I bought cheese in the park

Just call me the omelette-master (mistress?): I have figured out how to make a one-egg omelette, which is perfect as a second course for breakfast. My latest favourite filling (as seen above) is garlic-sauteed organic rainbow chard and fresh feta from Monforte Dairy, both of which I bought at the Trinity Bellwoods' farmers' market on Tuesday afternoon.

There's something fun about buying cheese in a park direct from the cheesemaker. But the Monforte Dairy cheese is no novelty: it's delicious. The feta I bought for $5 (which I later saw in a store for $8.99) is the best I've had this summer.

As you may remember, I was trying to track down Monforte's Halloumi earlier this summer but had no luck. Next week, though, the cheesemaker (who also tried to sell me on the merits of an unlabelled smoked cheese that I thought might be Halloumi) has promised to bring some to the market. If it's as good as the feta, that would be excellent...

Saint Morgon vs. Cheap Feta

Saint Morgon: $6.99/200g at Fiesta Farms

One of the reasons I went nuts and bought three kinds of cheese yesterday was that it was pay day and I suddenly had a bit of money in my bank account (hooray for direct deposit!). Before most of it was funneled towards my VISA bill, I felt like treating myself and spending a bit of hard-earned cash on cheese -- especially in light of my last cheese purchase: a 123-gram piece of sub-par feta bought at the ultra-budget No Frills near my house for $2.18 (which may have been the cheapest piece of cheese for sale in the entire store) because I couldn't bear the thought of not eating any cheese for a week.

So what's the difference between cheap cheese and not-so-cheap cheese? It's probably not fair to compare these two particular cheeses since the two types are vastly different but I've been thinking about the price of cheese ever since laying eyes on the super-tiny tubs of $12.95 Salt Spring Island Chevre at Whole Foods and then seeing the $9.95 Buffalo Mozzarella yesterday at Fiesta Farms. I'm all for paying more to get a higher quality product. If there's anything I've learned reading food books and Gourmet magazine all summer it's that it's all about the ingredients. Case in point: the basil pesto I made with high-end, Whole Foods-purchased parmesan reggiano while housesitting for C. was one of the best pestos I've ever made (I was so proud of it that I made T. and W. try spoonfuls of it fresh out of the food processor).

Anyway, the cheap feta I've been eating in salad all week was fine - it was crumbly and salty and went well with my sweet, garlicky homemade dressing - but it didn't blow my mind. Since starting this cheese project, there have only been two cheese that have done that (metaphorically, of course): one was the anonymous pecorino I had back in May and the other was a free sample of a soft cheese I tried at Whole Foods while purchasing the aforementioned expensive parmesan. Both had overwhelming flavour and you didn't need to eat much to get a sense of that. The cheese I popped in my mouth at Whole Foods (straight because it was the last bit on the tray and there were no more crackers) was like a meal in a mouthful. That's worth paying for.

Desiring a similar treat, I shelled out $6.99 for Saint Morgon at Fiesta Farms and bought an Ace Bakery demi-baguette to eat with it. Even wrapped up in plastic and wax paper, it smelled mildly stinky (like sweaty socks, actually) and the labelling on the bottom of the package assured me that it was "affiné" (ripened). I tried some smeared on the bread after I'd squeezed all the fruit in the fridge. What I noticed first of all was that it was salty. The flavour was mild at first, then started to get stronger but was never overwhelming in the way I wanted it to be. No aftertaste, though, which is a good thing, and though it's a full-fat soft cheese, it wasn't too creamy-tasting either.

But was it worth the cost? I mean, I will eat it and enjoy it (I had some more this morning) but I probably won't buy it again. When you're cheese-shopping on a budget, as I am, I think you want better R.O.I. (return on investment). Which has made me think that I need to sample expensive cheeses before purchasing them. If my "cheap feta" had turned out to be crappy, which it wasn't, it wouldn't have mattered because I spent so little on it but I can't help but feel a little ripped-of by the Saint Morgon...

Note #1: that's not a real ant in the feta picture, it's plastic

Note #2: Maybe the Saint Morgon just isn't meant for eating on bread. The Juniper Grill & Wine Bar in Orangeville uses it in a cooked appetizer: "Escargots, mushroom & Saint Morgon cheese perogy with sorrel sauce" (only $9 if you're willing to make the drive out of town and the rest of the menu looks good, too)

Cheese No. 5

Today's lunch: Goat feta, smoked tofu, Ryvita, Gala apple, bread

Without further delay, allow me to introduce the cheese I have been chipping away at for the last ten days:

Goat Feta (22% M.F.), Woolwich Dairy (Orangeville, ON), $need to check the fridge

Definitely one of the most flavourful cheeses I have tried this year, though I've been mostly eating it "straight" with crackers and bread since the vegetable ingredients needed for greek salad are terribly out of season. As far as fetas go, this one by Canada's leading goat's milk cheese producer (motto: "We've Got Your Goat") is not at all crumbly and has a real strong (tangy?) goat-y taste to it, not too salty either. Also, for strict vegetarians, you'll be happy to learn that it's rennet-free.

However, like Jarlsberg, the history of feta may be more interesting than its taste.

Courtesy of Wikipedia, I learned that feta is one of the oldest cheeses in the world and the traditional way to make this cheese is to use exclusively goat's milk or sheep's milk -- cow's milk feta is viewed as "non-authentic" by purists and Greeks (more on them below). The cheese is formed into blocks which are salted, and, traditionally, served sliced, which is where the cheese gets its name: "fetta" means "slice in Italian.

Of course, being a cheese with European origins, Feta has been embroiled in the whole "regional foodstuffs" debate. So in the same way that Champagne can only be use to describe sparkling wine from a particular region in France, Feta is a protected designation of origin cheese, meaning that, within the European Union, the name "feta" can only be used for the Greek stuff - not that similar stuff made by the Danes (aka, The Cheese Formerly Known as Feta Until We Lost a Lengthy Legal Battle). Apparently in Canada, we only respect PDO names when it comes to wine and spirits, which is why it's okay for the Woolwich Dairy to label their product as "feta."

When I started doing further research, I discovered there's a whole website devoted to the promotion of Greek feta, complete with A CHEESE VIDEOGAME called Feta Invaders. Very cool, even if it is just a marketing tool to get young people more interested in the cheese.

Bonus info: on the Woolwich Dairy website, I learned that the foods that pair nicely with goat cheese are: figs, pears, grapes, and apples, and Pinot Noir should be your wine choice.

PS - I'm actually not doing that bad if we're only 3 weeks into January and I'm already on my fifth cheese of the month.