Biscuits for Cheese – Daelia’s Almond with Raisins

Daelia's Almond Raisin Biscuits for Cheese

The nice people at Daelia’s sent me a swag bag (it was really a box) of their Biscuits for Cheese. I jumped at the chance to try these because I am developing an understanding of the importance of food pairing. Finding a good marriage of a cheese, wine (or beer), crackers, biscuits, fruit or nuts can take cheese appreciation to the next level.

I have found that the best crackers for cheese are mild in flavour, low in salt and dare I say bland? They work mostly because they shadow a cheese, jelly or spread.

The Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese are different. These biscuits are interesting and flavourful. They stand on their own. They don’t compete with the cheese, they compliment it. That is the idea with a pairing. The magic is in the combining and interaction of flavours to deliver the ultimate taste enjoyment. Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese do just that.

The biscuits come in three types, each intended to be matched with different styles of cheese. Daelia’s Almond with Raisins is suggested to be paired with aged cheddars, goat cheeses and blue cheese. Daelia’s Hazelnut with Fig pairs well with blue cheese and sheep’s milk cheeses. Daelia’s Pumpkin Seed Rye pairs well with Brie, Camembert, Comte, Gruyere and washed rind cheeses like Oka. This review is specific to the Daelia’s Almonds with Raisins Biscuits for Cheese.

The biscuits are packed into a plastic tray to prevent breakage. There are 15 biscuits in the package.

Daelia's Biscuits for Cheese - Almond with Raisin

The biscuits are generously filled with raisins and large chunks of almond pieces. They look good.

Daelia's Biscuits for Cheese Almond with Raisin

I decided to pair the Almond with Raisins biscuits with Balderson 2 Year Aged Cheddar.

Daelia's Biscuits for Cheese Almond with Raisin Paired with Balderson 2 Year Cheddar

What does Daelia’s Almond and Raisin Biscuits for Cheese taste like? Before tasting them I thought these biscuits appeared similar to Melba Toast in thickness, texture and appearance. I guess I was expecting them to taste similar. Don’t judge a book by its cover. The Daelias biscuits are significantly more flavourful. The taste of almond, raisin and peppery spice go very well together. The blend works. The textures of the crunchy almonds with chewy raisins make for an interesting and pleasant mouthfeel. I ended up eating several of the biscuits alone and enjoyed them on their own accord. Next I tried the pairing … a piece of Balderson cheddar followed by a Daelia’s biscuit. The pairing was spot on. Then I put a piece of cheddar on the biscuit and ate it in a single bite. Again … good stuff.

The verdict: The Daelia’s Almond and Raisin Biscuit for Cheese paired wonderfully with the Balderson 2 Year Aged Cheddar. It was even better than I expected.

I am going to review the other two flavours of Daelia’s Biscuits separately so I can pair them with the recommended cheeses.

These biscuits are an easy way to step up a cheese board and enhance a cheese tasting experience.

Daelia’s Biscuits are available in Toronto at Pusateri’s, Nancy’s Cheese, Sheffler’s Delicatessan (St. Lawrence Market) and Summerhill Market. In Mississauga at Whole Foods (Square One). In Quebec at IGA. In Vancouver at Thrifty Foods and County Grocer.

Disclosure: These biscuits were provided to me by Daelia’s to try and review.

www.daeliasbiscuitsforcheese.com

Mont Vully

Mont Vully Cheese

I had the opportunity to try some Mont Vully cheese this week while visiting my friend Mike. He had rounded up some good cheeses to try, and not the everyday stuff. I think he has “a source” or some kind of inside “cheese connection”.

Mont Vully is a cheese that comes from Switzerland. It is made at a small family dairy owned by Ewald Schafer in Cressier, a tiny village above the medieval town of Morat. The cheese is produced from raw milk. During the aging, the cheese is washed several times a week with Pinot Noir wine from the slopes of Mont Vully. The cheese reaches maturity after 10 to 20 weeks.

The rind is usually gold to red-brown in colour. The center is creamy yellow. It is semi hard with a smooth texture. It has a stronger smell than taste. It pairs well with Chardonnay.

You can recognize a wheel of Mont Vully cheese by its unique grape imprint on the top of the wheel.

Like Appenzeller, the Mont Vully is available in three grades; Classic, Bio and Reserve. The grades are a function of how long the cheese is aged. Classic is the freshest and Reserve is the most mature. Bio is aged in between. Mont Vully Bio was chosen the “Cheese of all Cheeses” at the 2006 Cheese Gala of the Swiss Cheese Championships by an international jury, beating out 436 other Swiss cheeses.

I would recommend this cheese for a cheese board. We tried it alongside Appenzeller and I found a lot of similarity between the two. It was interesting to have them side by side but I would not recommend putting them together on a cheese board because of the similarity.

Here is a link to the Mont Vully Website.

I liked it and it’s a winner. Thanks Mike and thank your “source” too!