Irongate is washed with brine and leaves the cheese plant with a firm texture and just the faintest hint of brick coloured mould starting to develop on its rind. Once I receive the cheese I store it for one to two weeks in the climate controlled Fromagerie where the rind turns a deep brick red and the body ripens till it starts to run. The cheese is then cut, wrapped and sold, some customers (like myself) will then store the cheese for another fortnight or so till it’s at its rather intense peak.
When Irongate is young it has a delicate fruity yeasty aroma and rich savoury flavour, as it ages the aroma becomes more cabbage-like, palate more creamy and the flavour sharper. I often serve Irongate at the bar on Thursdays (that’s when the boys come round) with crackers and sweet mango chutney. Strong funky Belgian Ales match it well, although an English Barley Wine or Old Ale makes a good match as well.
I once carried a ½ square of Irongate around in the back of the car on a beer hunting road trip, it took no prisoners, insured there would be no fraternisation with the opposite sex and tasted absolutely amazing when we devoured the last bit.
5 comments:
Excellent cheese article! My current favourite is Stinking Bishop http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinking_Bishop_cheese
Alas not to be found in NZ but much was consumed by my wife and I on our beer hunting honeymoon!
Stinking Bishop is definitly a cheese I would love to try, anything thats had its rind washed in beer or cider is sure to be interesting.
There's no exaggeration in the description of the smell either!
Prisoner jokes aside, who says it couldn't lead to an encounter with the oppposite sex??
http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20070813_108168_108168&source=srch&page=1
photo and details at:
http://cheeseboutique.blogspot.com/2007/08/wedding-caked-in-cheese.html
Yeah maybe its the whole unshaven, un washed boys on a roadtrip thing that repels the ladies, haha.
I actually get asked to supply cheese for wedding cheese cakes 2 or 3 times a year, it seems to be getting more and more common here.
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