#42 - Whitestone Probiotic Camembert

Probiotic cheese is an interesting concept.  First there are people who debate whether the beneficial probiotic cultures actually survive in cheese.  Actually, Fonterra developed and launched a healthy cheese that contained a probiotic culture quite a few years ago (it was called Mainland Inner Balance) and research showed that the probiotic culture was still present in high enough numbers to be labelled as such.  The product did not last on the market, I think it was also lower in fat and did not have great flavour.

I wander what is wrong with eating yoghurt or Yakult or similar to get your probiotic fix?  I'm not sure what value it adds to cheese if the culture doesn't have any extra ripening benefits e.g. flavour.   Anyway, enough of my observations, as Whitestone Cheese has had their probiotic camembert on the market for a few years now and it seems to be doing OK.  So when I saw some on special in the supermarket the other day, I thought I better try some.

The product looks great in its packaging.  It is nice to see a New Zealand company that has invested in decent packaging to keep its cheeses in a good environment, as well as presenting them attractively to the consumer.  The packaging is not wrapped tightly around the cheese like other supermarket camemberts, and I think the white mould rind looks better for it.  The packaging will also keep more moisture in, which also differentiates the product from the often hockey puck hard camembert found in NZ supermarkets.

The rind looks good with some darker areas of rind showing, not like the perfect white like many kiwis seem to expect.  I could even still see some depressions in the rind from where the cheese had been maturing on wire racks.

Looks pretty good compared to other supermarket camemberts in NZ!

The texture was moist, soft and smooth but not runny - what a perfect stabilised Camembert should be.  The flavour was creamy, but fairly plain.  There was nothing wrong with it, there just wasn't much to be excited about either.  On the whole, a pretty good supermarket camembert I thought.  And then...

The next day.

When I went back to the fridge the next day to have some more.... I found a very brown and unappealing cheese.  I can only attribute this to some sort of reaction with oxygen, as the brown was also under the rind as well as on the cut surfaces of the cheese.  I am guessing the package was filled with a 'modified atmosphere' and there has been some sort of browning reaction involving sugars from fermentation in the cheese which has been exposed' once the package was opened.  Whatever the case, I hope this was an unusual occurrence, and not one that consumers regularly see when they purchase this cheese!  

#41 - Chevre "Te Ma" from Kaikoura Artisan Cheese

Since arriving back in New Zealand almost a year ago, I have been on the lookout for some good chevre/fresh goats milk cheese.  We loved all the different fresh goat milk lactic cheeses that we worked with at Neal's Yard Dairy, and chevres that we tried in France.  It seems that there are a few around in New Zealand, but they are easier to get hold of if you live nearby.  Unfortunately for us in Palmerston North there is nothing local (until I get our shop up and running), so I've had to keep searching.

Kaikoura Artisan Cheese Company have recently launched a Chevre Fermier called "Te Ma".  When I previously wrote about Daniel & Sarah at Kaikoura, they were still developing their herd of Saanen dairy goats ready for milking.  Well a few months ago they started making Te Ma, and I was lucky enough to get a sample.

By the way, apologies for not using the correct Maori punctuation - Blogger does not have this option.  Anyway, in Maori "ma" means "be white, clean" etc and this is certainly apt for this cheese.

It had a clean aroma, with a slightly cultured, acidic note much like you expect from cream cheese.  The texture was soft and moist.  There was a little crumble from the acid in the curd, but this was more than balanced out by the moistness which gave a creamy texture.  When tasted, it is first acidic and sour and then some slight floral aromas develop as the cheese is swallowed.  The flavour was very fresh - no "goatiness" as many people expect from goats milk cheese.  This freshness is a sign the goats milk has been handled with care and has not been abused - which is not surprising as Daniel & Sarah's goats graze very close to their little cheese factory.

Personally, I would prefer to allow this cheese to dry out a little more before I eat it, to get a more fudgy texture (which is easy enough to do yourself anyway).  Although many people in New Zealand are unfamiliar with fresh goats cheese, I think it could become popular due to its versatility.  Some of the ways we like to eat it include: in many types of salad, on home made pizzas, with honey or fresh fruit, or on top of pasta or vege bakes in winter.

Te Ma before I devour it.

Daniel and Sarah with their (happy) Saanen goats.