Three top Ontario cheeses to sink your knife into
Local artisanal creations are appearing on the handsomest cheese boards in town
What: Evanturel from Thornloe Cheese
Why: Creamy and sweet with an earthy note of mushrooms, this cow’s milk cheese with a bloomy rind has a morbier-esque streak of vegetable ash that’s French in spirit but Canadian at heart.
Where: About Cheese, 483 Church St., 416-925-8659.
What: Burrata from Bella Casara
Why: Oozing its rich centre of cream-bound curds, this truly local cheese—it’s made in Vaughan—only needs good olive oil, sea salt and a spoon.
Where: The Village Cheesemonger, 171 East Liberty St., No. 155, 647-347-4003.
What: Toscano from Monforte Dairy
Why: Cheese Boutique’s Afrim Pristine ages Ruth Klahsen’s pioneering sheep’s milk formaggio for 15 months, which amplifies the bold, fruity flavours and crumble factor.
Where: Cheese Boutique, 45 Ripley Ave., 416-762-6292.
(Image: From left, Thornloe’s Evanturel, Bella Casara’s burrata and Monforte’s Toscano, by Christopher Stevenson)
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Lovely to read about Thornloe’s Evanturel cheese being appreciated in Toronto. But don’t stop there! This small Northern Ontario cheese factory has re-invented itself, and makes many very fine cheeses, including Charlton, a goats’ milk cheese, that is among the very best I have ever eaten. All their cheeses are named for local towns or townships, and each is distinctive.