It's hard to make a commitment to just one cheese. You can fall head over heels for a rich, seductive double crème but you know that for your own good the dalliance must end. The wonderfully stinky washed rinds are an exhilarating ride, but not a partner you want to wake up to, and poor cheddar, the reliable cheese-next-door, may leave you craving adventure.
Which is why you should commit - at least for a few wedges - to Le Blackburn, a non-pasteurized, cow's milk cheese from Fromagerie Blackburn in Jonquière, Que. Aged six months to a year, it becomes wonderfully nuanced in flavour and will be equally at home charming guests at a dinner party as satisfying late-night cravings.
Le Blackburn is made in 10-kilogram cylinders and covered in a thin, copper-coloured rind. Its paste is a pale yellow and the fine cracks in its texture hint at the crumble that is characteristic of its moist, fresh interior. The aroma is rich and promises a full, complex flavour. While it's salty and creamy off the top, slightly sour notes roll out on the palate but never overwhelm. Le Blackburn's big flavour doesn't bully, rather it befriends with its persistence. The linger is long, with a pleasant sensation reminiscent of the fullness and savour of a roast chicken jus.
The texture and crumble come from the production process. Cheese maker Marie-Josée Blackburn explains that they press the cheese to expel the whey and then put the curd through a mill to cut it very fine, after which it gets salted. It is then put into the moulds and pressed again. During affinage, which happens in a ripening room dedicated to Le Blackburn, the rind is brushed regularly until the initial sticky, moist exterior becomes dry. The milk comes from the Blackburn family farm (La Ferme A.B.G Blackburn), and is thermalized - not technically raw, but treated with a gentle heating process that preserves much of the milk's original character.
The Blackburn farm was established 80 years ago by Marie-Josée's great-grandfather Napoleon. Le Blackburn is one of the first cheeses the family developed and was based on a cheese that is an ancestor to cheddar. Due to its long aging, the Blackburns needed to also make products that could get to market faster, one of which became the mouthwatering, washed-rind cheese Mont Jacob.
Le Blackburn is named to honour the family's history, says Ms. Blackburn, "According to us, family represents one of the biggest riches. My brother, my cousins and I are the fourth generation. I am passionate about cheese but the reason I love my job most is that I am surrounded by members of my family." The family's philosophy is to unite their skills to create products that will captivate even the most discerning palate.
Le Blackburn certainly has the traits to woo any cheese lover: a firm body, mature disposition and he packs well for long walks along the beach. Most important, he looks just like his picture.
On the block
CHEESE Le Blackburn
ORIGIN Jonquière, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean area in Quebec
MILK thermalized cow (Holstein)
PRODUCER Fromagerie Blackburn
CHEESEMAKERS Marie-Josée Blackburn and Nicolas Blackburn
TYPE farmstead, firm, pressed, exterior ripened, brushed rind (aged 6-12 months)
SHAPE 10-kilogram cylinder
(10" diameter, 12" high)
DISTRIBUTORS Frigo National, Fromagerie Atwater, Benton Brothers and Provincial Fine Foods
Availability
Vancouver: Benton Brothers, Mount Pleasant Cheese
Saskatoon: Souleio Foods
Ottawa: Farm Boy
London, Ont.: Smith Cheese
Toronto: Nature's Emporium, Pusateri's, Loblaws, Summerhill Market
Guelph, Ont.: Ouderkirk & Taylor
Montreal: Le Marché des
Saveurs du Québec (Jean-Talon Market)
St. John's: Belbin's Grocery
Sue Riedl studied at the Cordon Bleu in London.