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)
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.