Murray's Cheese Box

I love a good foodie gift and my sister is the master giver in this department. Last year we received a subscription to Bokksu Japanese Snack Box, which was a well curated and exciting event each month, not just for the family but also for my son’s friend group that really enjoys Japanese snacks. This year, we get to indulge in Murray’s Cheese subscription. If you click on the link, you can see that you can select the number of months that you would like to receive the subscription starting at $75 a month. We received January’s box, and of course I love an opportunity to share culinary experiences with you, my readers, so here’s what was in this month’s box and my thoughts.

Fromager d’Affinois—you cannot go wrong when coupling French innovation and cheese. This creamy, buttery cheese has a softer and less assertive rind than brie cheese, which I like because it subtly adds to the texture and flavor of this cheese. Created via ultra filtration—meaning that the fat molecules are broken down in the milk to disperse throughout the paste to produce the triple creme effect—this cheese pairs nicely with a Chablis. We also tried the cheese on a pistachio and apricot cracker with a whisper of apricot preserves and it was delicious.

Pecorino Toscano Fresco—wow! This pecorino is really good. It has a nice smooth texture, not grainy, and the sheep milk flavor, which I love, it more subtle that a lof of sheep milk cheese but it makes the impression stronger. This pecorino on a salt cracker with truffle honey was the perfect combination.

Alpha Tolman Jasper Hill—this cheese has a nutty sweet flavor with amino crystals, producing a nice semi sharp bite. A bit softer than expected and enjoyable with roasted, salted, almonds.