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Give me Riopelle or Laliberté or give me death!

CheeseLover.ca — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:33:48 +0000

Riopelle de l’Isle: A world-class triple-cream—made in Canada.

I enjoy eating cheese from around the world but my passion is for fromages fins, artisan cheese made in Canada. When I hear someone praising an imported cheese to high heaven, my immediate reaction is: What do Canadian cheesemakers produce that is just as tasty, if not superior?

Chateau de Bourgogne, a classic triple-crème made in France, was recently selected by Kelsie Parsons, a guest blogger at Cheese & Toast, as the one cheese he wanted to savour if the world were to end.

Call me chauvinistic, but I’d rather go with Riopelle de l’Isle, the first triple-cream artisanal cheese produced in Canada. It was launched in 2001 by Société Coopérative Agricole de l’Île-aux-Grues, located on an island in the St. Lawrence River northeast of Québec City, and quickly became a huge success.

A wedge of Riopelle reveals a creamy and incredibly smooth centre beneath a thin, bloomy rind. Leaving an exquisite hint of butter, it is absolutely enchanting.

Named for Jean-Paul Riopelle, a world-renowned Canadian artist.

Jean-Paul Riopelle, the world-renowned painter who spent the last years of his life on l’Île-aux-Grues, gave his name and the image of one of his best-known paintings to the cheese. In return, part of the profits financially help students of the island who wish to attend high school or university.

Laliberté: a triple-cream created by award-winning chessemaker Jean Morin.

If there were no Riopelle to be had, I’d select a another Québec beauty, this one created by Jean Morin at Fromagerie du Presbytère in Sainte-Élizabeth de Warwick, Québec:

Laliberté, a triple-cream cheese made with whole organic cow’s milk from the family dairy farm across the road from the creamery. It’s such a rich dairy delight!

Given the critical and commercial success of Riopelle over the last decade, Canadian producers of cheese on an industrial scale now also offer triple-creams:

Rondoux Triple Cream is made by Agropur, the giant dairy co-operative.
Triple Crème DuVillage is made by Saputo, the Montréal-based dairy multinational.

The factory cheeses are OK, if you can get past the modified milk ingredients used in their manufacture, but the artisanal producers who use pure milk are the ones who deserve and need the support of Canadian cheese lovers.

Especially with recent rumblings from Ottawa that Canada’s producers of artisan cheeses may face greater challenges in the future. A report in the Ottawa Citizen indicates the Canadian government and European Union are close to a deal that would see a substantial increase in exports of European dairy products—mainly cheese—to Canada in exchange for greater access to European customers for Canadian beef, pork and canola.

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs is Cheese-Head-in-Chief at CheeseLover.ca and founder of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival.

CFIA Recalls Agropur Cooperative Milks

HACCPCanada — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 22:25:05 +0000

Reference Number: 7329 Recalling Firm: AGROPUR COOPERATIVE Date of Recall: 8/8/2012 Recall Cl

The Emperor's New Clothes

John Richardson — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 04:18:14 +0000

For a decade or more the normal Saturday morning here, except on those rare occasions when eggs are not needed, begins with the first stop of a round of errands (including a visit to a truly local and very honest butcher): the local Farmers’ Market. For years I’ve been a vocal Farmer’s Market booster. This morning, for the first time in my memory, despite needing eggs, I consciously decided against going to that icon of locavorism, the weekend temple of foodieness. I intentionally said “I’ll get ‘em at the supermarket, and here are some of the reasons why:

I’m very partial to Quebec’s marvelous Oka cheese, which I personally feel ranks as one of the finest cheeses of the world. I regularly buy a wedge of it at whatever supermarket I happen to be passing. At the “local” producer from Somewhereville Alberta at the Market I can buy a wedge of “Gouda” for two to three times the price of one of the finest cheeses in the world.

Oka. Shipped from Quebec. The money I pay goes to pay the expenses of the supermarket, including wages for Local workers, to pay the expenses and wages of the trucker or rail workers, to pay for the employees of the cheese maker, the expenses of the cheesemaker, the feed for the cattle . . . and so on.

Alberta Gouda. Hauled in the back of the cheesemaker’s truck. The money I pay goes to the low rent of the stall in the Market, to put gas in the cheesemaker’s truck, to put feed in the cheesemaker’s cattle, etc. The rest is the cheesemaker’s profit, pure and simple. I’m sorry, but “Local” isn’t worth spending three times as much as the price of the finest cheese in the world when I know full well that “Local” does not actually cost even a third as much to produce and ship as the far superior Quebecois product.

Over the years, the products I actually purchased at the Market have grown fewer and fewer. I don’t want to pay five dollars for a head of lettuce. It’s not that much (any?) better quality than I can get at the local grocery store. Local greenhouse produce? Have you ever thought about the carbon footprint of a greenhouse in our neck of the woods? When eggs came within two bits of six dollars a dozen at the Market I realized that my days at the Market were numbered.

I couldn’t help but feel a little concern when I saw that rubber stamped “not inspected” on each carton, but I got over it. I’ve also gotten over the blood-spot in every second egg. But it didn’t help when I heard one of the behind the counter guys at the egg place say that each customer was limited to three dozen because “The Federal Government was limiting the number of hens we can keep in our barns”. Yes, the “Organic” (what does that mean, anyway?) “Free-Range” (I’ve long known that that means nothing more than that the hens are not kept in individual cages — they’re all kept in one big cage) place had been told by the Feds to stop overcrowding their indoor, never-seen-sunlight chickens.

Nice.

No. Until the premium being demanded at the Farmers’ Market for “local” is eliminated, I’ll shop at my local supermarket, where the eggs, pork, beef, chicken and most of the fruits and vegetables in season are produced by local Alberta farms, and where every single person on the payroll lives in my local city.

I’ll also keep going to my local honest butcher. He gets everything he can from local producers because it reduces his costs and he lives in Edmonton, pays taxes in Edmonton, sends his kid to the neighbourhood Edmonton Public school. And when people ask if he has gluten free products, he tells them the truth: he doesn’t add wheat products to most of what he makes, but he uses flour for some things so everything is likely cross contaminated with enough gluten to cause Celiac problems.

He’s local and he’s honest. I like that.

I like its lot better than calling hens in a big cage “free range”.

And a final bit of food for thought:

If a regular producer has a sucks animal,

“she can call the vet, medicate it, make it healthy, have it grow to market weight and send it off to your table.

On the other hand, the “organic”farmer faced with a sick animal has a choice between slaughter-for-rendering at a financial loss or slaughter-for-your-table at a substantial profit even if the animal is below market age and weight. Which do you expect he’ll choose?

I will no longer pay two or three times as much for what is, in fact, nothing other than fashion and fad.

[Update, July 2, 2012: Now it seems that there's a bit of a kerfuffle over at one Farmer's Market in town where vendors are bringing produce in from the United States and they're not even sneaking it in. It seems the the rules governing these "local" producers allow them to import produce from wherever.

"While many of the stalls stick to local produce, some include wholesale fruit or products from the United States, no different than what could be found in a grocery store," reads a part of this CBC news story, "Farmers' market feud over foreign fruit"

With each passing day I'm more convinced that Farmers' Markets are becoming nothing other than a marketing fad. "Local" and "Organic" and "Sustainable" are labels being flung about by the big chains and the little guys with equal precision of definition -- none at all. Indeed, the green, sustainable, local, organic Emperor is standing before us absolutely starkers. "Better Living Through Chemistry" had more meaning (and probably trustworthiness and safety, I suspect) for goodness sake.

When will someone notice?]

June 1st - HR, Marketing and Admin Job Postings - Greater Vancouver and Victoria

missgia — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 07:28:28 +0000

GREATER VANCOUVER…

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER – PAPER EXCELLENCE

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HRIS ANALYST – EXPRESS RECRUITERS

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STAFFING MANAGER – PINNACLE SEARCH GROUP

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ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYST – WHITE HOUSE DESIGN COMPANY

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TALENT MANAGER, EXPERIENCED RECRUITER – TEEMA

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PEOPLE COORDINATOR – PRICESMART FOODS

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HR BUSINESS PARTNER – RITCHIE BROS AUCTIONEERS

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COMPENSATION CONSULTANT – MARSH & MCLENNAN

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HUMAN RESOURCES ASSISTANT, MANDARIN – PAPER EXCELLENCE

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VP, HUMAN RESOURCES – LEAGUE ASSETS

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HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER, PACIFIC REGION – TD FINANCIAL

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IMMIGRATION CONSULTANT – LEDCOR

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RECRUITMENT SPECIALIST – GROUPHEALTH GLOBAL

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DIRECTOR OF SALES STAFFING – PINNACLE SEARCH GROUP

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OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY MANAGER – THE PLACEMENT GROUP

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DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS –RICK HANSEN FOUNDATION

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CATEGORY MARKETING SPECIALIST – BEST BUY

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SALES AND MARKETING LEADER – HMW RECRUITERS

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COMMITTEE CLERK – CORPORATION OF DELTA

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CLK R9 HEALTH SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE – MINISTRY OF HEALTH

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REPORTING ADMIN ASSISTANT – HUNT PERSONNEL

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EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT – RETIREMENT CONCEPTS

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CLAIMS ASSISTANT – OFFICE TEAM

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DISPATCHER/DATA ENTRY CLERK – OFFICE TEAM

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OFFICE CLERK – WHISKEY RIVER WAREHOUSING

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ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – MILES

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ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – AGROPUR

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EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT – EXPERT RECRUITERS

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EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, TEMPORARY PART-TIME – PROVINCIAL HEALTH SERVICES AUTHORITY

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GENERAL OFFICE CLERK – PACIFIC RISK MANAGEMENT CORP

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PART TIME ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – ALTUS GROUP

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TEMPORARY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – EXPERT RECRUITERS

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OFFICE MANAGER/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – KELLY SERVICES

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EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND THE VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC PLANNING & LEGAL SERVICES AND CORPORATE SECRETARY – VANCOUVER AIRPORT AUTHORITY

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PART TIME ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – WEST COAST PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

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ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – KPMG

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OFFICE ADMINISTRATION CLERK – DONALDS FINE FOODS

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VICTORIA…

VP, HUMAN RESOURCES – PEOPLE FIRST SOLUTIONS

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MARKETING MANAGER – MEDIACORE

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ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE – SCOTIABANK

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Good luck everybody.

-G

Agropur aims to raise brand awareness

Hollie Shaw — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:58:28 +0000

Agropur has launched a campaign to raise brand awareness in Toronto and Vancouver.

Canada’s largest dairy co-operative and producer of the Natrel, OKA cheese and Sealtest brands, has erected billboards and elevator ads and will be offering samples of popular products to consumers this month.

“Agropur has been providing a wide range of healthy and innovative products to consumers across the country for almost 75 years,” said spokeswoman Natacha Gouveia. “Our goal with this campaign is to let consumers know that behind their favourite milk, yogurt and cheese brand is a group of proud dairy producers who are passionate about what they have to offer.”

With sales of $3.6-billion, Agropur has 3,349 dairy producer members and 5,700 employees. The co-op processes more than three-billion litres of milk a year in 27 plants across Canada, the U.S. and Argentina.

Okay for Oka!

lmaybaum — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:57:19 +0000

If you have ever tasted the cheese Port Salut, created by French Trappist Monks, an interesting alternative to it is Oka. In the late 1800’s monks from the same order established a new monastery at La Trappe, Quebec, near the village of Oka. They brought the Port Salut recipe with them, creating their own version–Oka Trappist Classic–and never looked back! In 1996 the Les Peres Trappists sold the rights to the cheese to a company named Agropur, and now the cheese is commercially manufactured, though keeping with tradition, it is still also manufactured in the town of Holland in Manitoba, Canada by the monks at their monastery.

Oka Classic is a Cow’s milk washed rind cheese, semi-soft in texture with eyes scattered sporadically on the interior surface. The cheese is hugged by a copper-orange, rind. Aged for two months in refrigerated aging cellars, the cheese rounds are placed on cypress planks and periodically turned and washed in a salt brine solution. The aroma is pungent and the flavor is soft, buttery, and creamy with notes of walnut and fruit.

There is an artisan version of Oka as well, called Oka L’Artisan. Aged for about five months, this version is much creamier and more refined in its flavor, though still similar to the classic version. While Oka L’Artisan is not currently carried by our Vineyard Markets, it can be special ordered by speaking to your local Cheese Lead!

Oka is a great melting cheese for fondue, pizza, pasta dishes or over your favorite steamed veggies. Pali Russian River Pinot Noir 2009 would be a delightful pairing to sip while enjoying Oka. This is a versatile and easy cheese and definitely more than okay by me!

Gettin' Juiced on Mateus

John Richardson — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:37:54 +0000

Seriously. I’m writing this long-hand. With purple ink.

I was in the SuperStore booze store hoping to buy some low-priced expensive Cognac (mission accomplished, BTW) when my eye (I’ve only got one eye that really works) was strangely drawn to that classic tacky shape, the Mateus Rosé bottle. Nine bucks or so.

“I can use a retro nine buck candle holder to put beside that one in the basket,” I think, and I pick up a flagon, feeling a bit of sadness that it is sealed with a screw cap rather than a dried out, mouldy technical cork like in the old days. Oh, well.

Maybe the stuff will actually taste decent.

Taste!

I suddenly realize: I’ve been making a lot of tasting notes of local micro-brewed beers lately; why don’t I make tasting notes on the bottle of Mateus?

Later, in the evening, thinking to get some suggestions for food pairings, I go to the Mateuse web page . . .

I enter into the age verifier

06
12
1915
Canada

and I’m in.

Oh.

“Serve chilled,” the splash screen tells me.

I shove the apple juice, pudding cups, day old tortellini and bottles of Maudite out of the way and squeeze/jam the Mateus under the top shelf.

Hmm.

I seem to need a swimming pool (nope), a candle in a lantern (I could put a candle in the Mateus bottle — if it were empty) and a woman in a bikini (as if) before I can proceed to the next step.

Oh.

“Taste it.” the page tells me.

I click and a drop-up menu arrives. Let’s not pull punches: I click “Gourmet” and then it asks

“By wine”

I’m doin’ Mateus, not Aglianico del Vulture for goodness sake.

“Mateus Rosé Original” Click.

Oh.

“Shrimp, Mango and Spinach Salad”

I hate shrimp.

I look at the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 large mango, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
200 g of baby spinach
200 g of cooked shrimp

Method:
In a small bowl mix all the sauce ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.
When you are ready to serve place the spinach in a bowl, followed by the mango then the shrimp.
Pour the sauce over them carefully and sprinkle with shallots. Serve immediately.

Wait! What sauce ingredients? There are no sauce ingredients listed?

I don’t like shrimp and I don’t know what sauce to use and I don’t have a mango, shallots or baby spinach.

I opened the bottle a while ago.

I’ve had a few glasses, just to prepare for the tasting, now apparently without culinary accompaniment. I’ve got lots of fine Quebec cheeses downstairs, but I’m saving them for the good stuff — my home made wine.

Enough.

Tasting notes:

Mateus Rosé

Good gracious! The bottle’s almost half gone already! I hope this screw top holds the little bubbles in a bit longer. I pour it into my glass and it looks like a cranberry cooler. Tiny bubbles (thank you screwtop!) The colour isn’t really pink. There’s a coppery touch to it. And the red, while light, is quite deep. Very attractive. The colour fades to transparent at the edge.

The bouquet:

I have a bit of a cold, so bear with me.

Pleasantly fruity. None of the chemical stink so abhorrent in that other “young” wine, Beaujolais Nouveau. Mateus has the aroma of a satisfying, if plain, table wine, summery and fresh.

The taste:

Quite dry, really. Again the fruitiness. And the refreshing bite of the effervescence. Good gracious! There’s nothing wrong with this! It’s a perfectly drinkable rosé table wine for under ten dollars (in Alberta that is a fairly good price)!

Newsflash!

This isn’t your teenage self’s Mateus!

On a hot summer afternoon with a nice selection of fruit, a wheel of washed rind soft ripened cheese (I recommend Quebec’s Champfleury ), various bits of bread and crakers, maybe a wee bowl of capers, and some friends if necessary, Mateus would be more than satisfactory for all but the most hoity toity of the hoi poloi .

Give your wallet a break this summer. One hot afternoon try gettin’ juiced on Mateus!

Even if you have to hide the bottle.
Oh. Look. The fine print on the back label:

“Aperitif, Oriental and Italian food, Barbecues, Salads, Shellfish.”

With the addition of “Gettin’ Juiced” I’d say they’re dead on!

Agropur cheddars win Grand Champion and Reserve at Royal

CheeseLover — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:58:00 +0000

Agropur's two-year Grand Cheddar was crowned Grand Champion.

Agropur, the giant co-operative owned by 3,459 dairy farmers in Canada, United States and Argentina, dominated the cheddar competition at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair this week. Agropur cheddars won or placed in six of seven categories with its two-year Grand Cheddar being crowned Grand Champion while the Reserve title went to its one-year Grand Cheddar.

Both cheddars are made at the Longueuil plant in the village of Bon Conseil near Drummondville, Quebec.

Aged cheddar is made with unpasteurized milk. The milk is lightly heated in a process called thermization, which preserves the microorganisms and enzymes in raw milk that give cheddar its characteristic flavor. To prevent pathogenic organisms from proliferating, this type of cheddar undergoes a minimum 60-day aging period from the start of production. The resulting cheese retains all its flavour characteristics and gives the cheddar its distinct flavour.

Here are the top three cheeses in each category of the cheddar competition. Unfortunately, the results provided by the Royal do not name the actual cheddar, only the location of the plant, which is not particularly useful for consumers.

Extra Mature Cheddar 24 Months or Longer

Saint-Prime, Fromagerie Perron
Winchester, Balderson
Longueuil, Agropur

Mature Cheddar 12-24 Months

Grand Cheddar aged for 2 years, Agropur
Winchester, Balderson
Saint-Prime, Fromagerie Perron

Medium Cheddar 6-8 Months

Longueuil, Agropur
Saint-Prime, Fromagerie Perron
Madoc, Ivanhoe

Mild Cheddar 2-4 Months

Longueuil, Agropur
Winchester, Black Diamond
Campbellford, Empire Cheese & Butter

Extra Mild Cheddar 1-2 Months

Winchester, Black Diamond
Longueuil, Agropur
Madoc, Ivanhoe

Marble Cheddar Any Age

Campbellford, Empire Cheese & Butter
Winchester, Balderson
Thornloe, Thornloe Cheese

Stilton-Shape Cheddar, coloured or white, made from ordinary Cheddar curd

Longueuil, Agropur
Plainield, Maple Dale Cheese
Campbellford, Empire Cheese & Butter

Blocks of cheddar await scrutiny by judges at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.

Judges in the variety class: Norm Matte and Gilles Sabourin.

Sponsors: Gay Lea Foods Co-operative, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Canadian Cheese Society, Cargill, Central Ontario Cheese Makers, Parmalat, Jersey Canada, Continental Ingredients Canada, Ecolab, Empire Cheese.

Toast Post: Let's call it "camping Brie"

Sue Riedl — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:41:05 +0000

Have jug o’ wine, need cheese pairing? This was my first thought when I received a little package of new products from Agropur the other day. Three of their fine cheeses have been packed into spreadable format.

OKA, Brie L’Extra and Champfleury can now be scooped out of little 100g, recyclable plastic containers and straight onto you baguette. It is suggested they can also be used as dips or easily melted into sauces. To be perfectly honest it was hard to get beyond “spreadable” without jumping to Cheez Whiz conclusions.

You may be licking your lips if you’re one of “those” that doesn’t eat the rind of a Brie. Yet, even as I disapprove of such antics, I must assume that you actually like the taste of a “Brie” that is not also referred to as a “processed fine cheese spread” and does not list “cheddar” as an ingredient. Which is what you’re getting here. It tastes kind of fake. Not horribly bad–I enjoy a Kraft singles in a grilled cheese afterall-but, it’s not fine cheese.

I spread “the spread” on my toast, topped it with pear and have an surprisingly enjoyable lunch. Fast and tidy it was. If someone melted this into a silken sauce over my broccoli I’d probably think it was awesome. It would also fair brilliantly packed in a camping cooler.

But while it might be OK to call Katy Perry “fine cheese”, it just ain’t gonna fly with these guys. But if you’re looking for an upscale take on Laughing Cow, dig in and see what you think.

Looking forward to Bra, and a long ways back to Oka

CheeseLover.ca — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 03:20:32 +0000

On the eve of departure for Italy and Cheese 2011 at Bra—the most important cheese festival in Europe—I’m meditating on an extraordinary washed-rind cheese made by Trappist monks in Manitoba. As you can see, there’s only a small wedge left of the cheese made according to the recipe once used by Trappist at Oka Abbey to make Oka—quite possibly the most famous Canadian cheese of all.

Trappist cheese from Manitoba.

The cheese from Our Lady of the Prairies Abbey is saltier, earthier, with a depth of flavours not found in the Oka manufactured today by Agropur, the largest dairy co-operative in Canada, which acquired the name from the Trappist monks in 1996, 10 years before they sold the monastery.

But the Trappists never sold the actual recipe—or a notebook full of notes, observations and how-to instructions dating back to 1893, the year Oka was first made in the monastery on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River between Ottawa and Montréal. That notebook now is in the possession of Brother Albéric, the 72-year-old monk who is the master cheesemaker at the monastery in Holland, Manitoba.

I remember full well my first taste of Oka at Oka almost 50 years ago. Somehow, I, a Lutheran, ended up in the guest house of the most Roman Catholic of monastic orders the week after dropping out of university. On my first morning at Oka, I found myself is a small dining room with a few other guests at a large table. In the center was what looked like a large platter of big chunks of pineapple.

Pineapple? It didn’t seem right to me, so, despite the rule of silence, I whispered to the man next to me, “Qu’est-ce que c’est?” To which he replied in one hushed word: “Fromage.”

“Ah, cheese, I can go for that, ” I said to myself as I reached for a considerable chunk and popped it into my waiting mouth. Epiphany is the only way to describe what I tasted. In a word, it was divine.

And so it came to pass that my lifelong passion for artisan cheese was ignited . . . which has lead me to this evening, looking forward to Bra—and looking a long ways back to that morning in Oka.

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs, cheese-head-in chief at CheeseLover.ca, serves of director of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival. Of course, there isn’t a snowball’s chance in purgatory of getting Brother Albéric to the 2012 Festival, but hope and faith spring eternal.

Toast Post: American Cheese Society Conference, Day 2

Sue Riedl — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:57:53 +0000

Oka recipe creates Fromage de la Trappe in Manitoba.

Remember that film The Notebook? The one starring Ryan Gosling that’s about a monk who made washed-rind cheeses and kept secret notebook of brining techniques?

That version of the film is actually an NFB doc called A Monks’ Secret. (You won’t recognize Ryan Gosling–he plays the actual notebook. Amazing immersion into a role.) The doc is a story of Fromage de la Trappe, the cheese you see above.

Fromage de la Trappe comes from Manitoba and is made by Brother Alberic at the Cistercian Abbey Our Lady of the Praires. The old recipe was passed to him by the Trappist monks in Quebec (at Oka Abbey de Notre-Dame-du-Lac).

The original Oka recipe was sold to Agropur in the 1981 when the Oka Abbey in Quebec could no longer sustain the demand for the cheese. The factors may have been more than economical–monks do not want to be known as cheese makers, cheese making is simply a means to an end so perhaps the business was in conflict with their values. It may have also been hard to find people to keep making cheese in general as they got older and their numbers got smaller.

Fromage de La Trappe (left) and Agropur Oka (right)

One of the original Oka cheesemakers, Father Oswald had kept a notebook that was passed on to the Manitoba monastery when they started to make cheese as a source of income. The caveat that came with the hand-written notes was that should the Monks ever go out of the cheese business or the Abbyy close, that notebook would be destroyed (never to fall into a non-religious hand). This cheese is God’s business and no one else’s..Due to the craft secrets in notebook, what started out as a mediocore cheese, became something unique and flavourful.

Celebrating a ribbon for Louis D'Or

Celebrating Louis D’Or.

And I cannot sign off before leaving you with a picture of Jean Morin, celebrating after his raw, organic milk cheese Louise D’Or received 3rd place in the Best of Show category. And we’re looking at over 1600 cheeses entered. That’s right he’s feeling smug. He damn well should!

Canadian winners at American Cheese Society

CheeseLover.ca — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 04:20:59 +0000

Lori Legacey, cheesemaker at Mariposa Dairy, has a sniff of a 19-kilo wheel of Lindsay Bandaged Goat Cheddar which was named first runner-up in Best of Show at the American Cheese Society competition. Photo by Lisa Gervais/The Lindsay Post.

Canadian cheesemakers did remarkably well at the 2011 American Cheese Society Conference and Competition in Montreal this week, winning close to one-quarter of ribbons up for grabs. Best of all, Mariposa Dairy with Lindsay Bandaged Goat Cheddar and Fromagerie du Presbytère with Louis d’Or won Best of Show honors.

BEST OF SHOW

Rogue Creamery, OR
Rogue River Blue

BEST OF SHOW 2^nd PLACE (TIE)

Mariposa Dairy, ON
Lindsay Bandaged Goat Cheddar

Carr Valley Cheese, WI
Cave Aged Marisa

BEST OF SHOW 3rd PLACE

Fromagerie Du Presbytère, QC
Louis d’Or

Louis d'Or, created by Jean Morin at Fromagerie Du Presbytère (photo), was named second runner-up in Best of Show at the annual ACS competition held in Canada for the first time.

HERE ARE ALL 69 CANADIAN RECIPIENTS OF RIBBONS BY CATEGORY

B. SOFT RIPENED CHEESES
White surface mold ripened cheeses – Brie, Camembert, Coulommiers, etc.

BA: Open Category made from cow’s milk

1st Agropur Fine Cheese, QC
Rondoux Double Crème

2nd Domaine Feodal, QC
Inspire

3rd Domaine Feodal, QC
Cendre des Priés

BB: Brie made from cow’s milk

1st Brazos Valley Cheese, TX
Eden

2nd Brazos Valley Cheese, TX
Brie

3rd La Maison Alexis de Portneuf, QC
Brie de Portneuf Double Crème

BC: Camembert made from cow’s milk

1st No Award Given

2nd Old Europe Cheese, Inc., MI
Camembert Fermier

3rd Alemar Cheese Company, MN
Bent River Camembert – Style Cheese

3rd Upper Canada Cheese, ON
Comfort Cream

BG: Open Category made from goat’s milk

1st Fromagerie Le Détour, QC
Grey Owl

2nd Damafro, QC
La Bûchette

3rd Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy, CO
Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy Camembert

BS: Open Category made from sheep’s or mixed milks

1st Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser, QC
Le Soeur Angele

2nd Les Bergeries du Fjord, QC
Le Blanche du Fjord

2nd Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, NY
Hudson Valley Camembert Square

3rd Marin French Cheese Co, CA
Melange Brie

BF: Flavor Added – spices, herbs, seasoning, fruits, etc.

1st Marin French Cheese Co, CA
Peppercorn Brie – Garlic

2nd Agropur Fine Cheese, QC
Chevalier Fines Herbs

3rd Old Europe Cheese, Inc., MI
Brie with Herbs

BT: Triple Crème – soft ripened / cream added – all milks

1st Agropur Fine Cheese, QC
Rondoux Triple Crème

2nd Old Europe Cheese, Inc., MI
Brie Triple Créme

3rd Agropur Fine Cheese, QC
Chevalier Triple Crème

CC: Original Recipe / Open Category made from cow’s milk

1st Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, CA
Point Reyes Toma

2nd Cowgirl Creamery, CA
Mt. Tam

3rd Les Fromages de l’île d’Orléans, QC
Le Paillasson de l’isle d’Orléans

D. AMERICAN MADE / INTERNATIONAL STYLE
Cheeses modeled after or based on recipes for established European or other international types or styles – Beaufort, Abondance, Gruyère, Juustoleipa, Caerphilly, English Territorials, Leyden, Butterkäse, Monastery styles, etc.

DD: Dutch style – all milks (Gouda, Edam etc.)

1st Glengarry Fine Cheese, ON
Lankaaster Aged

2nd Oakdale Cheese & Specialties, CA
Gouda

3rd Edelweiss Creamery, WI
Gouda Cellar Aged Grass Based

3rd Old Europe Cheese, Inc., MI
Edam Ball

DC: Open Category made from cow’s milk

1st Eagle Mountain Farmhouse Cheese Co., TX
Birdville Reserve

2nd Monforte Dairy, ON
Abondance

3rd Hahn’s End, ME
Petit Poulet

3rd Sartori Company, WI
Sartori Reserve BellaVitano Gold

DE: Emmental style made from cow’s milk with eye formation (Swiss, Baby Swiss, Blocks, Wheels etc.)

1^st No Award Given

2nd Agropur Fine Cheese, QC
OKA L’Artisan

3rd Farmers Cooperative Dairy, NL
Farmers Swiss

DG: Open Category made from goat’s milk

1st Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser, QC
Tomme Haut Richelieu

2nd Baetje Farms LLC., MO
Sainte Genevieve

2nd Consider Bardwell Farm, VT
Manchester

3rd Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy, CO
Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy Queso De Mano

DS: Open Category made from sheep’s milk or mixed milks

1st Carr Valley Cheese Co, Inc., WI
Caso Bolo Mellage

2nd Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, ON
Fellowship

2nd Tumalo Farms, OR
Rimrocker

3rd Sartori Company, WI
Sartori Limited Edition Pastorale Blend

E. CHEDDARS
All Cheddars – all milks

EA: Aged Cheddar, all milks (aged between 12 and 24 months)

1st Milton Creamery LLC, IA
Prairie Breeze

2nd Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, ON
Premium Goat Cheddar, 12 to 24 months

3rd Kraft Foods, WI
Aged Extra Sharp Cheddar

EG: Cheddar from goat’s milk, aged less than 12 months

1st Central Coast Creamery, CA
Goat Cheddar

2nd Meyenberg Goat Milk Products, CA
Meyenberg Valley Goat Cheddar

3rd Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, ON
Premium Goat Cheddar, <12 months

3rd Mt. Sterling Co-Op Creamery, WI
Sterling Reserve / Raw Goat Milk Cave Aged Cheddar

EX: Mature Cheddar aged between 25 and 48 months

1st Agropur Fine Cheese, QC
Agropur Grand Cheddar aged 3 years

2nd Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, WA
Four Year Flagship

3rd Cabot Creamery Cooperative, VT
Cabot Vintage Choice Cheddar

3rd Tillamook County Creamery Association, OR
Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar

EE: Mature Cheddar aged longer than 48 months

1st Agropur Fine Cheese, QC
Agropur Grand Cheddar aged 5 years

2nd DCI Cheese Company, WI
Black Diamond 5 Year Cheddar

3rd Fromagerie Perron, QC
Doyen

EW: Cheddar wrapped in cloth, linen, aged up to 12 months

1st Cows Creamery, PEI
Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar Aged Up To 12 Months

2nd Bleu Mont Dairy, WI
Bandaged Cheddar – Wrapped and Aged up to 12 Months

3rd Avalanche Cheese Co., CO
Hand Bandaged Goat Cheddar

3rd Brazos Valley Cheese, TX
Cheddar

EB: Cheddar wrapped in cloth, linen, aged over 12 months

1st Mariposa Dairy, ON
Lindsay Bandaged Goat Cheddar

2nd Bleu Mont Dairy, WI
Bandaged Cheddar – Wrapped and Aged Over 12 Months

3rd Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, WA
Flagship Reserve

F. BLUE MOLD CHEESES

All cheeses ripened with Roqueforti or Glaucum Penicillium (Excluded: Colorless Mycelia)
FK: Blue-veined made from cow’s milk with a rind or external coating

1st Rogue Creamery, OR
Rogue River Blue

2nd Spring Day Creamery, ME
Spring Day Blues

3rd Glengarry Fine Cheese, ON
Celtic Blue

FM: Blue-veined made from sheep’s or mixed milk with a rind or external coating

1st La Maison d’affinage Maurice Dufour, QC
Le Bleu de Brebis de Charlevoix

2nd La Moutonniere, QC
Bleu La Moutonnière

3rd Valley Shepherd Creamery, NJ
Crema De Blue

H. ITALIAN TYPE CHEESES
Excluded: Mascarpone and Ricotta
HP: Pasta Filata types – Provolone, Caciocavallo – all milks

1st Saputo Dairy Products, QC
Provolone

2nd Sorrento Lactalis, ID
Whole Milk Low Moisture Pasta Filata

3rd BelGioioso Cheese Inc., WI
Sharp Provolone Mandarino

HY: Fresh Mozzarella – 8 oz. or more (Balls or Shapes) – all milks

1st BelGioioso Cheese Inc., WI
Fresh Mozzarella Thermoform

2nd Calabro Cheese, CT
Fior Di Latte

2nd Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, CA
Fresh Mozzarella

3rd International Cheese, ON
Santa Lucia Buffalo Mozzarella

I. FETA CHEESES

IC: Feta made from cow’s milk

1^st No Award Given

2nd Karoun Dairies Inc., CA
Basket Feta

3rd Parmalat Canada, ON
Black Diamond Feta

IG: Feta made from goat’s milk

1st Karoun Dairies Inc., CA
Basket Goat Feta

2nd Shepherds Dairy Products, UT
Fine Feta-Plain

3rd Goat’s Pride Dairy at McLennan Creek, BC
Feta

3rd Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery, VT
Vermont Feta

3rd Willow Moon Farm, VT
Feta

IS: Feta made from sheep’s milk or mixed milks

1st Hidden Springs Creamery, WI
Farmstead Feta

2nd La Moutonniere, QC
Feta

3rd Meadowood Farms, NY
Meadowood Farms Sheep’s Milk Feta

IF: Flavor added – spices, herbs, seasoning, fruits – all milks

1st Klondike Cheese Co., WI
Tomato & Basil Feta

2nd Neighborly Farms of Vermont, VT
Organic Pepper Feta

3rd Goat’s Pride Dairy at McLennan Creek, BC
Cranberry Caprabella

3rd La Moutonniere, QC
Feta with Herbs

J. LOW FAT / LOW SALT CHEESES
JL: Fat Free and Low Fat cheeses

1^st No Award Given

2nd Fromagerie Le Détour, QC
La Dame du Lac

3rd Fromagerie Bergeron, QC
6% Pourcent

JR: Light/Lite and Reduced Fat cheeses

1st Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser, QC
Empereur Light

2nd Cabot Creamery Cooperative, VT
Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar

3rd Tillamook County Creamery Association, OR
Tillamook Reduced Fat Monterey Jack

K. FLAVORED CHEESES
Entries are limited to cheeses not included in categories with “Flavor Added” subcategories

KC: Cheeses flavored with all peppers (chipotle, jalapeno, chili, etc.) – all milks

1^st No Award Given

2nd Damafro, QC
Les Bouchées Saveur Mexicaine

3rd Brunkow Cheese of Wisconsin, WI
Brun-uusto with Jalapeno

KP: Cheeses flavored with crushed or whole peppercorns or savory spices – all milks

1st Sartori Company, WI
Sartori Reserve Black Pepper BellaVitano

2nd Fromagerie Bergeron, QC
Coureur des Bois

3rd Formaggio Italian Cheese Specialties, LLC, NY
Prosciutto Roll

KH: Flavor Added Havarti – spices, herbs, seasonings, fruits – all milks

1^st No Award Given

2nd Klondike Cheese Co., WI
Dill Havarti

3rd Agropur Fine Cheese, QC
Havarti Jalapeno

3rd Edelweiss Creamery, WI
Onion Havarti

L. SMOKED CHEESES
LD: Smoked Cheddars

1st Parmalat Canada, ON
Balderson Double Smoked Cheddar

2nd Gold Creek Farms, UT
Smoked Cheddar

3rd Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, WA
Smoked Flagship

M. FARMSTEAD CHEESES
Limited to cheeses and fermented milk products made with milk from herds on the farm where the cheeses are produced

MA: Open Category for all milks – Soft (Aged up to 60 days – over 50% moisture)

1st Doe Run Dairy, PA
Hummingbird

2nd Fromagerie Au Gré Des Champs, QC
Le Pont-Blanc

3rd Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese, LLC, WI
Petit Frere Reserve

ME: Open Category cow’s milk cheeses – Hard (Aged over 60 days – Less than 39% moisture)

1st Fromagerie Du Presbytère, QC
Louis d’Or

2nd Farms For City Kids Foundation, VT
Tarentaise

3rd Shatto Milk Company, MO
Gouda

MG: Open Category Goat’s Milk Cheeses aged over 60 days

1st Tumalo Farms, OR
Classico

2nd Chèvrerie Fruit d’une Passion, QC
Tomme des Joyeux Fromagers

2nd Yellow Springs Farm LLC, PA
Fieldstone

3rd Capriole, IN
Mont St. Francis

MF: Open Category for all Cheeses with Flavorings Added – all milks

1st Ruggles Hill Creamery, MA
Lea’s Great Meadow

2nd Valley Shepherd Creamery, NJ
Pepato Shepherd

3rd Coach Farm, NY
Coach Farm Fresh Goat Cheese Log with Dill

3rd Fromagerie La Station, QC
Raclette de Compton au Poivre

N. FRESH GOAT’S MILK CHEESES
NO: Fresh Goat Rindless (black ash coating permitted, extruded or in containers, cups, tubs, cryovac)

1st Laura Chenel’s Chevre, CA
Laura Chenel’s

2nd Montchevre-Betin, INC., WI
Crumbled Goat Cheese

3rd Mariposa Dairy, ON
Celebrity International Goat Cheese Original

3rd Woolwich Dairy, ON
Woolwich Dairy Chevrai Original

NP: Flavor Added – Peppers / Spice

1st Baetje Farms LLC., MO
Coeur de la Crème Three Pepper

2nd Mariposa Dairy, ON
Celebrity International Chevre Pesto

3rd Baetje Farms LLC., MO
Coeur de la Crème Garlic and Chives

O. FRESH SHEEP’S MILK CHEESES
Open to all shapes and styles of rindless, unaged, fresh sheep’s milk cheeses

OO: Open Category

1st Les Fromages du Verger, QC
Le Louché

2nd La Moutonniere, QC
Cabanon

3rd Shepherd’s Way Farms, MN
Shepherd’s Hope Original

P. MARINATED CHEESES
Entries include cheeses marinated in oil, vinegar, wine, etc.

PG: Open Category made from goat’s milk marinated in liquids and ingredients

1st Laura Chenel’s Chevre, CA
Laura Chenel’s Cabecou

2nd Happy Days Dairies, BC
Goat Cheese Balls in Herb and Oil 100g

3rd Carr Valley Cheese Co, Inc., WI
Sweet Vanilla Cardona

Q. CULTURED MILK PRODUCTS
Limited to Yogurt, Crème Fraiche, Kefir, Labne, etc.

QG: Cultured products made from goat’s milk

1^st No Award Given

2nd Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery, Inc., CA
Traditional Plain Kefir

3rd Happy Days Dairies, BC
Goat Milk Kefir 500ML

QY: Yogurts, Plain – made from cow’s milk with NO additional ingredients

1^st No Award Given

2nd Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery, Inc., CA
Lactose Free Lowfat Plain Yogurt

3rd Beurrerie du Patrimoine, QC
Plain Cow Yogurt

QD: Yogurts, Plain – made from goat’s milk with NO additional ingredients

1st Sierra Nevada Cheese, CA
Capretta Goat Yogurt Rich & Creamy, Plain

2nd Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery, Inc., CA
Plain Yogurt

3rd Beurrerie du Patrimoine, QC
Plain Goat Yogurt

3rd Coach Farm, NY
Coach Farm Goat Milk Yogurt, Plain

QE: Yogurts, Plain – made from sheep’s milk with NO additional ingredients

1st Best Baa Dairy, ON
Sheepmilk Yogourt

2nd La Moutonniere, QC
Royogourt

3rd Appleton Creamery, ME
Yogurt

3rd Valley Shepherd Creamery, NJ
Ewegurt

R. BUTTERS
Whey Butter, Salted Butter, Sweet Butter, Cultured Butter, etc.

RC: Salted Butter made from cow’s milk with or without cultures

1st Fromagerie L’Ancêtre, QC
L’Ancêtre Organic Salted Butter

2nd Parmalat Canada, ON
Lactantia Salted Butter

3rd Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery, VT
Vermont Cultured Butter – lightly salted

RO: Unsalted Butter made from cow’s milk with or without cultures

1^st No Award Given

2nd CROPP Cooperative/ Organic Valley, WI
Organic European Style Cultured Butter

2nd Parmalat Canada, ON
Lactantia Unsalted Butter

3rd Cabot Creamery Cooperative, MA
Cabot Unsalted Butter

S. CHEESE SPREADS

Spreads produced by grinding and mixing, without the aid of heat and/or emulsifying salts, one or more natural cheeses
SA: Open Category made from all milks – Spreads with flavors using a base with moisture higher than 44%

1st Kraft Foods, NY
Garden Vegetable Spread

2nd Kraft Foods, NY
Spinach Artichoke Spread

3rd Happy Days Dairies, BC
Probiotic Goat Cheese Spread 280G

T. AGED SHEEP’S MILK CHEESES
Caciotta, Romano, Manchego, Table Cheeses, etc.

TO: Open Category

1st Carr Valley Cheese Co, Inc., WI
Cave Aged Marisa

2nd Fromagerie Nouvelle France, QC
Zacharie Cloutier

2nd Hidden Springs Creamery, WI
Ocooch Reserve

3rd Lark’s Meadow Farms, ID
Dulcinea Extra Reserve

U. AGED GOAT’S MILK CHEESES
Taupinière, Rinded Log and Pyramid Types, etc.

UG: Open Category

1st LaClare Farms Specialties LLC, WI
Evalon

2nd Chèvrerie du Buckland, QC
Tomme du Maréchal

3rd Appleton Creamery, ME
Chevre Wrapped in Brandied Grape Leaf

V. WASHED RIND CHEESES
Cheeses with a rind or crust washed in salted brine, whey, beer, wine, other alcohol, or grape lees that exhibit an obvious, smeared or sticky rind and/or crust – Limburger, Pont l’Evêque, Chimay, Raclette, Swiss Appenzeller or Vignerons-style, etc.

VC: Open Category made from cow’s milk

1st La fromagerie 1860 DuVillage, QC
La Tentation de Laurier

2nd Agropur Fine Cheese, QC
Champfleury

3rd Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, ON
Rose Haus

3rd Upper Canada Cheese, ON
Niagara Gold

VG: Open Category made from goat’s milk

1st Baetje Farms LLC., MO
Fleur de la Vallee

2nd Carr Valley Cheese Co, Inc., WI
River Bend Goat

3rd Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, ON
Cape Vessey

VS: Open Category made from sheep’s milk or mixed milks

1st La Maison d’affinage Maurice Dufour, QC
La Tomme d’Elles

2nd Best Baa Dairy, ON
Mouton Rouge

2nd Hidden Springs Creamery, WI
Ocooch

3rd Hidden Springs Creamery, WI
Meadow Melody

Elisabeth Bzikot of Best Baa Dairy receives a first-place ribbon for her Sheepmilk Yogurt while Lucille Giroux of La Moutonniere waits for a second-place ribbon for Royogourt.

Congratulations to all Canadian winners! They are shown below in alphabetical order with a summary of their winnings which accounted for 22.5 percent of ribbons awarded.

Agropur Fine Cheese
First-place ribbons – 4
Second-place ribbons – 3
Third-place ribbons – 2

Best Baa Dairy
First-place ribbons – 1
Second-place ribbons – 1

Beurrerie du Patrimoine
Third-place ribbons – 2

Chèvrerie du Buckland
Second-place ribbons – 1

Chèvrerie Fruit d’une Passion
Second-place ribbons – 1

Cows Creamery
First-place ribbons – 1

Damafro
Second-place ribbons – 2

Domaine Feodal
Second-place ribbons – 1
Third-place ribbons – 1

Farmers Cooperative Dairy
Third-place ribbons – 1

Fifth Town Artisan Cheese
Second-place ribbons – 2
Third-place ribbons – 3

Fromagerie Au Gré Des Champs
Second-place ribbons – 1

Fromagerie Bergeron
Second-place ribbons – 1
Third-place ribbons – 1

Fromagerie Du Presbytère
Best of Show – 3rd place
First-place ribbons – 1

Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser
First-place ribbons – 3

Fromagerie L’Ancêtre
First-place ribbons – 1

Fromagerie La Station
Third-place ribbons – 1

Fromagerie Le Détour
First-place ribbons – 1
Second-place ribbons – 1

Fromagerie Nouvelle France
Second-place ribbons – 1

Fromagerie Perron
Third-place ribbons – 1

Glengarry Fine Cheese
First-place ribbons – 1
Third-place ribbons – 1

Goat’s Pride Dairy at McLennan Creek
Third-place ribbons – 2

Happy Days Dairies
Second-place ribbons – 1
Third-place ribbons – 2

International Cheese
Third-place ribbons – 1

La fromagerie 1860 DuVillage
First-place ribbons – 1

La Maison Alexis de Portneuf
Third-place ribbons – 1

La Maison d’affinage Maurice Dufour
First-place ribbons – 2

La Moutonniere
Second-place ribbons – 4
Third-place ribbons – 1

Les Bergeries du Fjord
Second-place ribbons – 1

Les Fromages de l’île d’Orléans
Third-place ribbons – 1

Les Fromages du Verger
First-place ribbons – 1

Mariposa Dairy
Best of Show – 2rd place
First-place ribbons – 1
Second-place ribbons – 1
Third-place ribbons – 1

Monforte Dairy
Second-place ribbons – 1

Parmalat Canada
First-place ribbons – 1
Second-place ribbons – 2
Third-place ribbons – 1

Rogue Creamery
Best of Show

Saputo Dairy Products
First-place ribbons – 1

Upper Canada Cheese
Third-place ribbons – 2

Woolwich Dairy
Third-place ribbons – 1

For additional photos from ACS 2011 in Montreal, click here.

Learn a little about thermalization and a review of Canadian Reserve, an industrial aged cheddar

CurdyGirl — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:02:31 +0000

Oka is Okay by Me

Ontdrew — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 01:42:51 +0000

Oka L'Artisan

Oka is a Canadian cheese. It is made in the Province of Quebec, in the village of Oka which lies on the Northern bank of the Ottawa River just southwest of Montreal. Oka is a small village with a population of 3,300.

Oka Quebec - google maps

The Oka cheese that made the town famous has an interesting history. Oka cheese originated in 1893. It was derived from an altered recipe of French Port Salut cheese brought to Quebec from France by Trappist Monks. The cheese was made in a Monestary in the village of Oka. The resulting cheese was named after the village. In 1996 the Les Peres Trappists sold the rights of Oka cheese to Agropur. The cheese is still made in Oka but is also made in the town of Holland in Manitoba, Canada.

Oka L'Artisan

The picture I took of the Oka L’Artisan does not show the small air holes very well that are part of the character of this cheese. Here is a picture from Google images that shows the holes better.

Oka L'Artisan - Google Images

Oka cheese is classified as a firm cheese made from cow’s milk. It is a washed rind cheese with a fat content of 28% and a protein content of 22%. Oka L’Artisan is a variation of the traditional Oka. It has more honeycomb than the classic Oka.

Oka L’Artisan was the Grand Champion cheese of the Royal Winter Fair 2009. It also won a 1st place award in the 2009 American Cheese Society Cheese Competition in the category of Emmentaler Style Made from Cow’s Milk with Eyed Formation

How does it taste?

I found the cheese mild with a smooth and pleasant texture. It has a faint hazelnut and buttery taste. It is slightly nutty and slightly fruity. It is light and refreshing. I think it would be a good first cheese on a cheese board.

I have tried the Oka classic and I prefer the Oka L’Artisan.

Because the Oka is part of the Agropur product line it appears to be well distributed and available at most better grocery stores. The Oka L’Artisan is a pretty safe bet if you are looking for a cheese for your cheese board, or to serve to guests. You will also have a nice story to tell about monks, Monasteries and Quebec.

Oka L’Artisan is OK!

National Cheese Lovers Day

Ontdrew — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:17:56 +0000

According to the Hallmark’s Website today, January 20th, 2011, is National Cheese Lovers Day in the United States. For me everyday is cheese lover’s day.

Cheeses - photo from Google Images

I think today is a good day to also celebrate the Canadian Cheese industry.

According to Canadian Dairy Information Centre, Canada produces more than 1050 cheeses that are listed in the Canadian Cheese Directory.

Canadian cheeses are classified according to the moisture content. There are six categories and their distribution is illustrated in the following diagram.

Canada’s total cheese consumption has been on the rise since the 1980s. Since 1997, annual consumption has remained above 11 kg per capita, reaching 12 kg per capita for the first time in 2005.

Over 80% of fine cheeses are made in Quebec.

Cheese is big business and the Canadian cheese industry is dominated by four key companies: Agropur, Kraft, Parmalat, and Saputo.

Created in 1938, Agropur is a dairy co-operative owned by 4,060 dairy farmers. Agropur’s fine cheese division is comprised of two plants in Quebec. In 2004, this co-operative held a total of 18% of the Canadian market share for cheese.

Kraft has been in Canada since 1928 and many of its cheeses are part of the Canadian culinary tradition. Kraft operates two cheese-making plants in Ontario and one in Quebec. In 2004 Kraft held a 20% share of the Canadian market for cheese.

Parmalat Canada, a subsidiary of the Parmalat Group, held an 11% share of the market for retail sales of cheese in 2004. Parmalat has two cheese-making plants in Western Canada, five plants in Ontario and two in Quebec.

Saputo is the biggest cheese processor in Canada and its specialty is Italian cheese. It also manufactures the greatest variety of fine cheeses in Canada. It produces 35% of all processed cheese made in Canada. Saputo’s Canadian cheese division operates 17 plants. In 2004 Saputo held a 28% share of the Canadian retail market for cheese.

All this cheese information is making me hungry. I think I’ll go enjoy a piece of cheese now and celebrate Cheese Lover’s Day with all of the Americans.

Canadian James Kraft churned out a giant, and other cheese news

CheeseLover.ca — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:17:47 +0000

Canadian James Kraft founded the second largest food conglomerate in the world.

Cheese makes news every day. That’s why we’ve started collecting links to the most interesting news reports of the week on a special page under the News tab at the top of the blog. Check it whenever you visit CheeseLover.ca.

Canadian James Kraft churned out a cheese giant

Agropur to make Boursin cheeses in Canada

Far Flung Foods: Cheesemonger to Windsor

A cheesy ad campaign in Portugal

Kraft launches an eBook to promote its Philadelphia cream cheese

An ode to Alberta cheese

Kraft strengthens Mac & Cheese brand with unified packaging

Madame Fromage: Monastic Cheese Board Redux

Natural Pastures Cheese in B.C. gets a loan from Ottawa

Springbank Cheese stars in Taste of Alberta

The secret to great fudge is . . . Kaft Velveeta?

Saputo expands recall on some cheese products

Feds help New Brunswick dairy farmers explore specialty cheese

Brits introduce Blue Brew made with Stilton whey

Sue Riedl: Become a chairman of the (cheese) board

Video: Making mozzarella on an industrial scale

How an ex-policeman became a cheese man

U.S. cheesemakers may face more onerous safety regulations

Eating cheese helps combat dental problems

Video: How to build the perfect cheese board

Asian demand for cream cheese skyrockets

Grilled cheese: Slices of childhood, melted and mobile

Saputo recalls Faith Farms Ribbon Slices amid Listeria fears

Madame Fromage: Goat cheese or night cream?

Cornish Blue: the greatest of cheese?

British cheese leaves the French feeling blue

Chocolate truffle with ganache made from Fifth Town’s Plain Jane Bagel Chevre

Shrimp and grilled-cheese sandwiches make great gourmet fare for Grey Cup

Best cheeses of the "British Empire" in 2010

CheeseLover.ca — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:10:54 +0000

Lori Legacey, cheesemaker at Mariposa Dairy, has a sniff of a 19-kilo wheel of cheddar. The dairy's Lindsay Bandage Cheddar beat out 40 other goat-milk cheeses in the British Empire Cheese Competition. Photo by Lisa Gervais/The Lindsay Post.

Here are the results of the cheese competition at the 83rd annual British Empire Cheese Show organized by Central Ontario Cheesemakers Association:

The Alexis De Portneuf division of cheese giant Saputo was crowned Grand Champion.

Quebec cheesemaker Fromagerie La Vache à Maillotte was named Reserve Champion.

Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, an artisan cheesemaker in Ontario’s Prince Edward County, was honoured with the Finica Food Specialties Award.

In the cheddar class, Parmalat Canada was recognized as Grand Champion. Reserve Champion honours went to Fromagerie Isle-aux-Grues.

Glengarry Fine Cheese, after an excellent showing at Royal Winter Fair, picked up several more awards at British Empire, as reported in Eastern Ontario AgriNews.

Here are the top three in each class of the competition:

ARTISAN

Goat Milk Cheese

Lindsay Bandage Cheddar, Mariposa Dairy (Finica Food Specialties)
Cape Vessey, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese
Operetta, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese

Sheep Milk Cheese

Bonnie and Floyd, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese
Toscano, Monforte Dairy
Wishing Tree, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese

SPECIALTY CLASS

Hard Cheese Type

Firm Cheese Type

Lankaaster Medium, Glengarry Fine Cheese
Nouvelle France, Agropur
Fondue Prestigio, Agropur

Swiss Cheese Type

Artisan, Agropur
Swiss, Fromagerie Lemaire
Mont Gleason, Saputo/Fromagerie 1860 DuVillage

Semi-Firm Cheese Type

Raclette du Village, Saputo/Fromagerie 1860 DuVillage
Le Cabouron, Fromagerie Blackburn (Fromages CDA)
Le Cendre, Saputo/Fromagerie 1860 DuVillage

Fresh Cheese Type

Mascarpone, Arla Foods
Ricotta, Quality Cheese
Prestigio Ricotta, Agropur

Soft Rind Cheese Type

St. Honoré, Saputo/Alexis De Portneuf
Triple Crème du Village, Saputo/Fromagerie 1860 DuVillage
Cendre de Lune, Saputo/Fromagerie 1860 DuVillage

Smear Ripened Type

Mamirolle, Fromagerie Eco Delices (Fromages CDA)
Mont Jacob, Fromagerie Blackburn (Fromages CDA)
Raclette, Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser (Fromages CDA)

Flavoured Soft Type

Lady Laurier d’Arthabaska, Saputo/Fromagerie 1860 DuVillage
Raclette Oka, Agropur
Chevalier Tomato Basil, Agropur

Flavoured Firm Type

Lankaaster Chive, Glengarry Fine Cheese
Smoked Cheddar, Parmalat Canada
Lankaaster Cumin, Glengarry Fine Cheese

Blue Veined Cheese

Celtic Blue, Glengarry Fine Cheese
La Roche Noire, Saputo/Alexis De Portneuf
Bleubry, Saputo/Alexis De Portneuf

American Style Type

Brick, St. Albert Cheese Co-Operative
Monterey Jack, Bothwell Cheese
American Mozzarella, Parmalat Canada

Pasta Filata Type

Bocconcini, International Cheese
Burrata, Quality Cheese
Fresh Mozzarella, Quality Cheese

Goat Milk Cheese

Le Paillot de Chevre, Saputo/Alexis De Portneuf
Rondoux Chevre, Agropur
Chevrita, Agropur

Sheep Milk Cheese

Allegretto, Fromagerie La Vache a Maillotte
Bedda Fedda, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese
Blossom, Monforte Dairy

Process Cheese

Spreadable Cream Cheese Product, Parmalat Canada
Spreadable Cream Cheese Product, Parmalat Canada
Spreadable Cream Cheese Product, Parmalat Canada

CHEDDAR

Mild White or Coloured Cheddar – Less than 2 months of age, 40 lb. or more

Medium White Cheddar – 3 to 6 months of age, 40 lb. or more

Medium Coloured Cheddar – 3 to 6 months of age, 40 lb. or more

Marbled Cheddar – any age, 40 lb. or more

Mature Cheddar – 12 to 15 months of age, 40 lb. or more

Extra Mature Cheddar – 24 to 36 months of age, 40 lb. or more

Quebec cheesemakers score at World Cheese Awards

CheeseLover.ca — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:06:29 +0000

Cornish Blue: Judged the best cheese in the world in 2010.

Four artisan cheesemakers from Quebec as well as Canadian cheese giants Saputo and Agropur medalled in the World Cheese Awards last week, the largest cheese competition on the planet. Hosted at the BBC Good Food Show in the U.K., 201 judges from 19 different countries judged 2,629 cheeses from 29 countries. Louis Aird of Saputo was the sole Canadian judge.

Louis Aird of Saputo: Judge at the World Cheese Awards.

Cornish Blue brought the World Champion Cheese title back to the U.K., being the first British cheese honoured in more than a decade. Here are the Canadian winners, starting with the four Quebec artisan cheesemakers entered by their distributor, Fromages CDA:

Le Moutier

Hard goats’ milk cheese plain
Gold medal: Le Moutier ~ Fromagerie de L’Abbaye St Benoit

Rind washed cheese not in any other class
Silver Medal: La Mont Jacob ~ Fromagerie Blackburn

Rind washed cheese not in any other class
Bronze medal: Guillaume Tell ~ Fromagerie Féodal

Cheese made with the milk of more than one animal
Bronze medal: Soeur Angéle ~ Fromagerie Kaiser

—

La Sauvagine

Rind washed cheese not in any other class
Super Gold medal: La Sauvagine ~ Saputo/Alexis de Portneuf

Brie made from pasteurized milk
Silver medal: Cendré de Lune ~ Saputo/duVillage 1860

All other new cheeses. Open to any new cheese first marketed after 01/10/09
Bronze medal: Tentation de Laurier ~ Saputo

White mold ripened soft or unpressed cows’ milk cheese with savoury additives
Bronze medal: Lady Laurier d’Arthabaska ~ Saputo/du Village 1860

Soft goats’ milk cheese plain – mold-ripened
Bronze medal: Le Cendrillon ~ Saputo/Alexis de Portneuf

Brie made from pasteurized milk
Bronze medal: Saint-Honoré ~ Saputo/Alexis de Portneuf

Blue vein cheese any variety, uncut, natural rind
Bronze medal: Bleubry ~ Saputo/Alexis de Portneuf

—

Camembert L'Extra

Camembert made from pasteurized milk
Gold medal: Camembert l’Extra ~ Agropur

Cheese made with the milk of more than one animal
Silver medal: Vaudreuil mi-vache/mi-chêvre ~ Agropur

New Cheese – hard or semi-hard. Open to any new cheese first marketed after 01/10/09
Silver medal: Rivière Rouge ~Agropur

Ricotta
Bronze medal: Ricotta Prestigio ~ Agropur

For a list of U.S. winners, visit Cheesemonger’s Weblog.

The World Cheese Awards has been bringing together buyers and sellers from the dairy industry worldwide for 20 years. The BBC Good Food Show is the biggest and most cosmopolitan cheese festival ever staged in the U.K.,, with almost 100,000 consumers tasting cheese after the international panel of experts completed their judging.

—Rebecca Crosgrey

Rebecca Crosgrey is Event Co-Ordinator at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival. She patrols the Web for cheese news for CheeseLover.ca.

Lunch of champions for Festival worker bees

CheeseLover.ca — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 01:30:28 +0000

There was a planning session for The Great Canadian Cheese Festival scheduled over lunch for the week following the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. When the question came up, “What shall we eat?” the answer was a no-brainer: “Let’s sample the champions and winners in the Royal’s cheese competition.”

Thus, it came to pass that we had one champion and five winners spread out before us on Friday, as you can see in the photo. We would have liked more champions but only Oka L’Artisan was available at St. Lawrence Market.

You’ll note the lack of wine glasses. After all, it was a working lunch. Just cheese, with sides of charcuterie, walnuts, grapes, bread, and, in the front right, Bleu d’Auvergne from France for dessert.

Here’s how the three of us informally ranked the award-winning Canadian cheese we tasted:

Cheddar, 5 year, Fromagerie Perron, $2.39/100g

Outstanding! If this what a cheddar that wasn’t even entered tastes like, we cannot wait to get our hands on Perron’s Doyen, Grand Champion, and 120th Anniverdsary Reserve, Reserve Champion.

Fromagerie Perron definitely will be on our list of cheesemakers to visit when we next travel on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. Fromagerie Perron is located on Lac Saint Jean in the Saguenay region.

Champfleury, Agropur, $4.00/100g

It didn’t take us long to consume the entire small wheel of Champfleury. We loved the fruity creaminess of this washed-rind soft cheese but were stunned afterward to read on the label that modified milk ingredients (MMI) are used in making the cheese.

Champfleury is marketed as an “authentic fine cheese” in the Agropur Signature collection. Hmmm . . .

Bonnie & Floyd, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, $7.69/100g

No MMIs come anywhere near this excellent cave-aged sheep cheese made in Prince Edward County by the greenest creamery in Canada.

Oka L’Artisan, Agropur, $3.58/100g

No longer made by Trappist monks but still one of Canada’s most recognizable and noteworthy cheeses. Agropur cheesemakers make the cheese in the former Cistercian abbey. Whether the recipe is the original is arguable.

Cape Vessey, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, $6.99/100g

Goat’s milk does have it distinctive lemony tang but Fifth Town has earned many awards with this washed-rind cave-aged cheese that has broad appeal.

Chevrita, Agropur

Snow white and satin-like to the touch, Chevrita is pure goat cheese.

Oka, Woolwich and Perron judged Grand Champions at the Royal

CheeseLover.ca — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:46:40 +0000

Fromagerie Perron produces the 2010 Grand and Reserve Champions of cheddars in Canada.

Here are the winners in the cheese competition at Royal Agricultural Winter Fair which runs in Toronto this week until Sunday.

Agropur and Parmalat, Canada’s two giant cheese producers, dominated the results with six wins apiece but relatively tiny Fifth Town Artisan Cheese and Glengarry Fine Cheese, with five and three wins each, garnered more than their share of honours.

Fromagerie Perron dominated the cheddar cheese judging. Quality Cheese had four wins including a first for its new Water Buffalo Mozzarella.

VARIETY CHEESE – 95 entries – Judges: Thierry Martin and Jean-Jacques Turgeon

GRAND CHAMPION: OKA L’Artisan ~ Agropur Fine Cheese

RESERVE CHAMPION: Cendré De Lune ~ Fromagerie 1860 DuVillage

HARD – PARMESAN, GANA, ROMANO, ETC ~ 1st – Extra Aged Lankaaster ~ Glengarry Fine Cheese ~ Wilma Klein Swormink, Marie-Benedicte Pretty, Margaret Peters-Morris, cheesemakers

Giuseppe Garsito: Buratta and Buffalo Mozzarella cheesemaker at Quality Cheese.

PASTA, FILATA – BOCCONCHINI, MOZZARELLA, CACIOCAVALLO, PROVOLONE, CACIOTTA ~ 1st – Water Buffalo Mozzarella ~ Quality Cheese

FIRM – BRICK, COLBY, ETC ~ 1st – Black Diamond American Mozzarella~ Parmalat Canada

Glengarry cheesemakers: Marie-Benedicte Pretty, Wilma Klein Swormink, Margaret Peters-Morris. Photo by André Dumont/AGRICOM

INTERIOR RIPENED – EDAM, GOUDA, ASIAGO ~ 1st – Lankaaster Medium~ Glengarry Fine Cheese ~ Wilma Klein Swormink, Marie-Benedicte Pretty, Margaret Peters-Morris, cheesemakers

SURFACE RIPENED – FONTINA, OKA, MUNSTER, ST PAULIN ~ 1st – Champfleury ~ Agropur Fine Cheese

MOLD RIPENED – BRIE, CAMEMBERT ~ 1st – Cendré De Lune ~ Fromagerie 1860 DuVillage

Ema Tema: Ricotta cheesemaker at Quality Cheese.

Marcelo Lozano: Ricotta cheesemaker at Quality Cheese.

UNFLAVOURED FRESH CHEESE ~ 1st – Ricotta Cheese ~ Quality Cheese

FLAVOURED FRESH CHEESE ~ 1st – Délicreme Ail et Fines Herbes~ Agropur Fine Cheese

BLUE VEINED CHEESE ~ 1st – La Roche Noire ~ La Fromagerie Alexis de Portneuf

SWISS OR EMENTHAL CHEESE ~ 1st – OKA L`Artisan ~ Agropur Fine Cheese

FLAVOURED CHEESE ~ 1st – Flavoured Lankaaster Chive ~ Glengarry Fine Cheese ~ Wilma Klein Swormink, Marie-Benedicte Pretty, Margaret Peters-Morris, cheesemakers

Dipesh (Dan) Patel: Buratta and Buffalo Mozzarella cheesemaker at Quality Cheese.

OPEN CLASS ~ 1st – Bella Casara -Burrata Cheese ~ Quality Cheese

ANY CHEESE MADE WITH SHEEP’S MILK ~ 1st – Bonnie & Floyd ~ Fifth Town Artisan Cheese ~ Stephanie Diamant, cheesemaker

FETA _ 1st – 3 kg Black Diamond Feta in brine ~ Black Diamond

GOAT CHEESE - 29 entries - Judges: Thierry Martin and Jean-Jacques Turgeon

GRAND CHAMPION: Woolwich Dairy Elite Roasted Red Pepper ~ Woolwich Dairy

RESERVE CHAMPION: Premium Goat Milk Cheddar ~ Fifth Town Artisan Cheese ~ Stephanie Diamant, cheesemaker

HARD – PARMESAN, GRANA, ROMANO ~ 1st – Charlton ~ Thornloe Cheese

FIRM – CHEDDAR, MOZZARELLA, CAPRANO ~ 1st – Premium Goat Milk Cheddar ~ Fifth Town Artisan Cheese ~ Stephanie Diamant, cheesemaker

Fil Dutra is a member of the award-winning cheesemaker team at Woolwich Dairy.

INTERIOR RIPENED – GOUDA, FRIULAN, MANCHEGO, ETC ~ 1st – Woolwich Dairy Goats Milk Feta ~ Woolwich Dairy

SURFACE RIPENED – OKA STYLE, ST PAULIN, TILST, ETC ~ 1st – Cape Vessey ~ Fifth Town Artisan Cheese ~ Stephanie Diamant, cheesemaker

MOLD RIPENED – BRIE, CAMEMBERT, TRE FRATELLO, ETC ~ 1st – Chevrita ~ Agropur Fine Cheese

UNFLAVOURED FRESH-CREAM CHEESE, GHAGE, QUARK, ETC ~ 1st – River’s Edge Chevre ~ River’s Edge Goat Dairy

FLAVOURED FRESH CHEESE ~ 1st – Woolwich Dairy Elite Roasted Red Pepper ~ Woolwich Dairy

Thornloe cheesemakers: Laurent Jubinville (left), John Leveille and Denis Jubinville.

BLUE VEINED CHEESE ~ 1st – Harley Goat Blue Cheese ~ Thornloe Cheese

FLAVOURED CHEESE – SMOKED, JALAPENO ~ 1st – Applewood Smoked Premium Goat Milk Cheddar ~ Fifth Town Artisan Cheese ~ Stephanie Diamant, cheesemaker

INNOVATION – MIXED MILK CHEESE ~ 1st – Doucerel ~ Agropur Fine Cheese

CHEDDAR CHEESE - 36 entries – Judges: Norm Matte and Gilles Sabourin

GRAND CHAMPION: Doyen ~ Fromagerie Perron ~ Stephane Marchand, cheesemaker.

RESERVE CHAMPION: 120th Anniversary Reserve ~ Fromagerie Perron ~ Stephane Marchand, cheesemaker.

THE SILVER TRIER AWARD/Highest aggregate score for cheddar cheese: Parmalat Canada

EXTRA MATURE CHEDDAR 24 MONTHS OR LONGER ~ 1st – Perron Doyen ~ Fromagerie Perron ~ Stephane Marchand, cheesemaker.

MATURE CHEDDAR – 12-24 MONTHS ~ 1st – 120th Anniversary Reserve ~ Fromagerie Perron ~ Stephane Marchand, cheesemaker.

MEDIUM CHEDDAR – 6-8 MONTHS ~ 1st – Medium Cheddar ~ Fromagerie Perron ~ Stephane Marchand, cheesemaker.

MILD CHEDDAR – 2-4 MONTHS ~ 1st – Balderson Mild ~ Parmalat Canada

EXTRA MILD CHEDDAR – 1-2 MONTHS ~ 1st – Balderson Extra Mild ~ Parmalat Canada

MARBLE CHEDDAR – ANY AGE ~ 1st – Balderson Marble ~ Parmalat Canada

STILTON SHAPED CHEDDAR – TWO COLOURED OR WHITE ~ 1st – Black Diamond Cheddar ~ Parmalat Canada

Complete results are posted at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair website.

Swiss Gruyere named best-of-show at World Championship

CheeseLover.ca — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 22:14:51 +0000

And the winner is . . . Gruyere AOC from Switzerland!

The two largest Canadian cheese producers won all five of Canada’s gold medals in the 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest held in Madison, Wisconsin.

Saputo Dairy Products Canada won three golds while Agropur Cooperative garnered a pair.

Twenty countries entered 2,318 cheeses in the competition. The U.S. swept the lion’s share of gold medals. Canada and the Netherlands tied for second with five golds apiece. Best-of-show honors went to a Gruyere made by Fromagerie de La Brévine in Switzerland.

The Canadian cheeses awarded golds are:

Rindless Swiss-style cheese – La Fromagerie, Saputo Dairy Products Canada of Saint-Laurent, Quebec. The Cogruet scored 99.15 out of a possible 100 points.

Camembert and other surface-ripened cheeses – La Maison Alexis de Portneuf, Saputo Dairy Products Canada, Saint-Laurent, Quebec. The Saint-Honore scored 98.95.

Smear-ripened soft cheese – La Maison Alexis de Portneuf, Saputo Dairy Products Canada won again for it’s Le Sauvagine scoring 99.45.

Cheddar, Mild – Agropur Cooperative of Bon-Conseil, Quebec. Its cheddar scored a 99.45.

Cheddar, Sharp – Agropur Cooperative, Bon-Conseil, Quebec. An older cheddar scored 99.5.

Judges at work at the Worlds.

Saputo Dairy Products Canada was founded in 1954 in Montreal by an immigrant Italian family headed by cheesemaker Giuseppe Saputo. It processes 6 billion litres of milk annually in 46 plants in Canada, the U.S., Argentina, Germany and the United Kingdom, with 26 plants in Canada. Saputo products are sold in more than 40 countries under brand names such as Saputo, Alexis de Portneuf, Armstrong, Baxter, Dairyland, Danscorella, De Lucia, Dragone, DuVillage 1860, Frigo Cheese Heads, Kingsey, La Paulina, Neilson, Nutrilait, Ricrem, Stella, Treasure Cave, HOP&GO!, Rondeau and Vachon.

Founded in Quebec in 1938, Agropur Cooperative has 3,533 members and 5,225 employees at 27 plants and distribution centres and offices across Canada, the U.S. and Argentina. It processes 3.1 billion litres of milk on an annualized basis and offers products such as Québon, Oka, Sealtest, Natrel, Island Farms, Yoplait, La Lacteo, Trega and Schroeder.