Treizième Apôtre: Terrific Raw Milk Farmstead Cheese
The “Thirteenth Apostle” from a family-run dairy in Quebec
About halfway between Montreal and Quebec City is an artisan dairy that’s worth driving well out of your way to visit.
The Fromagerie du Presbytère began about 100 years ago, when the Morin family began construction on the first buildings of the Louis d’Or Farm. The dairy is now run by the fifth generation of Morins; four of Monsieur Morin’s kids work there. The farm provides all the milk needed to produce their cheeses. The cheeses are aged in an old church, and there’s a shop where locals and travelers alike can grab a bite to eat and buy cheese. Two decades after the modern-day cheesemaking began, the dairy is producing some of the most highly respected cheeses in Quebec.
While the Treizième Apôtre cheese is new to us, cheese is anything but new to Quebec. There are over four centuries of dairy tradition in the province. French colonists, settling on what had been indigenous land, brought cows, sheep, and goats by ship and soon began to make cheeses akin to what they had known at home. In that era, cheesemaking was mostly a home-based activity, so most of the settlers would have been familiar with how to make it. After the British took Canada, many farmers shifted to making cheddar for export to Britain. Over the years, the region became known for its aged cheddars and also for the Trappist-type, washed-rind Oka cheese, which was originally made by monks settling in the area after being expelled from France. When we opened the Deli in 1982, that’s pretty much all there was to be found in the province. Cheesemaking gradually grew, though, and by the late ’90s, there were about 30 dairies in Quebec. Today, the number is nearly double that!
In total, Fromagerie du Presbytère makes a dozen artisan cheeses. This one, Treizième Apôtre, or “Thirteenth Apostle,” is especially awesome! It’s made from raw, local goat milk, in form that resembles a Swiss Raclette: semi-firm, creamy, modest but full of flavor. The Fromagerie actually has winter raclette events, which apparently sell out incredibly quickly.
The quality of the milk is, of course, critical to the cheese. The fact that this is a farmstead cheese means that Monsieur Morin and family manage the process all the way through. They have a herd of Holsteins and Brown Swiss (the same special cows that are used for the remarkable Valserena Parmigiano Reggiano). Morin understands the import: “It all starts with the milk, and the care we show the cheese as we make it.”
Treizième Apôtre is especially versatile: a terrific table cheese and great in cooking as well. It’s got hints of hazelnut and a lovely clean finish that make it intriguing to fans of artisan cheese and a nice offering to novices as well. It melts beautifully in a grilled cheese or a raclette. Melt it over potatoes or grate some on gnocchi. I often just eat it as is, or with some True North Bread from the Bakehouse, a bit of Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter, and some fresh fruit on the side!
Given the situation with American-Canadian trade at this time, supplies are somewhat limited. Swing by soon and grab a wedge to bring home for you and yours! Bon appetit!
Try the Treizième
