COMTE... the unveiling of a piece of history!

The 100lb wheel rolled its way into liberty village early this week all the way from France. Made with pure unpastuerized milk from only the Franche-Comte region of western France (bordering with Switzerland). Roughly 40,000 tonnes of this beautiful cheese is produced annually making it the highest production cheese of all French aoc protected cheeses. Interesting fact: it takes up to 600 liters of milk to make one wheel of Comte (keep that in mind the next time you pick your milk up!) This cheese comes rich with history dating back to the early 12th century when shepherds would spend the summer months in their remote huts of the Jura massif. The distance from towns of any size meant that any cheese they made would need to mature over a period of months. The milk was pooled between neighboring shepherds and the huge wheels would be stored until being taken to the market at the end of the season. This massive wheel that now braces our shelf here at The Village Cheesemonger has been carefully matured for 2 years by a master affinure to ensure you the customer get to enjoy its wonderfully complex flavor notes. It has a nice sharp taste with undertones of mushrooms and caramelized notes. This cheese is bound to be the talking point of any family Dinner or get together. check out this yummy reciepe for a Zucchini Gratin using COMTE: http://www.comte-usa.com/uploads/PDF/recipes/Gratin_Zucchini_Comte.pdf

Pairs wonderfully with dry arbois whites, vin jaune, champagne or Alsace Pinot noirs.

QUICK DINNER FIX... THE CHEESE GUYS GOT YOU!

Everyone has been working hard all week and its finally friday. You finish work get home and think "i want to have a fun night BUT i need fuel and DONT want to spend hours in the kitchen! well have no fear we have you totally covered at The Village Cheesemonger. Aside from our ever expanding cheese assortment we are slowly introducing delicious locally sourced and produced meats from right here in Toronto and the surrounding area. Tonight we suggest making a simple quick and easy fall classic meal, Grilled Smoked Pork Chops with Baked mashed potatoes loaded with our Avonlea PEI clothbound cheddar accompanied by a pear and roasted garlic chutney. From At "This little Pig" @thispig we proudly introduce there succulent smoked ethically and locally raised pork chop grill for 4 minutes on each side and your ready to serve. For our "PEI AVONLEA Clothbound Cheddar Mashed Potatoes" simply boil up four nice size spuds (peeled and cubed) until nice and tender. Remove from water and mash with a nice generous serving of our Cows Creamery Salted Butter (nothing wrong with 84% butter with sea salt get stuck in folks!) add one egg yolk and 3/4's of a cup of grated Avonlea Cheddar. Mix together and place in a 410 degree pre heated oven for 15 mins or until golden brown on top (crispier the top the better). If your feeling confident go ahead and turn on your broiler on high to execute the perfect browned top on the taters. serve with the smoked pork chop and add a dollop of our friends at @stasispreserves pear and roasted garlic chutney just to add a little zing to the chop. good eats folks...

DONT FORGET TO FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @TOcheesemonger and @TOfromagedude for day to day posts from the shop.

Valdeon - goats milk blue cheese? yes please.

Valedon - one of the new additions to our cheese selection is quickly becoming one of our most popular. A goat's milk blue cheese and beautifully full-flavored, this blue cheese is wrapped in Sycamore leaves which is the main reason for it's deliciously intricate flavor - and of course its distinctive appearance. It's an award winner being named the best blue cheese in 2003 in Spain. Gotta love the winners. Pair this beauty with smoked and cured meats for an intense experience and it has also been a fantastic addition on a great steak. Best wine pairings include wine made from the Gamay grape such as Beaujolais, as well as Muscats.

Click for a fabulous recipe for Smoked Paprika-Rubbed Steak with Valedon Butter

Enjoy!

A New Cheese in the House - Chevre Noir

"If Cheddar is the little black dress of Canadian Cheese, than Chevre Noir is the Chanel classic with a twist" - The Globe and Mail

This beautifully smooth cheese has now made it's way over to The Village Cheesemoger for the enjoyment of cheese lovers city wide!

Made from goat's milk, Chevre Noir is very different from other chevres because it is actually more similar to a cheddar than anything else. The white cheese is covered in two layers of black wax and has a distinctive flavor with hard, crumbly yet smooth textures.

Chèvre Noir is a true maturing cheddar - it ages gracefully. It is ripened for a minimum of one year before being sold, but can be aged for two years or longer.

As a result of the aging process, the flavors of Chèvre Noir are quite complex and rich. They range from a nutty and sweet combo with a touch of caramel in the aftertaste. A distinctive property of this fabulous cheese is the slight crunch that is detected due to lactose crystals, which provide added flavor and develop in small pockets within the cheese.

So, why not make an excuse to enjoy this classic cheese? You can pair it perfectly with a glass of ice wine, or keep it cool and casual by pairing it with a heavy malt beer. Whatever way you choose to serve it, it will be an enjoyable treat for everyone!


~ The Village Cheesemonger

Cheese of the Week - Guernsey Girl

Who doesn't love a nice Greek saganaki dish? I mean, let's get serious, flaming cheese + Bread always equals a great time.

Usable in just about any salad, sandwich, with french toast or just own it's own, Guernsey Girl cheese is a cheese you can grill to perfection and pair with any meal.

Once grilled, this halloumi-style cheese is a crunchy, squeaky treat. A cheese that is made for cooking, it becomes very crispy on the outside but retains the chewy texture of fresh cheese curds. A very rich cheese that pairs perfectly with maple syrup for breakfast and a green salad for dinner.

One of The Village Cheesemonger's personal favorite picks - especially for the upcoming summer months where anything grilled fits the menu!

PANINIS ARE HERE!

Starting tomorrow The Village Cheesemonger will officially be launching their lunchtime Panini Sandwiches. After much anticipation and alot of greatly appreciated keen interest from the Liberty Village crowd, we are very excited to announce this tasty addition to our store. Each sandwich will feature a different specialty cheese (or cheeses!).

This week we will begin with 4 exciting varieties:

Double Crème Brie, Prosciutto, Arugula & Homemade Pesto

Swiss, Turkey, Apples & Honey Mustard

5 Year Aged Cheddar & Pancetta

The ULTIMATE grilled cheese
Italian Fontina, Brie & Truffled Pecorino

BURRATA IS FINALLY IN!

Burrata cheese has finally arrived at The Village Cheesemonger. With only a few select specialty stores in the city carrying this unique and utterly addictive cheese - we are happy to now be a proud carrier of this amazing product.

This cheese could not have arrived at a better time because it is absolutely perfect for summer dishes. My favorite way to eat it? I like to serve it over a bed of arugula with cold-pressed olive oil and some fresh oven roasted campari tomatoes. Add a good pinch of fresh sea salt and enjoy!

Best consumed as close to production as possible, we suggest you let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving it. Unwrap it and let the water on the outside drain off.

This time-sensitive cheese is the best when its fresh - let us know if you are a burrata lover so we can make sure we have some on hand for you whenever you want it!

Cheese of the Week: L'Hercule de Charlevoix

The Hercules of cheese (literally) is this weeks feature at The Village Cheesemonger.



Legend has it that Jean-Baptiste Grenon, nicknamed Hercules of the North, was so strong that when captured by General Wolfe's troops in 1759 he fought hard enough that they couldn't slip the noose around his neck to hang him. His strength so astounded the English that they released the uncontrollable Frenchman.

It's an appropriate symbol for the level of determination the Labbé family cheese makers in Baie-St-Paul, Que., show in monitoring the pristine quality of their milk.

Every wheel of L'Hercule comes from a small herd of 30 Jersey cows on the Stessi farm located one kilometre from the Laiterie Charlevoix cheese making facility. Jersey milk was specifically chosen for its high protein and fat content, which imparts a smooth texture and rich flavour that becomes more complex during aging. First released at six months old in July, 2007, wheels of L'Hercule are now available further ripened to 18 months of age.

The flavour and supple texture of the cheese gives a nod to such greats as French Comté and Swiss Gruyère. The younger cheese is mild with a fruity aroma and sweet flavour, followed by a tangy finish. By 18 months the aroma is creamier and more complex, and the sharper finish has mellowed to a full, nutty finale that is enhanced by the earthy, toasted flavour of the rind. These traits and its larger wheel size (12-14 kilograms) make L'Hercule de Charlevoix a unique style of cheese in Canada.

Though the Stessi farm's Jersey cows do not graze at alpine elevations, the flavours from their milk and the production process result in a cheese reminiscent of the "mountain style" cheeses made in Europe since the middle ages.

Mountain cheeses are made with milk from cows that graze at high elevations in alpine regions. Because of the type of grasses, herbs and wildflowers growing at these elevations, alpine cheeses develop wonderful herbal, fruity and nutty flavours that reflect their terroir. By cooking the curds, cheese makers can eliminate as much moisture as possible from the cheese allowing the wheels to be preserved and aged to last families through lean winter months. Using large moulds for forming the cheese is a matter of efficiency; it's easier to transport a few large wheels (some as large as 75 kilograms) than dozens of small ones.

Like mountain-style cheeses, L'Hercule de Charlevoix is a cooked, pressed cheese that is non-pasteurized and has a dense, slightly springy paste. While ripening, the exterior is brine-washed to encourage development of its natural rind.

Beppi's wine matches

Should you have any old white Burgundies kicking around in the basement, this cheese may be a good excuse to haul them up and enjoy. An old Chablis in particular would be ideal. White Burgundy (a dry style of chardonnay from central-eastern France) tends to develop an attractively nutty tang, and that's the quality you want to look for when pairing this cheese. You can also find that flavour in white Riojasfrom Spain, which tend to be sold with a bit of age on them already and generally cost less than Burgundies (but regrettably are much harder to find). Also good would be an amontillado sherry. Among other whites, consider pretty much any dry wine from Alsace, France, such as riesling or gewurztraminer.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article700695.ece

Want to know more about the store? Check out these great reviews!

http://www.blogto.com/grocery/village-cheesemonger-toronto

http://www.thecdaily.com/2010/05/06/the-village-cheesemonger-liberty-village-toronto/

http://www.yelp.ca/biz/the-village-cheesemonger-toronto

http://www.yelp.ca/biz/the-village-cheesemonger-toronto

SPECIAL MOTHER'S DAY PROMOTION

MOTHER'S DAY SPECIAL

Visit The Village Cheesemonger in liberty Village before Sunday & mention our twitter, blog or facebook page to recieve 10% off your purchases!

Cheese of the Week - Goat Chevre

With Mothers Day upon us this weekend. I can't help but associate this day with a great brunch. What better addition to a great brunch than some cream cheese? And not just any cream cheese - Goat Chevre. This extremely moist and extra creamy goat's milk cheese contains no artificial additives which makes it an ideal and health conscious alternative to regular cream cheese. It is perfect for spreading on bagels, pita, crackers or toast.

This week, The Village Cheesemonger is featuring their wide variety of goat cheese bagel chevre with 6 unique flavors to choose from:

PLAIN JANE
COUNTRY MAPLE
GARLIC CHIVE
DILL WEED AND LEMON
LAVENDER
LEMON THYME CRACKED PEPPER

Let's step outside the box with the amazing varieties The Village Cheesemonger has to offer for Mom this weekend.

Nothing says 'I love you Mom' better than Cheese!

Tired of giving Mom the same old Mother's Day gifts? Flowers... Picture Frames...or dare I mention a "World's BEST Mom" coffee mug?

Looking for the perfect gift for Mom this weekend and not sure where to find it? Look no further than The Village Cheesemonger in Liberty Village.

Get creative this year by putting together a custom Mother's Day package with options including beautifully hand-made raw-edge wooden cheese boards for entertaining, some of the world's best quality and beautifully packaged imported aged balsamic vinegars and olive oils and much more to choose from.

And of course - what other perfect way to thank Mom for all that she does than bringing over a delicious cheese plate to finish off a Mother's Day Brunch or Dinner?

This week, The Village Cheesemonger is featuring a variety of soft cheeses including Goats Milk Cream Cheeses (perfect for brunch) with flavours including Maple Chevre, Dill Weed and even Lavander! Additionally we are featuring our specialty buffalo mozzarella's (including buffalo mozzarella with truffles) imported straight from Italy.

Pack it all up and wrap it in a pink bow and give Mom a truly delicious Mother's Day!

Who is The Village Cheesemonger?

The Village Cheesemonger is Located in the Liberty Market Building in unit 155. This location is conveniently tucked in the heart of Liberty Village, Toronto.

The Village Cheesemonger's values are built on dedication, quality and commitment to our community, customers and our cheese. Our mission is simple; to provide and maintain the highest standards of customer service and quality control. Our goal is to create lasting relationships with our customers built on value, quality, dependability and a thorough understanding of our customers' needs.

As of April 24th 2010 we have now opened with over 150 different varieties of gourmet cheeses from around the world. We are also proud to carry many of Canada's world renowned and award-winning cheeses. Additionally, we feature a "pantry" section containing an exclusive line of various olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars, and other gourmet accompaniments such as tapenades, chutneys, artisanal crackers from France, Spain and Italy.....and much more!

The Village Cheesemonger has a promising future. We believe that we will provide a superior Canadian-made product to our customers, a level of product knowledge far surpassing that of our competitors and a level of customer service that will create lasting relationships. The Village Cheesemonger is passionate about cheese; passionate about supporting our community and local economy and most importantly we are passionate in becoming a benchmark in the retail cheese industry.

The Village Cheesemonger --- Have you been?