Babysitting the Brie

Originally Published on October 21, 2010

One of the main reasons I returned to Canada this summer was to learn new things in the kitchen. Work at the winery has kept me hopping and I haven’t been able to get to the cooking schools I wanted to visit, but I did something that was far more exciting to me. I learned to make cheese! Doreen Sullivan and her husband Peter teach cheesemaking out of their home in Niagara Falls. This is a couple who shares a passion for cheese and they teach and entertain with flair and enthusiasm. In July, I called to get in on one of their courses and the earliest opening they had was for November. My plan was to be back in Cancun by November, but I figured I could leave the trip until after the workshop. Then the bad news — Roquefort cheese needs to mature for about 8 weeks, so there would be no way to eat the cheese unless I got into the course earlier in the year. My patience was rewarded when there was a drop-out for September 18th during the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival, the busiest day of the year at the winery. So sorry, can’t work, gotta make cheese. Oh, and I did!

The course ran from 8:45 until 3pm and included an amazing luncheon. Because the kitchen has to be spotless on cheesemaking days, the Sullivans prepare a cold lunch for the group of up to 8 students (our group included a man who smokes his own meats and
sausage, a woman originally from India who shared some wonderful tips and recipes, and several other food lovers). We were all expecting something simple because of the time constraints, but were rewarded with a phenomenal spread:

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Roasted Red Peppers, Cheese and Pesto
Marinated Shrimp Kabob with Mozzarella and Grape Tomatoes
Smoke Salmon and Gravlax (each served in its own Chinese spoon — ahhh and there were many spoons)
Dipping Sauces (Honey Dill Dijon, Lemon Mayo, Aioli)
Fresh-Baked Baguettes
Kalamata Olive Tapenade
Wasabi Guacamole
Salad with Microgreens, Dried Cranberries, Apricots, Pecans and Blue Cheese

The lunch alone was worth the cost of the course.

I had to run to work at the winery after the class, taking my little plastic containers of Camembert and Brie with me in the car. I also had my cheese journal and clear instructions. The cheese must be flipped at 4pm. Leaving guests sipping at the tasting bar, I ran out to the parking lot to empty the container of accumulated liquid that had drained from the cheese. Later that evening, I had to empty it and turn it again. And the next morning, etc., etc., etc.. So now my life revolved around babysitting my cheese. Plans to go to Crystal Beach were changed — should I take the cheese with me or return early from the weekend to flip it? This is a living organism that I brought to life and a grave responsibility. Suddenly, I was grateful for not having had children. I’m sure I would have left them in the cart at the supermarket by mistake. Or maybe on purpose.

Today is the day that I wrap my furry little Camembert in cheese paper. I’ve been poking my Roquefort with a knitting needle and it is beginning to turn blue and smell like feet so I know that all is well with my world. In just a couple of weeks, I’ll have a cheese-tasting party so that a half dozen of my friends can drink wine and eat the tiniest sliver of my little masterpieces. I’ll probably cry. It won’t be easy being an empty nester.

Besos,

Danielle