Monthly Club’s Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club: Review
There are two types of people in the world: those who love gourmet cheese and those who haven’t tried it. As far as I know, it’s safe to eat cheese wrapped in plastic. So to the latter group I apologize for disturbing your perfectly bland adequate grilled-cheeses.
As for the rest of you cheese connoisseurs, listen up! You know what’s out there: Bleu, Gouda, Parmigiano, Gruyere, Comte (or as Kraft-singles fans would call them, “stinky cheeses”). Now, Monthly Club’s Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club sends aged-to-perfection artisan cheeses from world-famous farmhouse creameries straight to you.
With The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club, you get 3 cheeses a month. The international variety will amaze you, and the 1/2 pound a cheese every month? You won’t know what to eat without it.
January’s Gourmet Cheeses of the Month:
Stilton, Emmentaler Classic, and the Montchevré Goat Cheese Log
No better way to start a new
year than with this classic cheese trifecta. First, the Stilton.
The monthly newsletter, In Pursuit of Cheese, gave lots of great history on this favorite Blue cheese. Surprising to read Stilton got its name from a popular English marketplace, not where they started making it. Guess they thought “Melton Mowbray” didn’t roll off the tongue. I beg to differ!
As for taste, this semi-soft cheese was so rich and creamy that I actually saved some for later. The taste is mild and mellow enough that even amateur cheese-tasters might like it. That is, until Stilton’s pungent, salty-nut aftertaste kicks in.
Like many people, the new year means new healthy eating habits. I’m choosing to believe crumbling Stilton in my salad qualifies . It’s all-natural, after all! If that fails, I’ll reward myself with Stilton for dessert at the end of the week.
Overall, I’d say the “The King of Cheese” has earned its title as British royalty. Plus unlike other royal family members, Stilton’s not the kind to find himself in any naked photo scandals.
On to the Emmentaler Classic.
If there’s such a thing as a “Cheese Personality” quiz, I’m sure I’d be a Swiss. Why so sure? I’m mellow, sweet and just a little nutty. With a holey disposition.
Naturally then, the Emmentaler was my favorite cheese this month. It’s aged 4 months, semi-firm, and cut from a 220 pound wheel. For frame of reference, that’s about twice what I weigh in pure, delicious Swiss.
The taste? So good. I’d say more, but cheese lovers already know and love this Swiss. However, I recommend you check out the newsletter to find out where Swiss gets its holes. No spoilers, but it turns out Emmentaler’s walnut-sized holes are a strong indicator of quality. Might explain why store-bought Swiss holes are so puny.
Last but not least, the Montchevré Goat Cheese.
Wisconsin cheese has made quite a name for itself in international cheese circles. The Montchevré is no exception.
Preservatives: even though you can’t taste them, you can always tell when they’re there. But rest assured, I’m 100% sure this log is end to end of 100% natural goat’s milk. Amish farmer’s milk, to be precise. Doesn’t get more organic than that.
As for my diet, the monthly newsletter says goat cheese has 2x the calcium with 1/2 the fat of cream-based cheeses. I wish I’d known sooner! I ate mine cold, though there’s really no wrong way to eat this soft cheese. It’ll be worth trying with fruit, in recipes, and of course, paired with wine.
Cheese aside, I can’t say enough about the excellent customer service from MonthlyClubs.com. Cheese can’t be as easy to ship as they make it look. Gourmet cheese lovers, let me cut right through it...I mean, to it. Start sending or receiving The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club today.
