Les fromages du Québec?

I’ll soon be spending a few days in Hull/Gatineau, Québec, which I posted a query about a while ago on Beyond Chicagoland. Jlawrence responded there and alerted me to the treasures of the Byward Market, across the river in Ottawa.

So in between bouts of working on my conference paper I’m thinking of what I might bring back from that market. Perhaps a bottle of Pomme de Glace, recently described by Maple Leaf. Saskatoon berry jam, you bet. But I’m particularly interested in sampling and bringing home some of the artisanal cheeses of Québec. Now I believe, from the customs discussion a while back, that there should be no problem bringing in cheeses across the border, right?

A quick Googlification reveals that there are many cheeses being produced these days in Québec (click here for a list of some). Does anyone here have specific ones that they would recommend, artisanal or otherwise? Perhaps ones not so easy to find in the fromageries of Chicagoland?

Thanks in advance,
Amata

I had a number of the Quebec cheeses when I was up there this summer. Unfortunately I dont remember any names. They all were decent, though the only one that I really loved was a very young crottin style goat cheese. They have a number of raw milk cheeses, but I didnt find them to be any better than the regular pasturized ones. I had no problem bringing it back; in fact the US customs guy at the Montreal airport laughed at me when I asked if I had to declare cheese.
-Will

Ma très chère Amata...

[url=http://www.bonjourquebec.com/magazine/fr/gastronomie/05sept_fromages.php]Êtes-vous vache, chèvre ou brebis?
Loukiz-y! (link)[/url]

A

P.S. Porte mwè un stuc Chouffe, als 't u blieft.

Thanks, Will, the goat cheese sounds great!

****
Antonius: I was perplexed as to why you were vousvoyer-ing me till I clicked on the link. Well, as long as I'm not la vache qui rit...

Aimée

Amata wrote:Antonius: I was perplexed as to why you were vousvoyer-ing me till I clicked on the link. Well, as long as I'm not la vache qui rit...

Aimée

Mo ça est la tradichon, pour montrer le respect, niwo? Vous ne l'aimez pas? Ça t'embête? Allez.

A

I've mentioned before La Moutonniere. These guys produce beautiful fromage du brebis of all sorts: blue, washed, fresh (pasteurized, as their dairy is so small and old that they will need to rebuild before they go au lait cru). It was one of the few cheeses of Quebec that I used to import. There are many others, but few rival the quality or craftsmanship of La Moutonniere. There is also a three-year goat cheddar from Tournevent - Chevre Noir (not the two year, mind you) that they do not ship to the US. I found an interesting site with some cheese notes that may be of help: gremolata. The folks at Suisse Normande also make some lovely cheese - au lait cru - in cow or goat. I'm not sure of the quality, but it looks like they know what they are doing.

There's quite a bit of cheddar in Canada too, but owing to some onerous importation quotas and tariffs, we only see a few brands here (Black Diamond, most notably). Let me know if you taste something worth writing about.

We also used to import Chaput Fromager Affineur cheeses. Mostly Chaput is known as an affineur, but he also produces a few cheeses of note. Chaput cheese is typically extremely French in style and (for awhile) had some of the most pristine and authentic versions of Loire-style goat cheeses, as well as a slightly more durable Canadian version of Vacherin Mont D'or. They used to have a cheese shop in Montreal, but it has since been sold. There's a pretty good link here to Montreal's chowhound board with some info on the cheese shop scene, if you get a chance to go.


Good Luck

Thanks for the mention. Sometimes I wonder if my obscure ramblings really make a difference.

I may be wrong but it seems to me (from the 10+ summers that I spent in Eastern Ontario) that most of the great cheeses (and Canadian produced products) from that area generally make their way to the Byward Market (and are often sold by their producers).

Kensington Market performs the same function in Toronto.

Most Southern Ontario farmers and small food producers sell their products at the Public Market in Windsor or the Eastern Market in Detroit.

As for the customs question, I would call US Customs before attempting to bring meat or dairy products across the border. In the pre-mad cow era, I used to buy 40-50# of meat in Windsor and take it home with me. You will run into some agents who will find it incredulous that "you went to Canada to go grocery shopping" and will question you about it. Extensively. And annoyingly.

Good luck.

With cheese you can, I believe, bring in up to 5 lbs for personal consumption/use. Any more than that is tempting customs.

Hi Amata--

Quebec has long had a thriving dairy industry, and there has recently been a great revival of interest in artisanal cheesemaking as well as in artisanal foodstuffs of all kind, as evidenced by the store devoted solely to Quebec food products in the Jean Talon market that I posted about in the Montreal thread.

The most famous of Quebec’s small cheesemarkers is undoubtedly (and justifiably) Fromagerie Tournevent, which has won some international cheese competitions with their Chevre Noir. I think this cheese is available in both raw milk and pasteurized versions. Obviously the former would be more interesting.

A sentimental favorite that I have eaten since childhood is Oka, a Trappist-style cheese that was, I think, once made in a monastery outside Montreal (in the town of Oka), but is now produced by the diary giant Agropur. They make three versions now; the one you would want is Oka Classique, which is closest to the pungent traditional versions.

An award-wining cheese I tried on my last visit was Valbert, a nutty raw-milk cheese made by a family with roots in the Jura region of France.

A couple of others that I remember trying and liking include Alfred and Bleubry, the latter being a pasteurized blue cheese that my Dad and I enojy with port.

While I know nothing of the cheesemongers in Ottawa, where you are going, I thought I might end with a few words about cheesemongers in Montreal, since this thread may well be consulted by visitors to my hometown at some point.

My favorite cheesemonger is Fromagerie Hamel, which I have visited numerous times in the Marche Jean Talon. In addition to having a wide selection of Quebec cheeses, Hamel carries many imported raw-milk cheeses that they age with care.


www.fromageriehamel.com

They also have a small café where you can order some pre-set cheese plates, or, best of all, have a mixed plate of various cheeses and charcuterie in whatever amounts you want that you choose on a wander through the store. They serve beer and wine too.

I have not been to the three other locations listed on their website, so I can’t confirm if they have cafes there as well.

Maitre Corbeau is another small chain of excellent cheese stores, with a location on Laurier in the city and another location in he Marche de L’Ouest, a remarkable small food mall in the otherwise unremarkable suburb where I grew up (Dollard-des-Ormeaux).

Maître affineur Maître corbeau
1375, Laurier Est,
Montréal, Qc

Fromagerie Maître Corbeau
Marché de l’Ouest
11690, rue de Salaberry
Dollard-des-Ormeaux
Tél.
(514) 421-9944

I have also heard that the cheesemonger in the Atwater market is excellent, but I have not visited.

Thanks to all for the intriguing suggestions! I'm looking forward to shopping, and I'll provide a complete report when I get back.

Amata

There's also a nice frommagerie-deli on St. Laurent, east side of the street, up near the top of the hill (block or two south of Schwarz's, if memory serves) I can't for the life of me remember its name. They had some cheese that Hamil didn't, and they also seemed to have pretty good prices.

I've got a msg. in to a genuine foodie from Toronto, who's now teaching at Concordia. She'll know *all* about the local cheeses. I'll report as soon as I hear from her.

It is also with pleasure that I report that TODG will assume a new professorshipness at Concordia her very self, 3 Jan 06. Yes, we're leaving Whitewater for Montreal... We'll be the board's permanent ministers de cuisine in that fair city.

Geo