Camembert Le Chatelain
Unlike our other French Camembert, this one comes from Normandy, where Camembert was first created in 1791 by Marie Harel. During the French Revolution, a recalcitrant priest from Brie arrived at the Manor of Beaumoncel, in the village of Camembert, and was hidden there by Marie Harel, a farmer. Following the direction of this priest, she created Camembert cheese. The recipe was a success and her children and grandchildren continued the family tradition. Over time, word spread and Marie's cheese became famous all over the world. Camembert Le Châtelain is an excellent example of this cheese, with a recipe that is true to the original. It is succulent, ripe, rich, and creamy. Only gently pasteurized at moderate temperatures, Camembert Le Châtelain retains most of the authentic flavors and qualities of the raw-milk cheese you can buy only in France. Excellent served with light reds from the Loire Valley or champagne, in Normandy this cheese is paired with an apple liqueur called
Calvados. Apples, Camembert and Normandy are inextricably linked. Norman dairy farms are peppered with apple trees that protect the rich soil. In fact, some people claim to be able to taste a hint of apple beneath the creamy suppleness of fresh Camembert.
Aged Mimolette 12 Month by Isigny
Mimolette, also called "Boule de Lille", dates back to the reign of Louis XIV, who prohibited the import of Dutch cheeses into France. The residents of Flanders (now part of Belgium), the northernmost region of France, had strong cultural ties to Holland (many still speak Dutch as their first language today) and dearly loved the banished Dutch specialties. Their alternatives were to either smuggle in the contraband cheeses or make a go at producing their own - with a French twist, of course! And so, Mimolette was born. Aged Mimolette is a semi-hard cheese that has the same texture and spherical shape as Dutch Edam, but with a natural rind. It is produced in bowling-ball shaped 6-pound spheres with a bright orange-colored interior. Because of its hue, it is sometimes called the "Halloween Cheese." Its taste is gloriously sweet, yet uncommonly tame for such a cheese. Aged Mimolette is very popular throughout France and is enjoyed by both the most timid cheese novice and the serious connoisseur. This variety is aged for twelve months and is quite flavorful. Slice it thin!
Paski Sir (Pag Island Cheese)
Produced exclusively from the milk of the autochthonous sheep on the Island of Pag,
Paški Sir is the most famous ewes' milk cheese in all of Croatia. This is a
one-year-aged pasteurized cheese made from the sheep raised on the island of Pag, Croatia. There are a total of 40,000 sheep and 8,000 humans on the island of Pag. The sheep are a special breed, smaller than average with limited milk production. The island is windy with little vegetation, what little grass it has is in the hills, and due to the crosswinds much of the salt water blows over it. The sheep produce very little milk, maximum just a liter per day. On top of that their diet is influenced by the salty grass they eat. In total it takes 6 sheep or more to produce one wheel of cheese. Our producer is
Paška Sirana. They have 200 members who together have 300 sheep. The cheesemaker, Nenad, has been making cheese for 15 years. The cheese is rich and flavorful – it is not overly dry and there is a beautiful crystallinity in the texture with a gentle sweetness. Traditionally this aged cheese is served chunked and crumbled with olive oil.