Imagine sitting around for three days discussing all the milky details about the worlds best cheeses all the while methodically tasting over 100 different cheeses! That was my experience back in July as I took the Master Class for Professionals at the Artisanal Cheese Center in New York. While I have a good working knowledge about Italian cheeses, this experience certainly gave me a more global appreciation for that wonderful product of controlled spoilage that is cheese!Our instructors for the class were Daphne Zepos and Max McCalman, two experts in the cheese world. Daphne is an experienced cheese affineur (an expert at maturing cheeses), a teacher, an accredited taster, and much more. Her passion and knowledge of cheese is contagious. Max McCalman is a passionate advocate for great authentic cheese and the author of two must-have cheese books, "The Cheese Plate" and "Cheese: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Best". One of Max's specialties, and I think favorite hobbies, is wine and cheese pairing. He led us through a couple grueling sessions of tasting 36 different combinations of cheese and wine. It was grueling, I tell you...no really...ok, maybe not.
The class was wonderful and I am hoping to get Max to do an event next time he is in Los Angeles and will certainly tell you all about it when that happens.
What is so special about Artisanal Premium Cheese?
Artisanal is one of a few affineur's in the U.S. They buy cheeses and then expertly ripen or age them to perfection. They age the cheeses in five different cheese "caves" (fancy walk-in refrigerators) kept at different temperature and humidity settings to optimally ripen the cheese. This is a hands-on operation, some cheeses get washed daily (with brine or other liquids to add flavor), turned, tasted, and moved to different caves as needed.
Cheese Tasting and Review
So, after I got back from my class, I thought I would test out their mail-order and get a selection of cheese for a tasting. I ordered seven different cheeses online and they showed up in great shape. Then invited some lucky friends over to evaluate and enjoy!
Here was the line-up for our tasting:
- Thym Tamarre, France - an fantastic goat cheese identifiable by its shape and the elegant touch of thyme and lavender folded within. Creamy with hint of herbs.
- Queso de Aracena, Spain - a washed-rind goat cheese with firm, moist texture and an earthy, slightly tangy flavor.
- Roncal, Spain - a sheep's milk cheese, somewhat similar to Pecorino Toscano, but with a bit more nutty flavor, fantastic with Rioja wines.
- Munster, France - authentic Munster is a washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Alsace, France. Ours arrived perfectly ripe, strong barnyard aromas, flavors of earth, a rich tanginess.
- Cheddar Fiscalini, American - Fiscalini Bandaged Cheddar is a raw cow's milk artisanal cheddar from California. Sharp flavors, grassy, fruity.
- Roquefort, France - Carles Roquefort is a classic sheep's milk blue cheese that was simply amazing. Velvety creamy, sweet with a consistent and long-lasting piquant flavor.
- La Tur, Italy - a three-milk cheese from the Piemonte region of Italy. Silky smooth, tangy, creamy and rich. (not from Artisanal Cheese, but I needed something Italian!)
- Fondue - Artisanal's own fondue is a mix of Emmentaler and other mountain cheeses, melted nicely and has great flavor.
