Pricing Sheet - Italian Cheeses

Transcription

1 Quadrello di Buffalo 1.6kg (min order half wheel) Italian - Washed Rind - Buffalo milk Quadrello di Bufala is in essence buffalo milk Taleggio and in appearance you could see why, both cheeses are in fact made using the same shape molds, they are both washed rinds and are both around the same size. Appearances aside these two cheeses are in fact quite different. Quadrello di Bufala has a pink-ivory coloured rind that is soft and pliable. The taste is creamy, rich and sweet with a slight hint of truf e and nishes with a mild sourness. With longer aged cheeses the rind takes on a rustic textured appearance and in turn the avours intensify. Becoming more pronounced; loosing some of its creaminess and increasing the sour nish on the palate. WASHED RIND Stracco di Capra 2kg (min order half wheel) Italian - Washed Rind - Goat s milk Stracco di Capra is not unlike a Taleggio in appearance. Young cheeses will have a thin delicate wrinkled pinky-orange rind with pink blooms and patches of blue-grey mould whereas matured cheeses will have a rm rustic looking rind where the pink blooms have all but disappeared, the wrinkled look becomes more pronounced and blue grey mould dominates. The pate is uniform and compact and has a lovely creamy dense texture, almost melting in the mouth when eaten. The avour is salty-sweet, earthy and goaty with a slightly sour nish, the cheese is also very aromatic smelling goaty and farmy. Brunet 250gm Italian - White Mould - Goat s milk Brunet is the name of one of the local goat breeds, the cheese is a round bloomy rind (white mould) made in the Langhe region, it is similar to a Robiola, the regions best known cheese, and is made with 100% pure goat s milk. The cheese develops a supple coating of white mould, with traces of geotrichum mould, this gives the rind a wrinkled look. The soft, thin bloomy rind fuses with it s creamy interior, the supple ivory paste smells of mushrooms and crème fraiche and feels like silk on the tongue, the avour is tangy and lactic yet not overpoweringly goaty. La Tur 220gm Italian - White Mould - Cow, goat and sheep s milk This small white mould cheese is from the Langhe region in Piemonte. Nestled in it s ruf ed paper doily, a petite round of La Tur looks like a fragile fussed-over pastry. The cheese is made from a blend of pasteurized sheep, goat and cows milk, a formula that lets no component dominate. The curds are drained in small moulds and then matured for only 10 days at the dairy. The thin edible rind barely contains a hint of tang, the pate is straw coloured with a delicate and creamy nish. Cevrin 110gm Italian - Fresh Herb Coated - Goats milk Cevrin is made entirely of whole goats milk that comes together as a result of the delicate action of milk enzymes and many hours of maturation. The cheese is very ne and soft in consistency, it has a distinct smooth texture, with a citrussy, herby mouthfeel, and a pleasant yet distinct avour of goats milk. This cheese is combined with a variety of aromatic mountain herbs and owers. WHITE MOULD

2 Morlacco Riserva Morlacco Riserva is a fresh semi hard cow s milk cheese, somewhat like a Stracchino in terms of its avour pro le and possible uses. The thin delicate edible rind is pale yellow in colour with regular mould patches. The aroma is very yeasty and lactic, indicative of freshly made cheese. The pate is dense, elastic and creamy with a few irregular holes throughout. It has a good breakdown, melting down quickly in the mouth when eaten. Its avour is mild; milky with very low salt levels and a yeasty-sour, slightly acidic nish. MORLACCO Ubriaco di Amarone Ubriaco Amarone starts out as a Monte Veronese, a rustic Italian cow s milk cheese. The cheese is selected after about 9-12 months of maturing, it s at this point the cheese is washed with Amarone and then left to soak in the wine for about 40 days. During this time the cheese transforms, taking on the heady alcoholic sweetness of the wine and releasing some of the salt out of the cheese. The end result is a cheese that has a delicate sweet avour, with a de nite sharp pleasing tang from the wine. Ubriaco di Recioto Italian - Semi Hard - Cow s Milk Ubriaco Recioto is a raw milk cheese that has been matured with the marcs of the prestigious white Recioto wine. This maturation lasts for between 12 to 15 months, the in uence of the sweet wine gives this cheese a wonderfully intense yet delicate taste with a trace of piquant acidity typical of the raw milk. Hints of apricot, hazelnut, a touch of caramel and cherries ll the palate when eating this cheese. Its dense rm pate gives off a wonderfully sweet oral aroma, also attributed to the in uence of the Recioto wine. Ubriaco di Torcolato Ubriaco Torcolato starts out as an aged Asiago, an Italian hard cow s milk cheese. The cheeses are selected after 12 months of maturing, then washed with Torcolato and left to cure soaking in the wine. During this time the cheese takes on the avour and colour of the wine, ending up with a cheese that has a sharp distinct avour with a lingering sweetness. The aroma, reminiscent of raisins and white wine, is intense and somewhat confronting. History behind technique This technique of transforming cheese with wine came about through necessity during the terrible years of World War One, when the farmers of the region had to support the Italian front on the Route of Caporetto with what little food they had. To make matters worse they also had to endure raids form gangs looking to steal food for their own needs. It was autumn the season of harvest, and one of the farmers had the idea of hiding his cheese in the vats of must from these ever increasing raids to feed his family over the coming winter months. A desperate subterfuge, then again, brilliant. It was upon recovering the cheeses that the farmer had realised that the cheese had not lost anything, in fact it had gained colour, aroma and avour from the wine. Giving birth to the somewhat re ned processes used today. Morlacco Vacco Bulina Morlacco Vacco Bulina is a semi hard cow s milk cheese with strong assertive avours. The rind is well de ned with regular thin mould patches covering most of its surface. The aroma is strong of yeasty, farmy notes dominated by and overriding lactic milkyness. The pate shows signs of breakdown closer to the rind being elastic and creamy while in the centre it has a more chunkycrumbly-dry texture. The avour is assertive; pronounced milky, lactic acid avours with a salty nish. The avour starts off strong but leaves quite quickly leaving you wanting to come back for more and more. UBRIACO CHEESES (DRUNK CHEESES)

3 Tavoliere (Asiago Pressato style cheese) 12kg (min order 1kg) Tavoliere translated means from the table which is what this cheese was originally created for, a cheese that suits all occasions breakfast, lunch or dinner, entertaining or just indulging. It is a cow milk cheese, the richness of the milk gives the cheese wonderful sweetness somewhat like a delicate cheese cake and has a very clean nish on the palate, think butter butterscotchcaramel with a slight hint of hazelnut. The pate is soft and doughy, thick and rich, has irregular holes throughout, melts well whilst still holding its body and retaining its avour. The rind is deep to bright orange, semi-soft and pliable. Mila Emmenthal (Dolomitenkonig) Mila Dolomitenkönig or King of the Dolomites is one of the most familiar and beloved specialty cheeses in South Tyrol. South Tyrol is Italy s north most province bordering with Austria to the north and Switzerland to the west. This cheese is made with only mountain-fresh farmers milk sourced from the Pusteria Valley in the Dolomite Mountains. It is similar in many ways to the Swiss cheese Emmenthal. It is a semi hard cow s milk cheese that has regular large cherry sized holes through is smooth, dense-elastic pate. The aroma is earthy and nutty with slight burnt caramel and oral notes coming through. The avour is typical of its better known Swiss cousin; nutty and sweet with slightly acidity. Latteria Vecchio Casei cio Tomasoni is based at Breda di Piave, about 15km from Treviso. The company has been around since 1955 when Tomasoni and his wife Annamaria took a disused farm to start, what is for the area, a typical local business; the production of cheese. Latteria Vecchio is the aged version of another cheese known simply as Latteria. With the extra aging this cheese takes on a more pronounced avour; lactic sweetness with an intense fruity aftertaste. It is a hard cheese but not too crumbly, lending itself to grating and shaving while still being able to use on a cheese board. SEMI HARD Fontina Alpeggio D.O.P Italian - Semi Hard - Cow s Milk In the heart of the alpine chain, the Aosta Valley represents an enclave protected from the harsh weather and winds which affect the outer Alps. About 1/3 of the total surface area is covered in permanent meadow and pasture, these mountain grasses and owers must be used to feed the live stock to comply with DOP regulations. DOP Fontina is made from whole cow s milk drawn from the rst milking. The rind is rm and close-textured, the pate is soft-elastic with very few eyes and varies in colour from whitish-yellow to yellow. The avour is distinctive and pronounced with an overriding sweetness. It is commonly used as a cooking ingredient due to its low melting point but it is not unheard of to also use as a table cheese.

4 Sovrano 35kg (min order 1kg) Italian - Hard Cooked - Buffalo & Cow s milk For centuries buffalo milk has traditionally been used in the Campania region around Naples producing fresh stretched curd cheeses such as mozzarella. Modern farming methods has led to a signi cant expansion over the past 20 years and increased milk production has resulted in a range of new innovative cheeses. This hard cooked cheese is made using similar techniques to Grana Padano from a combination of buffalo and cows milk. Each 35kg wheel is matured for at least 14 months at 14C then graded. Distinguished by an ivory coloured rind, the white crumbly texture inside has a slightly sweet avour with the unmistakable mossy sour nish of buffalo milk. HARD CHEESES Formai de Mut 12mth Italian - Semi Cooked - Cow s milk Formai de Mut is produced and ripened in an Alpine area of particular environmental importance, entirely comprised within the bounds of the Parco delle Orobie Occidentali Bergamasche. It is a semi cooked cheese produced exclusively with whole cow s milk from one or two milkings. The interior of the cheese is straw-tinged ivory in colour, with a compact and springy texture and widely scattered tiny holes. The avour is delicate with a naturally low acidity and minimal salt, the aroma is redolent of the fragrances and smells of the forage of the Upper Valley. Pecorino Toscana Stagionata 2kg Italian - Semi Hard - Sheep s milk This popular sheep s milk cheese from Tuscany is aged for three months, the pate is a yellowish white colour and has a rm dense texture. Its avour is herbaceous, and slightly salty, with warming notes of toasted nuts and alliums. It s a great example of how delicious a sheep s milk cheese can be, and should be given the spotlight on any cheese plate. Also works well as a garnishing cheese, shave it over salads, risotto and pasta, to add a new depth to your dishes. Bigio Pecorino Sottocenere 2kg Italian - Semi Hard - Sheep s milk Five month old pecorino gets selected to be matured under ashes according to an old farmer s custom. The cheese is selected and covered with burnt oak wood ashes to age for a further 3 months. This is a delicate process that requires a lot of attention and daily turning of the cheese. This method of maturing is used so as to speed up the aging of the cheese. While the cheese matures under the thick covering of ashes, moisture and acidity are absorbed whilst also preventing the growth of mould on the rind. The end result is cheese that can be somewhat dry in texture but overall a very sweet and tasty pecorino. Bianco Sotto Bosco (Truf e Pecorino) 500gm Italian - Semi Hard - Cow & Goat s milk Created for the softer more re ned palette, Bianco Sotto Bosco is truly a special cheese that, in one bright and crumbly mixture contains delicate and harmonious notes, and jealously guards pieces of black truf e. Maturation takes place naturally in cellars where the temperature and humidity is controlled by the thick stone walls and not by the use of modern machinery. During the aging process the distinct aroma of truf es emerges and it is only when the cheese is fully impregnated with this scent and avour that it is ready. Beyond being delicious, Bianco Sottobosco also has important nutritional characteristics: it is easy to digest, rich in protein with high levels of calcium, phosphates and vitamins A and E. PECORINO

5 Blu di Moncenisio 2kg (min order 1kg) Italian - Blue Mould - Cow s milk Blu di Moncenisio hails from a charming village in the Province of Turin in the area of the Moncenisio Pass in Val di Susa near the French border. This Piedmontese cheese is an Italian classic and the milk used is from the famous white Piemontese cows. The cheese is aged for approximately four months, it is dense and moist with a spicy nish. This is a great dessert cheese, it is served best with Muscat or Sauternes, the cheese is also very good when complemented with a spicy chutney. Blu Monviso 1.6kg Italian - Blue Mould - Cow s milk Monviso is a cylinder shaped white mould blue produced in Piemonte. The cheese is based on an old recipe from a cheese made in the Po Valley, this cheese takes its name from the Monviso Mountain where it originates. The strong avour of this cow s milk cheese is balanced well by the delicate creamy texture and edible rind. It is aged for a period of 60 days. Extra aging of this cheese gives it a stronger more robust earthy avour, as the white mould on the rind breaks down the structure of the pate also begins breaking down, giving the cheese a moreish crumbly creamy texture. Buffalo Cremosa 12kg (min order 1.3kg) Italian - Blue Mould - Buffalo & Cow s milk Cremosa is made in the style of Gorgonzola Dolce, though the cheese does not have DOP certi cation. Buffalo milk Cremosa comes from Lombardy in Italy. A mould is introduced into the cheese and its growth is enhanced through a method of piercing the cheese with copper or stainless steel needles to produce ssures or air passages. This enables oxygen to enter and nourish the mould. Buffalo milk Cremosa is a vivid, glistening ivory-tostraw colour, set against liberal striations of greenish-blue mould. The avor is mildly sweet with soft and delicate tones of blue. BLUE MOULD Basajo 1.4kg Italian - Blue Mould - Sheep s Milk Originating from the Trentino Alto Ridge, this cheese is washed in Zibbibo dessert wine then covered in Chilean raisins and left to mature soaking in barrels. Over this time the cheese absorbs a lot of the sugar from the wine and displaces a lot of the salt. The avour of the cheese at this point is intensely fruity-sweet and robustly blue. The pate has a soft, melt in the mouth texture that really is something to savour. It is a very aromatic cheese and visually quite pleasing with the whole raisins on the rind and intense blue veining throughout the ivory coloured pate. A truly unique taste sensation that needs to be enjoyed at least once.