Around the World with Cheese!

There's nothing like a wedge of cheese, some charcuterie, and (lots of) red wine to make us feel that all is well in the world.  

This is probably why, when we walk about and come across a cheese shop, we inevitably sample to our hearts' content and always leave with a few new cheeses to share at home.

Here is our ode to the cheeses and cheese shops we've recently enjoyed!

Whenever we're in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, we make sure to stop off at Bedford Cheese Shop.  The shop is charming and despite the large variety, is never over-whelming.  Perhaps it's because the staff as always been friendly and easy-going in offering samples and suggestions.

 

We came away with these 3 cheeses.  The Ossau-Iraty (also known as Istara) is a creamy, nutty French sheep's milk cheese.  The Zamorano is a hard sheep's milk cheese from Spain.  It's a sharper, nuttier, and richer cheese versus Manchego.  For dessert, we had the Lemon Baked Ricotta, which is a religious experience in itself!  If you like lemon and airy cheesecake, this cheese is for you!

 

We've posted a few times about Despana, a Spanish stores that features a large selection of authentic Spanish food and drink products.

We chose two Spanish sheep's milk cheeses.  The Roncal (left) was nutty and chewy and fairly similar to the Manchego, our usual sheep's milk cheese selection.

When we visit Toronto, we make sure to stop off at A Taste of Quebec.  This Quebecois cheese shop shares it space with an art gallery, making the area itself a fun and interesting destination.

Le 1608 is from Laiterie Charlevoix in Quebec, Canada.  What's interesting about this cheese is that is uses milk from Champlain cows, whose ancestors were brought over from France in 1608 (also when Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City). This was a very stinky cheese (some would call it "earthy", others would say "barnyard") with a nutty taste.

 

We loved the dramatic black rind on Le Chevre Noir.  It's another Quebecois goat's milk cheese made by Fromagerie Tournevent.  This was definitely different as this was cheddar-like in style versus the usual crumbly or creamy goat cheeses.  It was buttery, with a touch of caramel sweetness and a very long finish.  It would go well with a light, fruity or country-style wine...and we thought it would also go well with espresso.

A Taste of Quebec is located at The Distillery District, building 32 (off Distillery Lane) in Toronto, Canada.

Bedford Cheese Shop is located at 229 Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Despana is located at 408 Broome St. (btwn Lafayette and Cleveland Pl) in NYC.