Cow's milk (Ayrshire)
Mid-North Coast
4kg wheels
4 months maturation
www.marrookfarm.com.au
Hand-made Swiss-style cheeses are rare in Australia, particularly when done this well. 'Brinawa' (pronounced BRIN-ah-wah) is similar to Tilsit, a style that reflects Heidi Falding's Swiss heritage and the kinds of cheeses that partner David Marks likes to make. Like all of Marrook Farm's products, it's a genuine farm-house cheese, meaning that the cheese-makers use milk from their own herd on their own farm, rather than sourcing milk from surrounding farms.
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| Marrook Farm 'Brinawa' |
The cheese has a lovely, smooth natural rind, perhaps not as sticky as you might expect for a Tilsit-style - given the regular brine smears it receives over the course of its maturation - but still with a lovely pungent whiff. Inside, the cheese is a deep marigold yellow, and the aroma is both pungent and sweet. The texture is smooth and dense, without being grainy or rubbery.
The flavour is rich, complex and long, and reminds me of mushrooms and chestnuts sauteed in butter. It lingers in the mouth for a long time and is very satisfying. 'Brinawa' is a great cooking cheese and melts beautifully. When I used it to make a batch of cauliflower cheese recently, my 11-year-old said "Yum! Can we have this again?" What further endorsement do you need?
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