Yum! Spring food trends: Cheese

"Cheese -- milk's leap toward immortality.”
--Clifton Fadiman

On April 6, the Test Kitchen staff attended the cheesiest event of the year -- the Canadian Grand Prix of Cheese. Every two years the Dairy Farmers of Canada hold this prestigious competition to recognize and celebrate the best in Canadian cheesemaking.

This year, 189 cow's milk cheeses were submitted, then judged by a panel of eight “cheeseheads” (including our own Elizabeth Baird), then whittled down to 41 finalists in 16 categories and one Grand Champion.

The Grand Champion
This year's Grand Champion is the wonderful La Sauvagine (winner of the Washed-Rind Cheese category) from La Fromagerie Alexis de Portneuf in Quebec.

It's a lovely, creamy cheese with a moist edible rind and smooth, delicate paste with hints of butter and mushrooms. Look for it soon at your local cheesemonger.

Other favourites
Besides the Grand Champion, we tasted the winners in all 16 categories. There were some awesome cheeses presented but these are the ones we particularly liked:

Triple Crème Du Village de Warwick, Fromage Côté Limitée (Quebec):
This Soft Cheese category winner was a favourite because of its soft and savoury paste with hazelnut and butter notes.

Gouda, That Dutchman's Farm (Nova Scotia) :
We wrote about this Firm Cheese category winner a few months ago and it's still one of our favourites. Their Dragon's Breath cheese was also a blue cheese finalist but sadly, we didn't get to taste it because Blue Benedictine won the category. We won't complain too much though, as Blue Benedictine is a delightful semisoft, slightly salty blue-veined cheese from Quebec that we always enjoy.

Miranda, Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser (Quebec):
We loved the nutty aroma and smooth flavour of this Swiss-style Cheese winner. By the way, his Morbier-style Le Douanier won Grand Champion in 2004 and is still worth seeking out.

Sylvan Star (Alberta):
These cheesemakers wowed us with their fabulous Goudas and took top honours in three categories. Their delicately smoked Gouda won Flavoured Cheese with Added Non-Particulate Flavouring. Their peppery Spiced Gouda won Flavoured Cheese with Added Particulate Solids and Flavouring. And their crumbly, caramel-flavoured Extra Aged Gouda won Artisanal Farmhouse Cheese.We look forward to tasting more from them in the future.

Looking for new cheeses to try? Got a new favourite you want to share? Discuss with other readers in our forums!