Mahón, on the island of Minorca off the Spanish coast, is known for producing this delicious cheese aptly named after the city. Temperaturized rather than pasteurized, it's a raw cow's milk cheese. It's distinctive bright orange color (here a bit browned from it being aged a year longer) comes from it's being rubbed with butter, oil, and paprika. This is a delicious example of the fine cheeses coming from Spain.Type of Milk: Cow, raw
Taste: Fruity and sweet, with a nice tang. It has a salty quality to it as the grass the cows eat often picks up a large salt content from the ocean air. The paprika rub lends a slight spice to it. While it can be a bit granulated, the one I sampled was semisoft with a nice giving texture.
Janet Fletcher notes, "The interior becomes golden and firmer as the cheese matures, and nut and caramel aromas develop that call to mind dulce de leche, the Mexican caramelized-milk dessert," (Cheese & Wine, p. 84).
Serve With: Perfect for a fruit platter or with strong, fruity red wines,preferably Spanish.
Sources:
- Fletcher, Janet. Cheese & Wine - a Guide to Selecting, Pairing, and Enjoying. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2006. 84.
- Mahón Cheese - Wikipedia
We buy this from a Spanish deli nearby. It is delicious.
ReplyDeleteEat Beast and Cid need their own blog. I think their input on the food you bring into your home would be entertaining.
And there has to be a place for the first Feline Food Blog.
i know your cheese posts are over for now, but i wanted to share one of my favorite cheese combos.
ReplyDeletei like to take dill havarti cheese and pair it with plain crackers, blueberies and starbucks' casi cielo coffee. the coffee links the blueberries and cheese nicely, but both change the taste of the coffee dramatically. it's really good on rainy days.