese that seeps through the packaging.

etzy ketzy© by Haalo

It is quite a thin cheese and is presented as a large flattish disc - it makes it look a lot larger than it's meagre weight of 125 grams would imply.

etzy ketzy© by haalo

This hasn't been left out of the fridge very long but you can begin to see it starting to ooze

etzy ketzy© by haalo

The skin is a dominant taste and even at this young age it isn't for the faint hearted - best served on solid chunks of bread, something like a good sour dough. As I find it a touch on the salty side, quince paste or fresh fruit would also make a good companion.



Originally published here