By François Jobin
Chances are, this year’s family Christmas will be spent on Skype, Zoom or Messenger. Pandemic obliges. Hence the need to treat ourselves and our loved ones to something sweet, something comforting, so to speak, to take our minds off this special year.
How about a cheese platter? Quebec cheeses. To design it, we turned to one of our leading cheese merchants: Yannick Achim, from fromageries Yannick (Saint-Jérôme, Outremont, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Rosemont and Québec City).
To say he fell into cheesemaking as a child might be an exaggeration, but it was during his studies that Yannick Achim first became acquainted with cheeses. Starting out as a clerk for a Montreal cheese merchant, his curiosity led him to find out more about the products he was selling. In the course of his reading, he discovered a passion for these age-old products. At the age of 21, in response to a job offer from a cheese dairy in Saint-Jérôme, he boldly offered to buy the business, and in 1995, Yannick Achim became the owner of his first cheese dairy, which he set about bringing up to date. Since then, he has continued to expand his market.
In this special year, when family reunions and friends’ parties are in jeopardy, Yannick offers as a consolation a platter of five Quebec cheeses to brighten up the festive season and treat yourself.
As its name suggests, the Brebichon is a cheese made from sheep’s milk; the rind is washed twice with apple juice, which accentuates the aromas. This soft cheese won the prestigious Caseus award in 2010 and 2011. It is made in St-Joseph-du-Lac.
A semi-firm cheese from Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, this thermized cow’s milk cheese is made by the Guilbault family, father and son, both named Martin. It’s a creamy, buttery cheese whose name evokes the memory of Marguerite Bourgeois’ congregation, who ran the Saint-Gabriel farm for nearly three centuries without owning it, which is precisely the definition of a tenant farmer.
For lovers of goat’s milk cheeses, a log that’s both creamy and delicately flavored because it’s made from fresh milk. A product of Fromagerie du Ruban bleu, Montérégie.
No, this cheese doesn’t come from Italy, but from Saint-Lin, and bears the name of its producer Jason Fuoco. It’s a rarity on the Quebec landscape, since it’s made from buffalo milk, the richest of all milks used in cheese-making. However, it contains less cholesterol than cow’s milk.
Marc is Marc Séguin, painter, novelist, filmmaker and farmer, who designed the label for this cheese from Île-aux-grues. It’s a festive cheese similar to the Vacherins Mont d’or of France and Switzerland. It can be enjoyed as is, or heated slightly to release all the flavors that make life worth living.
Here’s hoping we’ve inspired you to create a beautiful table filled with local cheeses.
For the best advice and inspiration, drop by one of Yannick Fromagerie’s five branches:
Saint-Jérôme, Dollard-Des-Ormeaux (Marche de l’Ouest), Outremont, Rue Beaubien or Québec City.
We wish you all the best for a wonderful holiday season.
Chances are, this year’s family Christmas will be spent on Skype, Zoom or Messenger. Pandemic obliges. Hence the need to treat ourselves and our loved ones to something sweet, something comforting, so to speak, to take our minds off this special year.
