Thursday, April 21, 2011

Cheese: Morbier, Goat Milk Brie and Asiago with Rosemary and Olive Oil

Morbier cheese is named after a village by that name in France. 
One of its distinguishing characteristics is a black layer of ash that goes through the middle. 
Traditionally, the makers of Gruyere cheese would have leftover curd at the end of the day, but not enough for an entire cheese. So they would put the remaining curd in a mold and spread ash over it to prevent it from forming a rind overnight. The next day the remainder of the mold would be filled with curd. Today the cheese is usually made in a single day and the "ash" is a vegetable product added purely for looks, in keeping with tradition. The ash is tasteless. Morbier has a strong, stinky, somewhat off-putting aroma and a slightly bitter aftertaste. Because of the vein of ash, which reminded me of a Gorgonzola or similar cheese, and the strong smell, I was expecting it to have a much stronger taste. 
But it is actually very mild. It is semi-soft, with a yellow rind and has a plasticy texture to it. It is made from cow's milk and is aged over 60 days. It is okay cheese, but not something I would go out of my way to buy again. 

When I saw goat milk Brie I had to try it. 
I love Brie and I love goat milk cheese and the combination seemed divinely inspired. 
Cow and sheep milk has a yellowish color to it from carotene which the animals get from the grass and hay they eat. Goats, on the other hand, convert the carotene into a colorless Vitamin A so that it does not color their milk, the reason for the whiteness of goat cheese. So this goat Brie is whiter than the traditional Brie you find. 
I was expecting it to be quite a bit stronger than traditional Brie, but again was surprised by how mild it was. It does have a slightly sweet and more full taste than regular Brie. Given the choice between this and a regular Brie, I would pick the goat Brie nine times out of ten. 

Asiago is produced in the area near Asiago, Italy. 
To have the Asiago designation, the cheese must be produced in one or more of the four provinces in northeastern Italy. The cows that produce it start in the meadows of the Po Valley and finish up in the alpine pastures between the Asiago Plateau and the Trentino highlands and it is produced at dairies more than 600 meters above sea level. I found on the internet that Sartori Asiago with rosemary and olive oil won a gold medal at the 2008 World Championship Cheese Contest. 
I also found that Sartori Reserve of Wisconsin produced the cheese for Trader Joe's (I don't know how that works with the requirement that it be made in northern Italy?). The Sartori website says that the Asiago is hand rubbed with olive oil and encrusted with rosemary. It is made in the tradition of Asiago d'Allevo with skimmed cow's milk and aged for at least 12 months and is a good grating cheese. 
My guess is that the Trader Joe's version has not been aged that long. Asiago Mezzano (middle Asiago) is aged 3 to 8 months and has a sweetish taste. Asiago Vecchio (old Asiago) is aged 9 to 18 months and has a bitter taste. Asiago Stravecchio (very old Asiago) is aged more than 18 months, is very hard and grainy and has a bitter and spicy taste. The Asiago I had was not better and so it must have been aged a lesser amount of time. It had a very pleasant nutty flavor and I would definitely buy it again.  

32 comments:

  1. this is a nutritious food and good for our health.

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  2. Goat's milk cheese! It's Great, soft at the edges, a little crumbly in the middle, a little blueish. Awesome food.

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  3. I love goat milk cheese. I love Gruyere cheese. I love cheese!!!!

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  4. I really amazed the ingredients of this food. Its good for children, youth, and the older..

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  5. I love cheese in general so this is a must-try :)

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  6. This site is very informative and it stresses out the importance of the cheese's quality - ingredients, texture, taste, and its duration. Plus, it also have mentioned where these products originate. Thus, it makes the product more appealing. I love it!

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  7. MORBIER: Haha! A layer of ash that goes in the middle. It's kind of sandy to eat [but the ash is tasteless so it's good, we're good!]
    BRIE: I drink goats milk, so I think, goat cheese, why not?!
    ASIAGO: Bitter and nutty flavor?

    The cheese are weird, but why not? I can put those in my sandwich!

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  8. Very delicious cheese. I's is nutritious and healthy food. It supplies a great deal of calcium, protein, phosphorus and fat that needed to our body, so let's try it!!!

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  9. Something peculiar yet a healthy food. They have unique tastes that makes them different from other foods.
    What's your favorite cheese?

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  10. There is a dairy firm in our area who makes good quality products. Cheese is my most favorite food. Its so healthy. I am surprised to see your post. Thank you.

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  11. If you can find Armenian String cheese ( Morbier, Goat Milk Brie and Asiago with Rosemary and Olive Oil ) it would make an interesting addition. The taste and consistency is similar to mozzarella, with seeds added for a little flavor, and it sort of looks like a piece of knotted up rope. Tastes a lot better than it sounds, I promise!

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  12. I like it. Very delicious cheese. They have unique tastes that makes them different from other foods.Thank you for this post.

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  13. I love cheese even my daughter and my husband. We must try this cheese. This is a very informative article that cheese lover should read. Cheese is very nutritious!

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  14. The quality of cheeses depend on Goat milk because It is produced by coagulation of the milk protein casein.Cheese is valued for its portability, long life, and high content of fat, protein, calcium, and phosphorus.I love it very much.This site is very helpful to notice the importance of that food.

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  15. Wayne Lowell Dumdum

    Fantastic, so great and delicious cheesy. Most of all is nutritious and healthy to our body. A natural milk from goat and cow, makes us safe to eat and booster our health.

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  16. Its is essential for most food handlers and chefs that their dishes be noticed with a distinct taste and flavor, and that is where cheese comes in to give some of the dishes this special taste that consumers will crave for. Best ingredients gives best results!

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  17. Goat milk cheese is great. It is something different with a great test. It's nutritious too. It is also needed to mention the flavor of it.

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  18. I love cheese! its better to know their characteristics and its origins. We all know that cheese are very nutritious and it has good taste that most of the people were craving for cheese for their sandwiches, burgers, salads and any other recipes that needs to be cheesy in flavor. These kind of cheese can be your choices. Either morbier,goat milk brei and asiago with rosemary and olive oil. Their characteristics will depend on your recipes. But for me, i will be craving for Asiago with rosemary and olive oil coz its the sweetish kind of cheese unlike the two their have a stronger taste and strong smell.

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  19. Cheese fanatic!everyone loves cheese and I love cheese very much especially in sandwiches and many recipes that cheese is one of the unforgettable ingredient. But this brand new goat milk cheese Brie and Asiago with Rosemary and Olive Oil is a must taste cheese. I know for sure this is a high quality, unquestionably nutritious and delicious. Moreover,goat milk cheese has its naturally white color than any other.

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  20. Many benefits of Cheese.. I eat the cheese everyday
    Nutrition
    Cavity Prevention
    Cancer Prevention
    Bone Strength... Wow its great.

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  21. Hmmmm...Its not only great but its rich in calcium, very good and nutritious. I cant get enough of cheeseeeessseezzyy. This definitely goes to the top! Guysm this is a must try!

    Christina

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  22. ive been hooked with fresh garden salad that i prepare on my own and is continuously searching for a perfect cheese as add on, and i discover this trader joe's goat milk, not salty in taste, that gives balance to the sour dressing on my salad. highly recommended!

    JD

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  23. It's never a complete meal for me without a cheese! My alternate to milk since cheese is really healthy. As I read this article, gonna opt now for goat cheese. I have already tasted Morbier cheese, not bad also.

    Joey Ann

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  24. Excellent post. Really didn't know that goat milk cheese is this much nutritious. Looking forward to your next post.Thankz :)

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  25. According to my research that cheese increased consumption resulted in a reduction of abdominal fat, blood pressure and blood sugar that is why i can say that cheese is very nutritious and healthy food to us...

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  26. I love giving cheese in my kids meal, they always like eating their sandwich with cheese, and really thankful for that, because I know that milk goat cheese is very good for their body… Every child needs calcium and protein for a better life… Mother knows best, even its hard to feed child they are choosy this product made easy for me.

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  27. I really do love cheese and I haven't tasted goat cheese before. I would love to try this one... Healthy and nutritious food.

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  28. So cheezy to look! cant stop my self thinking to eat bread, spaghetti, macaroni & etc.

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  29. For nature lovers

    What is the most beautiful talented Mixture nature's bounty of God Almighty from goat's milk, olive oil and put it between the artists of processed cheese.

    and you can Tasting Mixture goat's milk, with its mixed benefits of the finest types of olive oil significance of the body from disease and sincere, then you can Mixture of opinion and you smell it, but after the experiment.

    Be careful after tasting it for you will never forget the taste

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  30. THis must be a very delicious,it looks sooo yummy. i can't wait to eat something just like this one coz cheese is one of my favorite, i would love to try goat cheese. can't wait to have it!!

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