mimolette… a cheese of cannonballic proportions

Cheese is the food that I crave on a daily basis. Even if it’s just a nanosecond of the day, the desire for the luscious milky goodness of cheese is intense.

My foray into the world of cheese did not begin at an early age. I grew up on Mini Baby Bels and Kraft Singles donuts – a slice of Kraft Singles folded neatly in half, a bite taken out of the middle of the fold, and unfolded to get a toothy hole in the middle of the orange square. It wasn’t until my early teens that I experienced anything other than mozzarella, cheddar and the occasional piece of edam. A small wedge of camembert at a monastery lunch and I’ve been hooked every since.


Mimolette (or “Boule de Lille”) caught my eye during Tuesday’s lunchtime trip to the market. Frankly put, it looks like a cantaloupe. The outside rind is a textured, pockmarked beige-brown while the hard cheese on the inside is a bright carrot orange. I asked for a taste and then… WOW. Blown away.

It is a cheese that crumbles and melts away slowly in your mouth. There is a buttery, salty nuttiness to the flavour but also a hint of something fruity or perfumey; maybe even a touch of caramel if you think about it hard enough. The finish is clean with no lingering cheesy memories on your breath (note to self: good date cheese!).

where: chris’ cheesemongers (st. lawrence market)
caveat: $$ at $63/kg, it's not cheap! yikes!

this girl loves her street meat... korean styles...

Soondae aka Korean Sausage.

Discovered quite accidentally while looking for pork bone soup in North York, this tasty treat has become one of my craving staples! Made with vermicelli, green onion, garlic, rice, minced pork, and a host of other things you probably don't want to know about, soondae is a Korean street vendor favourite.

The sausage is steamed, sliced and typically comes accompanied by steamed lung and liver slices. No such luck here. The soondae I ordered was served on its own with a nice little dipping side of spice and salt. The crunchy salt grains contrast nicely with the tenderness of the sausage while the chili provides a tiny kick to enhance the subtle flavour of the soondae.

And darned it, if I could remember what hole-in-the-wall restaurant served it in the first place, I wouldn't have had to crave it for the past six months. But thankfully, I found out that Galleria makes it's own... fresh! I bought some this morning (still warm), and piglet that I am, it's already been devoured.