i was going to keep a cheese journal but realized that’s a bad idea because i don’t want to always carry a notebook around with me. and i could just keep a notes file on my phone. but i like the idea of a cheese page. cheese is that important.

USA: Catskill is a beautiful goat cheese from Stissing Mountain in upstate New York. Refreshing and mild, it will please most palates. Catskill ages gracefully for several weeks under its bloomy rind. In the process it develops a bit of a mushroom aroma and the flavor of fresh goat milk comes through. Try pairing this New York cheese with most any white wine, Champagne, or even a light beer. (jan 2011)

Bavarian Limburger (confirms why i don’t like Limburger. runny. smelly.) (jan 2011)

France: Comté is a firm pressed cheese made from the raw milk of red and white Montbeliard cows in the Jura Mountains of France in Franche-Comté. The cheese is produced in small, cooperative dairies, known as “fruitières” which collect the milk from farms within 15 miles distance only. Comté is the most popular DOP cheeses in France, and it is claimed that there are more than 83 distinct flavors in Comté, including apricot, chocolate, butter, cream, and grilled bread. Jura wines make a classic pairing for Comté, as well as Rieslings, Muscats, Gewürztraminers, and many of the softer red Bordeaux blends. (jan 2011)

Netherlands aged 4 years Gouda is simply unrivaled for that perfect balance of salty and sweet. Deep caramel in color, crunchy, flaky, and meltingly smooth on the tongue, a true cow’s milk Dutch Gouda bursts with flavor. The hint of butterscotch at the finish is a signature of this Dutch treat. Gouda pairs well with Cabernet Sauvignon as well as several white wine varietals. (jan 2011)

Mitica Quadrello Di Bufala – (WF) gamey. soft.

Tintern with Shallots and Chives – (WF) Green Wax with green bits. Very soft cheese.

Comte AOC aged 15 mos – (WF) French.

Abbaye de Bel’loc – (Andrew’s Cheese Shop) sheep. French. ripened in Benedictine Abbey in Pyrenees mountains near Spanish border. nutty. brown sugar finish. smooth. excellent with a slice of cheese or apple/cinnamon jam.

Le Puits d’Astier – (Andrew’s Cheese Shop) sheep. French. onions, butter, almonds, lemon zest. rind was thick, gooey, and smelled of ammonia. but the cheese was more complex than Abbaye, a bit strong/sharp. good with whole grain mustard. overpowers the apple (perhaps a different fruit…)

m taste tested a limburger at andrew’s cheese shop which was completely different from the one listed above.

France: Brillat-Savarin Petite, Natural Rind is a cow’s milk, triple-crème brie-style cheese from France. This lovely cheese is buttery, rich, creamy and decadent with a rare “natural rind” which is essentially a thin skin. Brillat Savarin, Petite is essentially the cheese equivalent of ice cream! Incredible on its own or served with a fruit jam on hearty Artisanal bread. Pair Brillat Savarin “natural rind” with Domaine Chandon Rosé or a Viognier. / OMG! like butter. so good. a very soft cheese with a peppery, spicy rind (with baby fuzz on the outside) which contrasts nicely in texture with the smooth cheese itself. (feb 2011)

Austria, cow: Edwin Berchtold produces the Edwin’s Munster in Schwarzenber – a small town in western Austria. The organic milk that is used to craft this cheese is supplied by dairies whose animals enjoy a grass and hay diet exclusively. The Munsters from Alsace in northeast France, though nice, are considerably milder yet we prefer the full aroma and deeper flavor delivered by this Austrian version. This soft cheese has a pungent aroma and a meaty flavor. The Edwin’s Munster pairs remarkable well with the crisp white wines of central Europe, particularly the Grüner Veltliners, the Gewürztraminers, and the Muscats and Rieslings. This cheese also pairs well with most ales, especially the Pilners, Lagers and Wheat Beers. other notes: semi-soft, pleasantly pungent, aromatic, well-balanced. (feb 2011)

France: Le Moulis is a firm, moist cow’s milk cheese made in a small mountain creamery high in the Pyrénées. The Pyrénées is generally known as a haven for delicious sheep’s milk cheeses – Moulis is a cow’s milk rarity. Its rustic natural rind lends a distinctive earthiness to Moulis’ more dominant buttery, eggy flavors. / i almost couldn’t eat the rind but then i paired it with an apple and it cut the sharpness. (feb 2011)

France: Fourme d’Ambert is a rich and creamy cow’s milk blue from the Auvergne region of France. It has a thin, yellowish rind mottled with sandy molds. Its interior is bone white with distinctive bluing. Although its scent is very earthy, Fourme d’Ambert has a creamy and mild flavor with a slightly nutty finish. The paste is both soft and smooth. Try this cheese with sweet Sauternes as a dessert course or as a light meal accompanying a salad and slice of crusty bread. / distinctive bluing is an understatement. i don’t even need a magnifying lens to see the blue-grey mold spores. the parts that are less “blue” are different but no less tasty. but i actually like the “blue” parts better. and i *never* loved blue cheese. (feb 2011)

USA: Coupole is a fresh, young goat’s milk cheese shaped like a small dome and lightly dusted with vegetable ash. It hails from the ambitious new Loire-Valley-style production facility at Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery which has been pioneering innovative dairy products for over 25 years. Their fresh chèvres, spreads, butters and fermented creams can be found in chef’s kitchens across the country. As the Coupole ages, a slightly wrinkled skin develops, and the paste softens. / i think i can’t remember this cheese because i inhaled it in a few days. (mar 2011)

France: Le Moulis is a firm, moist cow’s milk cheese made in a small mountain creamery high in the Pyrénées. The Pyrénées is generally known as a haven for delicious sheep’s milk cheeses – Moulis is a cow’s milk rarity. Its rustic natural rind lends a distinctive earthiness to Moulis’ more dominant buttery, eggy flavors. / firmer and less stinky than previously. could easily be eaten without fruit. i don’t remember it being sharp at all. (mar 2011)

France: Tomme de Savoie is a semi-firm cow’s milk cheese made in the valley of the Savoie in the French Alps. It has a delightfully nutty flavor and a smooth paste that melts in your mouth. The hard, powdery rind has an earthy aroma and is usually speckled with many types of indigenous and beneficial molds. / i can’t really remember but i think we liked this better than the le moulis. (mar 2011)

Netherlands: Roomano is a skimmed cow’s milk Gouda from Holland aged up to six years. The texture is hard and crystalline; the flavor has intense caramel and butterscotch tones. Roomano is suitable for grating as well as eating. / winey. (mar 2011)

cheese plate at AOC (late march): Autor valencia spain; Serra da estrella beiras portugal; Lou bergier pichin piedmont italy; Quadrello di bufala lombardy italy; Ovin sardo sardinia italy

Brillat Savarin, Petite is a cow’s milk, triple-crème brie-style cheese from France. This lovely cheese is buttery, rich, creamy and decadent with a rare “natural rind” which is essentially a thin skin. Brillat Savarin, Petite is essentially the cheese equivalent of ice cream! Incredible on its own or served with a fruit jam on hearty Artisanal bread. / i loooooove this cheese. it’s even better this month. runnier. like butter. peppery rind with soft baby fuzz. The solid bits taste like ice cream. The soft runny bits are sharp at first and then finish mildly. The peppery rind is sharper than the stilton. (apr 2011)

France, cow: Camembert Lactic gives the closest approximation of flavor to the unpasteurized version which is not legally available in the U.S. Of course it all begins with sourcing the best milk available in Normandy, then with a slow maturation which is made possible with the use of less rennet, the enzymes are able to develop to a fuller flavor. The moisture is retained to yield the ideal texture. / broccoli! it makes the whole house stink of earthiness but i love it. (apr 2011)

Great Britain, cow: Quicke’s Cheddar is crafted by Mrs. Mary Quicke from the milk of 340 head of cattle on her farm in Devon, England. Her cows produce milk year-round and are grazed on grass for as many as 10 months each year, yielding a more flavorful end product. Quicke’s Cheddar is made in the traditional style of English farmhouse cheddars – that is, it is bound in cloth, larded, and left to age for 18 months or more. The result is a spicy, caramely cheese with a hugely complex flavor profile and tight, crystalline texture. / m enjoys immensely. (apr 2011)

Great Britain, cow: (Stilton) Tuxford & Tebbutt Creamery dates back to 1780, when Mr. Tuxford made Blue Stilton and Mr. Tebbutt produced pork pies. Located in the town of Melton Mowbray, cheese and pies were still being produced at the same facility until 1965. Now, their sole focus is rich, creamy Stilton. Pasteurized cow’s milk is curdled, drained, and formed into large cylinders, about 20 lbs each. These cylinders are impaled upon needles which serve to aerate the cheese and introduce the blue mold inside. / not as strong as the blue cheese we’ve been eating. i enjoy much more than m. oh my goodness, i think i like good stinky cheese! Wonderfully smooth texture. (apr 2011)

Holland, sheep: Schaapkaas (pronounced SHAHP-kahs) is a cooked curd cheese from Holland that is made with sheep’s milk. It is similar to the more familiar cow versions of Gouda yet with a deeper butter flavor. The cheese is firm and toothsome, and is great with coffee, ales, whiskeys, and many medium-bodied wines. The Schaapkaas also has excellent keeping qualities. (may 2011)

Terraluna is produced in Utah from clean raw Jersey cow milk. This firm cheese is in the cheddar family yet it has a deeper flavor and a longer finish than most cheddars. The award-winning Terraluna owes its superior quality to the mineral-rich soil where the cows graze, and to the fine cheese making skills of its producers. / my favorite of this month. grainy texture but not offensive. mild, nutty flavor. (may 2011)

Austria, cow: Hittisau is the namesake cheese from producer Sennerai Hittisau in the beautiful Bregenz Forest of Austria just over the border from Bavaria. Silage-free raw cow milk from local farms gives this cheese a deep, slightly sweet flavor with occasional notes of hazelnuts at just over five months of age. The rind is brightly colored and the firm texture can develop a smattering of small eyes. / creamy texture. gamey. m’s favorite. (may 2011)

USA, cow: Berkshire Blue, a cheese made in Great Barrington, MA, by Ira Gramble, has a smooth, polished flavor that begs for a cigar, a glass of port and a comfy armchair. Inspired by the British Stilton cheese, but moister and creamier, it is made with raw milk, aged over 60 days, and has developed slight barnyardy flavors of hay and hide that give it a pleasurable kick. / not as spicy or peppery as the other blues we’ve tried. m liked it the best of the blues, i liked it the least due to its lack of sharpness (i know…who would’ve thought? there was a day when i didn’t like avocados, either). (may 2011)

Brillat Savarin, Petite is a cow’s milk, triple-crème brie-style cheese from France. This lovely cheese is buttery, rich, creamy and decadent with a rare “natural rind” which is essentially a thin skin. Brillat Savarin, Petite is essentially the cheese equivalent of ice cream! Incredible on its own or served with a fruit jam on hearty Artisanal bread. / you know how i feel about this cheese. (june 2011)

Italy, sheep: Pecorino delle Balze Volteranne is a raw organic pecorino from Tuscany and is made with vegetable rennet of wild artichoke. The cheese is aged in oak barrels for 60 days, the rind covered in oak and olive wood ash. This imparts a unique green olive flavor and a long finish. This cheese is firm, toothsome and it has a nutty texture. / mmmmm, so not my favorite. i can taste the olive, but i’m just not a fan of the cheese. terrible review, i know. (june 2011)

Italy, cow: The recipe for Fontina Val d’Aosta is rumored to have been revealed to the early inhabitants of the Val d’Aosta by a near-mythical man called Sarvadzo. He taught them to make this unpasteurized, full-fat cheese, matured in grottos for at least three months. Its taste reflects its origins in the high, Alpine slopes – it is actually an Italian cousin to the French Gruyère. Fontina is earthy, mushroomy, and woody, and pairs exceedingly well with roast meats and truffles. / this is my second favorite cheese this month after the brillat savarin. it’s nutty and seems to have a more subtle flavor than cheaper fontina’s i’ve had. (june 2011)

Spain, mixed: La Peral is a gently blued pasteurized cow and sheep milk cheese from Asturias in northern Spain. This rare and delicious cheese has been produced for a little over a century. The sheep milk component gives this firm cheese a little olive oil flavor and a pleasant pungent aroma. Also known as Queso Azul Asturiano, La Peral is made by the Lopez Leon family. The wheels are aged for sixty days just to the point that the blue begins to develop. La Peral resembles an Italian Gorgonzola. It has a slightly crumbly texture that leads to a refreshing finish on the palate. // La Peral is a lightly blued, rare and delicious cheese hailing from the village Illas in Northern Spain. It is made from pasteurized cow’s milk to which sheep cream has been added. The wheels are aged for sixty days in their Asturian caves just to the point that the blue begins to develop. It has a nice olive flavor and pungent aroma. Its slightly crumbly texture becomes significantly creamier in the finish. / not my favorite blue. tastes musty. not peppery or sharp enough as other blues that i prefer. (june 2011)