The thing that poped out at me about this cheese was the intense orange rind, which was very contrasted by the green mold present on the rind. It reminded me of like an Alice in Wonderland color scheme. The cheese guy said he liked it (as well as every other cheese I asked him about, heh), so I thought I would give it a try. Besides I wanted to explore washed rinds some more after the livarot experience...
Taleggio is a soft raw cows milk D.O.C. cheese from Italy.
After I unrapped it and room tempered it, I gave it a nosing over. Smells like white wine vinegar. It had a very faint vegetable smell (and taste) to it as well. It reminded me of my favorite cucumber recipe: Skinned cubed lemon cucumbers soaked in white wine vinegar sprinkled with some fresh ground black pepper. If you have never had a lemon cucumber you are missing out, they add a whole new level to the cucumber experience.
I had read that this cheese is tart. It is. I would say it is sour. It is a full bodied sour though, not like an atomic warhead or anything. It would probably be good spread on a bagel with some locks. And there is still that lovely hint of cucumber...
I always eat my cheese straight, no chaser, though. Well maybe some table water crackers every once in a while.
Posted by miguel at September 26, 2003 06:01 PM | TrackBack