bibliothec to visit KA and participate in a writing workshop, I was charged with bringing the cheese. I embarked on this task with my usual enthusiasm, shopping at New Seasons as is often my wont.Cheese
Schwarz und Weiss
My favorite blue, a craft cheese from Iowa. See my comments on this cheese from last summer. Additional info here. $11.99/lb at New Seasons.
Bleu de Boucage
My second favorite blue, a goat's milk cheese from France. See my recent comments on this cheese. A big favorite of the crowd at KA's. $24.99/lb at New Seasons.
Monte Enebro
Spanish goat's milk cheese. A firm, slightly peppery (from the rind) creamy texture with the typical chevre tang. It also carries an ammoniac undertone which was a bit offputting when I first sampled this cheese, but the taste grew on me. Not a favorite with the crowd at KA's, however. More info here. $20.99/lb at New Seasons.
Incidentally, this cheese was very difficult to photograph. It has a flat white color and visual texture, almost pale blue or gray, and it just looks like heck on camera.
Red Dragon
This is a Welsh cow's milk cheese, based on cheddar with infusions of mustard seed and ale. It has an aggressive, complex flavor. Definitely affected by the infusions. Very cheese-ey. Would make excellent toast or topping for something. We were eating it with pastrami at KA's, in which combination it kicked some serious butt. Also, uses vegeterian rennet. More here. $16.99/lb at New Seasons.
Mahon
Spanish cow cheese from the island of Minorca. Almost a stereotypical cheese, it will remind the casual eater of gouda, perhaps. This has a rich, firm flavor somewhat reminiscent of olives. Would go well with Mediterranean cuisine. See addition description here. $10.99/lb at New Seasons.
Fromager d'Affinois
This is a French double cream, made with vegeterian rennet. A very buttery double cream, softer than Brie, which is the double cream most people are familiar with. It gave off a slightly skanky smell in the bag, but on opening that vanished and was not present in the flavor. In fact, this cheese was almost too bland for my taste, with less tang than Brie. Would be very good for casual cheese eaters, or presented with bread and crackers on a buffet. More here. $11.49/lb at New Seasons.
Bread
In order to eat all this, we shopped at Granville Island Market, sourcing our bread from Terra Breads.
Potato chive bread
French sourdough epi
Traditional demi baguette
Butter
Being as we were at the market, I was sucked into the cooler case at The Stock Pot within the market. There were well over a dozen kinds of premium blended butter there. I bought two, "Furious garlic" and "Prosciutto & Thyme".
Sadly, I left both butters in KA's fridge when we departed.
