San Simón

Cheese Atlas — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 06:15:06 +0000

Some cheeses stand out because of their aroma. Others stand out because of their flavour. San Simón stands of because of both, and also its unique shape. Read on to discover this smoked cheese from Spain.

Where does San Simón come from?

While it might not be as well-known as Manchego or Mahón Curado, this Galician cheese is definitely just as spectacular. This traditional smoked cheese originates from Galicia in north-western Spain. To this day, artisanal cheesemakers make it using local milk and unique tear-drop shaped conical moulds. Once the cheese is shaped, they smoked it on birch wood for up to 90 minutes.

What does San Simón taste like?

After maturing for 2 months, the cheese develops a natural rich ochre rind around a semi-firm paste. More often than not, the interior of the cheese presents with small opening and is pale yellow in colour. Overall, it has a fairly mild flavour with notes of butter and delicate smoke.

How to serve San Simón

It can be enjoyed with fruit-based desserts. Serve with celery, fresh bread, hazelnuts or green apple tart. Furthermore, San Simón melts spectacularly and adds great flavour to casseroles and grilled cheese sandwiches. Serve as part of tapas with chorizo, olives and Marcona almonds. Finally, you can pair this gorgeous cheese with a glass of a local white wine or brut Cava.

Thank you for reading

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Smokey Blue

Cheese Atlas — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 00:35:23 +0000

Holy smokes! This is good!

Smokey Blue is a blue cheese made by Rogue Creamery in Oregon, USA.

Effectively, David Gremmels drew his inspiration from Smokey Bear when naming this unique cheese. Once they have formed the wheels of cheese, the cheesemaker cold-smokes them over Oregon hazelnut shells. Afterwards, they mature the wheels in a cave for 90 days.

A co-op founded in 1933

In 1933, an enterprising entrepreneur from Portland, Oregon, founded the Rogue River Valley Co-op. In collaboration with the community of Central Point, they built Southern Oregon’s first artisan creamery cooperative. Overall, their goal was to help local dairy farmers make ends meet during the Great Depression.

Unsurprisingly, the Rogue Valley proved to be a particularly effective area for rearing dairy cows. In addition to this, their milk was ideal for cheesemaking due to the area’s great soil and plentiful water. Soon after, two “cheese giants” took note, including Tom Vella, the famed cheesemaker. Over the years, he and his partner turned the little cooperative into a successful cheese manufacturing.

Learning from “The Godfather”

In 1998, Ignazio “Ig” Vella took over Rogue Creamery from his father, Tom. From the beginning, he preached the significance of artisan products and was dubbed “The Godfather of Artisan Cheese”.

After many decades of family ownership, Ig thought it was time to sell Rogue Creamery. Around the same time, he met local entrepreneur David Gremmels. Actually, David had been looking for local cheese to use in a wine bar he was planning to open in Ashland, Oregon.

From day one, David set his mind on creating new blue cheeses that celebrate the local terroir.

World’s first smoked blue cheese

Whilst Rogue River Blue is his most awarded cheese, David has developed an incredible range of cheeses at their production facility. Currently, their offerings include the very popular Caveman Blue and this unique smoked blue cheese.

Overall, the slow smoking process infuses the cheese with unique aromas. Indeed, your nose will detect notes of barrel-aged vanilla, bread pudding, and candied bacon. In addition to this, your palate will taste spicy-sweet flavours of honey, apple, and nectarine. And a mild “blue” finish.

How to serve Smokey Blue

Serve in a burger and deviled eggs. Moreover, this unique blue cheese pairs well with nut brittle or preserved fruits.

Stands up well to bigger red wines, including Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel or with an American Whiskey.

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