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Combining the richness of Stilton and the buttery flavour of Roquefort, Tiger Blue brings European punch to the Okanagan Valley. At first taste, the Tiger lives up to its name - piquant, salty and powerful. But the initial spice is tamed by a creamy texture that mellows to a lingering savoury-sweetness. The pale gold cheese is streaked with deep, rich veining and encased in an edible, natural rind.

Tiger Blue is great on the cheeseboard, or served as an appetizer with fresh fruit. For an indulgent summer main, place a slab of Tiger Blue on your grilled steak.

Gitta Sutherland, owner of Poplar Grove, which produces the cheese, offers a glimpse at the life of a developing Tiger Blue:

Day 1: Cultures, including Penicillium roqueforti, are added to the milk with rennet (which separates curd and whey). The curds are scooped into 60 hoops (moulds), which are turned three times to encourage drainage.

Day 2: The cheese is getting quite firm and is turned two more times.

Day 3: The curd is taken out of the hoops and crumbled into walnut-sized pieces, then salt is added. Salt helps preserve cheese, enhances flavour and aids in drawing further moisture from the curd. Once salted, the curds are put back into the moulds.

Day 4: The wheels of cheese are put into a ripening room at 10 C to 12 C for four weeks. Each week they are pierced with needles to allow air to enter the cheese and activate the mould spores. A well-crafted blue cheese will exhibit consistent veining throughout.

After four weeks, the cheeses are packaged and put into a cold room at 2 C to 4 C for a final month of aging before being sold.

Seasonality of the milk can affect a cheese's quality and structure. Winter milk reacts differently with the rennet than summer milk does, possibly because of the cows' changing diet. Tiger Blue made from winter milk retains more moisture in the curd, resulting in a creamier product, while the summer cheese will exhibit more crumble. Which is a great reason to try artisanal cheeses all year round and experience firsthand how organic the process really is between nature, animal and cheese maker.

Sue Riedl is part of the pastry team at Toronto's C5 restaurant.

On the block

Cheese Tiger Blue

Origin Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, B.C

Producer Gitta Sutherland, Poplar Grove Cheese

Milk Pasteurized cow

Type Artisanal, semi-soft blue, natural rind, interior ripened

Shape 2 kg wheel

Food Matches Fresh or dried fruit, preserves, honey

Notes Poplar Grove also makes a washed rind cheese called Harvest Moon produced only at the monthly full moon

Distributor Provincial Fine Foods

Available

Vancouver: Les Amis du Fromage, Oyama Sausage Company, Whole Foods Park Royal

Victoria: Ottavio Italian Bakery & Delicatessen, Charelli's Delicatessen

Calgary: Janice Beaton Fine Cheese

Toronto: Cheese Boutique, Thin Blue Line

Beppi's wine matches

British Columbians familiar with Poplar Grove may know that the cheese operations are an offshoot of an acclaimed Okanagan winery. So, the temptation might be to pair this beauty with one of Poplar Grove's big reds, such as the superb cabernet franc or its flagship $50 Bordeaux-style blend, The Legacy. Both are great wines, no question, but not the best matches for this tangy-creamy blue. Sweetness and a rich texture are just as critical as acidity when it comes to wine here. More suitable choices would include Banyuls (a fortified aperitif/dessert wine from France), Muscat de Rivesaltes (also from France), Madeira or tawny port (both from Portugal) or late-harvest riesling from Canada. (If you insist on a Poplar Grove wine, try the crisp, white pinot gris.)

Beppi Crosariol