One cheese to rule them all - Page 23

Pecorino Ginepro

Raw milk Pecorino washed in balsamic, oil, crushed juniper berry

Forgive a bit of self promo... I've been chosen among a few others to be a tester for a new cheese in development by Jasper Hill (maker of Harbison, Bayley Hazen Blue, Winnimere, Moses Sleeper and Constant Bliss). I'll be blogging my impressions of the various samples for Culture Magazine and their 2012 Birth of a Cheese event. I'll cross post on my blog (in my sig below).


Teaser:

^ Very cool.

+1. I'm really impressed with what you have done with your interest. Very cool. Do you have plans to ruin (!) it by becoming professional in some capacity, or are you looking to remain an amateur in the best sense of the word?

Small rant: I wish amateur was used correctly in our country. It's such a wonderful word to describe somebody like CG and his cheese.

Thanks Eric- and you humble me, Matt.

I would like to own a shop someday... but having done the restaurant biz off and on in my youth, I know how crazy that is. But my biz plan is rooted as much in generating an eat local economy for regional artisan and farmstead makers as it is retail. I don't, as yet. have the capital.

That said- I was just promoted in my current job, eliminating any need to manage people, get to focus on ONE project instead of the 21 in my portfolio and may get to go to London a few times a year... at my age, it's an anchor hard to rid.

At the least, I really enjoy being an amateur, as you say.

First review/impressions are posted.

I tried Stichelton yesterday. Kinda funky.

Love it. A favorite blue.

Still waiting for it to become available here.

My monger wasn't elated with this batch. He wanted it to be more "succulent". It was from December, so the silage the cows ate gave it a lot of funk and gaminess, which I usually like, but this kind of left the taste of ammonia in my mouth. Not sure if that's how Stichelton is supposed to be, but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting.

A tiny bit of ammonia is normal, it's a by-product of mold. Spring milkings, I suspect, would be creamier but I cannot say from experience. Stichelton is a more complex beast than Stilton- a result of the raw milk for starters... they use real rennet, too.
I don't know for certain but have heard that he's fiddling with the recipe a bit.

I'll be in London in a couple of weeks and will ask around.

Yes. He said they've been fiddling. I did get an understanding of what Stichelton is from the one taste I had. Definitely more complex. Not sure how much I liked the gassiness of it, but I might want to buy it and try it a few more times to gain an appreciation.

That gassiness is not a trait I would ever have ascribed to Stich. Next time it's available here I'll buy; or I'll just order it.

This is the Marcel Petit comté I can get here. Pretty tasty, but expensive with 3.50€/100g. I can get awesome 36mo for that price.

Least of their worries... but that earthquake in Italy today destroyed about one-third of a billion dollars worth of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano.