A Special Delivery from Switzerland

As a cheese lover, I am deeply grateful to have friends in foreign places – especially when that place is the cheese capital of the world, and especially when these friends happen to pass through the United States with cheesy care packages.

On New Year’s Eve, I jumped at the chance to meet my friend Stéphane from Switzerland, who was on his way to Mexico for a holiday. Of course I was excited to see a friend that I hadn’t caught up with in years, but I must admit that I was almost equally thrilled for an entire kilo of my most beloved Swiss Gruyere that he agreed to bring along.

This Gruyere, the original and the best, is produced by the Swiss company “Le Gruyere.” They only export cheese up to 12 months in age to the USA. Cheesemongers have told me this is because there isn’t a market for the deeply aged Gruyere here in the states, but that’s hard for me to believe! The 12 month can be quite delicious, especially when aged by great cheesemongers like Murray’s Cheese, but to me it doesn’t represent the true Swiss taste. When I lived in Geneva, my favorite Gruyere was the 24 month, which is TWICE as old as the Gruyere in the USA and arguably twice as delicious. 

http://www.switzerland-cheese.com

Stéphane is quite an authority on cheese himself (not only is he Swiss, but he has worked in the food business his entire life), and he was smart enough to taste the cheeses before purchasing this monster kilo for me. He informed me before his arrival that he had decided to bring the 18 month instead of the 24, because, “Le 18 mois était bien meilleure (petite touche de noisette au goût).” Or in English, the 18 month was much better (small touch of nuttiness in the taste). His experience is a perfect example of why you must always taste before you buy. Each wheel of cheese comes with a unique flavor, and the best 
tasting Gruyere may vary from week to week.

http://www.fribourgregion.ch

I am now savoring every bite of this incredible Gruyere. It’ll take quite a while to get through, but it couldn’t last long enough. Out of all the cheeses I adore, I can confidently tell you that the true “Le Gruyere” is my absolute favorite. It’s salty and sweet with hints of nut and caramel, and a few delightful amino acid flakes in every bite. To me, this cheese is perfect.

Merci Stéphane, Merci La Suisse… Vive Le Gruyere! 


Donc allez-y et mangez du fromage.

Our Favorite Pungent Imposters on 62nd

When my coworker asked if I had visited Cheese on 62nd, I couldn’t believe I had never even heard of the place. Where were the tweets? Where was the website? That’s how I get my cheesy info, and this little shop hadn’t shown much of a voice in the online cheese community.

But what this store is lacking in internet presence, it makes up for in cheese: they have a HUGE selection of fromages from all over the world (including fresh burrata imported straight from Puglia each week) crammed into a tiny space that is cozy, overwhelming, and incredibly exciting.

Based on a few complaints I read on Yelp, I feared that I might be met with grouchy ladies reluctant to give out samples and chat about cheese. The moment I entered the shop, however, my fears were lifted as I was greeted by the warm smile of the owner. When I asked him to tell me about his cheeses, he immediatly began feeding me tastes of exquisite samplings and providing colorful background for each one. 

The only downside of my visit was that I forgot to pick up the fresh Italian burrata I intended to blog about. The plethora of other cheeses distracted me, and I left with a wide variety of other discoveries in my bag instead.

My favorite cheese discovery was an oozy beauty called “Préferé de Nos Montagnes”, hailing from the Jura region of France. Sadly, the cheese is most often celebrated as a stand-in for another: the famed raw-milk Reblochon from France that’s banned from American markets.

nellsdish.com

It’s been a few years since I had Reblochon, but I can’t imagine that it’s much better than this gem. The consistency is ridiculously gooey, the flavor is pungent yet smooth, and the overall experience is as near to perfection as a pasteurized, legal cheese could be. It’s no wonder the name translates to “Favorite from our Mountains”.

Oh Préferé de Nos Montagnes, I hereby crown ye Cheese of the Week.

*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*Clap*

Here’s to a week filled with stories and cheeses that are 

pungent, barely legal, and imposters in their own right.

Pungent: 

The beauty of this cheese lies in the balance between pungency and smoothness. Unfortunately, I don’t think this Jesus-faced sock will maintain such a balance while it hangs in this lady’s apartment for years. You can’t wash a holy sock.

No jokes about holy socks, please! Image of Jesus Christ miraculously appears amid laundry (dailymail.co.uk)

Barely legal: 

If this cheese were any more alike its Reblochon sister, it would be illegal in the United States. If these underwear-clad shoppers were wearing any less clothing, they too would be breaking the law. Then again, I’m not sure if nudity is illegal in Spain.

Barely-clothed coeds queue for clothes in Spain(msnbc.com)

Imposter: 

Among a group of Americans, this cheese could probably pass as a true Reblochon without anyone identifying the imposter. This man didn’t pass as well among the crowds of North Korean’s gathered for Kim Jung Il’s funeral. His height raised questions among the international community of whom this gigantic North Korean could be.

‘Giant North Korean soldier’ pays respects to Kim Jong-il (telegraph.co.uk)

Now go out and eat some cheese.