Love for Alpine Ash

Julaine’s current favourite cheese: Alpine Ash

Alpine Ash is modelled after the French Morbier. Traditionally made in the Alps in the winter months when cows produced less milk on a hay-only diet, the cheese makers of old would not have enough curd to entirely fill a cheese form with the morning’s curd. They’d sprinkle ash from the fire heating the cheese vat over the morning’s curd, then add more cheese after evening milking. This would result in a line of blue black ash through the cheese.

We mimic that process with vegetable ash created for cheesemaking. While it does not have a discernible flavour, it creates a striking marbled line through the cheese that is sure to be the highlight of your cheese board.

Creamy, flavourful, fruity, and very approachable even for the most hesitant cheese appetites, this cheese is my go-to snacking cheese at the moment. I love to dip it in Spicy Cranberry Jelly from the Bog in Fort Langley and pair it with a dry white wine or Pinot Noir OR just enjoy a chunk on its own with a cup of coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up.

And hey - don’t knock cheese and coffee until you’ve tried it. It sounds odd, but it works! ☺️Have you tried Alpine Ash? And what are your thoughts on cheese and coffee? Let me know in the comments! ❤️