Cheese of the Month May: Alpindon

Left: Dairy Cow. Right: Alpindon Cheese.

Eat is happy to announce we will be featuring one “Cheese of the month” article each month online. Expand your cheese tastes!

Spring is in full swing and what better way to celebrate it than with a B.C. cheese made with the finest raw milk from cows grazing on richly green, rapidly growing grass. Behold Alpindon, an aged cheese made by Kootenay Meadows, a family of organic cheese makers in Creston, B.C.

Alpindon takes the definition of a “farmstead cheese” to a whole new level. Not only does Kootenay Meadows use the milk from their own dairy cows to make the cheese, they grow their own feed as well.

“It’s a concentrated expression of our farm and the land that we love,” explained Nadine Harris Ben-Rabha, cheese maker and sales and office manager at Kootenay Meadows. “We raise everything on our farm directly from the soil.”

Alpindon is a seasonal alpine-style cheese typical of those made in France’s Savoie region. The spring and summer milk used to make the cheese is exclusively grass-fed, raw and organic, resulting in a high quality, nutrient-dense product, and a complex flavour profile. Similar to Gruyère, Comté or Beaufort, Alpindon is aged a minimum of six months, which builds a bold taste and complex flavour profile.

“It’s feisty,” said Allison Spurrell, owner of Les Amis du Fromage. “I definitely think it’s strong and has its own opinion”.

Its sweet, caramel beginning and complex, nutty finish seems to be pleasing the taste buds of several Vancouverites.

“We sell tons and tons and tons,” said Spurrell.

Spurrell suggests pairing Alpindon with spicy white wines like Viogniers, Gewurztraminers and Rieslings to complement its earthy taste. Although Spurrell and Harris Ben-Rabha agree that it is best eaten alone, slice by slice, it can be used in a variety of cooking applications. Try adding slivers to a salad, shaving it over grilled asparagus or incorporating it into potatoes gratin.

Alpindon is best enjoyed at this time of year, as the wheels that are currently being sold have been aging since last summer, resulting in a mature, developed flavour and delicious crystallization.