{"id":7912,"date":"2022-11-03T12:24:36","date_gmt":"2022-11-03T16:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/?p=7912"},"modified":"2022-11-03T12:24:36","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T16:24:36","slug":"zacharie-cloutier-perfect-pairing-of-art-and-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/2022\/11\/03\/zacharie-cloutier-perfect-pairing-of-art-and-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Zacharie Cloutier: Perfect pairing of art and science"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Cheesemaker Marie-Chantal Houde and award-winning Zacharie Cloutier. Photo Le Val Ouest.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marie-Chantal Houde has done it again. Her wonderful sheep milk cheese, Zacharie Cloutier, has been crowned the best cheese in Quebec\u2014for the second time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The honour came last night at the conclusion of S\u00e9lection Caseus 2022, the annual Qu\u00e9bec-government sponsored judging and competition for artisan cheese made in Qu\u00e9bec with all milks: cow, sheep, goat and water buffalo.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Complete results of the competition are online in English: https:\/\/www.caseus.ca\/winners.php<\/a><\/p>\n

Fromagerie Nouvelle France<\/a> cheese is distributed by Plaisirs Gourmets<\/a>. You\u2019ll find Zacharie Cloutier in the best cheese shops across Canada. Ask your cheesemonger to order it. Or order online directly from the fromagerie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We first met Marie-Chantal Houde way back in 2010 when she was developing Zacharie Cloutier on Sundays when she had use of the make room at Fromagerie du Presbyt\u00e8re<\/a>. The next year she struck gold at S\u00e9lection Caseus for the first time. Her star had begun to ascend in a hurry.<\/p>\n

Here’s our initial post about Marie-Chantal, her brother, Jean-Paul, who manages the sheep, and Fromagerie Nouvelle France in Racine, Qu\u00e9bec, a 90-minute drive east of Montr\u00e9al. It appeared in September 2014.<\/p>\n

Marie-Chantal Houde: The cheesemaker as a rock star<\/h4>\n
\"THEN:<\/a>
THEN: Marie-Chantal Houde in the make room at Fromagerie du Presbyt\u00e8re developing Zacharie Cloutier five years ago.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Five years ago, on a visit to Fromagerie du Presbyt\u00e8re<\/a> in Sainte-Elizabeth-de-Warwick two hours east of Montreal, I noticed a young woman up to her elbows in curd in the make room\u2014even though it was Sunday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jean Morin, co-owner of the fromagerie, explained: “Oh, that’s Marie-Chantal (Houde)<\/a>. She’s developing a sheep’s milk cheese to sell under her own label. I let her use my facilities on Sundays. She’s really talented. In a few years, she’ll be a rock star in cheese.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"NOW:\"<\/a>
NOW: One of its kind in Canada, a copper vat from France is used in the making of Zacharie Cloutier and other award-winners like Pionnier and Jean Morin’s Louis d’Or<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next year, Marie-Chantal’s new cheese, Zacharie Cloutier, made its first appearance at Qu\u00e9bec’s prestigious cheese competition, Caseus 2011, and struck gold. The sheep’s milk cheese was named best cheese in all milks. No cheese had ever won top honours at Caseus in its first year. Her star had begun to ascend in a hurry.<\/p>\n

At this year’s Caseus<\/a> competition, Fromagerie Nouvelle France<\/a>, which Marie-Chantal started five years ago with her brother Jean-Paul, dominated the competition like no other cheese producer had done in the 16-year history of Caseus\u2014confirming Jean Morin’s prediction.<\/p>\n

\"ZAC:<\/a>
ZAC: The best sheep’s milk cheese made in Qu\u00e9bec today.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zacharie Cloutier was named Grand Champion as well as Gold Award winner. Nouvelle France also won the two sheep’s milk categories, Zacharie Cloutier taking washed, natural or mixed rind honours while La Madelaine was judged best bloomy rind. Additionally, Pionnier, a collaboration between Nouvelle France and Fromagerie du Presbyt\u00e8re, was named best blended-milk cheese.<\/p>\n

Fromagerie Nouvelle France is based on a 250-acre farm on the outskirts of the village of Racine<\/a>, in Qu\u00e9bec’s Eastern Townships. Jean-Paul tends to the East Friesian sheep, Marie-Chantal makes the cheese.<\/p>\n

\"ZAC:<\/a>
SIBLINGS: Jean-Paul looks after the East Friesians, Marie-Chantal makes the cheese. They’re the fourth generation in their family to work the land.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vanessa Simmons<\/a>, cheese sommelier at Savvy Company in Ottawa and featured presenter at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival<\/a> who served as one of 21 judges at Caseus 2014<\/a>, writes:<\/p>\n

“Fromagerie Nouvelle France\u2019s signature cheese, Zacharie Cloutier, is a raw sheep\u2019s milk cheese, named for an ancestor who came to Canada from France in 1634. This ancestor is also said to be a distant relative of C\u00e9line Dion.<\/p>\n

“Marie-Chantal\u2019s love for her craft and talent transfers directly to her flagship cheese. Zacharie Clouthier is a semi-cooked, firm, raw sheep\u2019s milk cheese with a very distinct exterior basket weave design attributed to a specially selected mold that gives the cheese and apricot rind its unique appearance. \u00a0Inside is a dense, meaty, bone-colored paste that portrays a mix of complex aromas and flavors: salt, butter, hazelnut, caramel, and coconut, with a hint of ripe pineapple. A rare treat.<\/p>\n

“Le Pionnier, a collaboration between Fromagerie Nouvelle France and Fromagerie Presbyt\u00e8re, is a 40-kilogram wheel made of raw sheep\u2019s and cow\u2019s milk coming from the two cheesemaker herds. The cheese is a great marriage of cow\u2019s milk cheese according to Morin\u2019s tradition, and sheep\u2019s milk cheese, according to Houde\u2019s tradition. Le Pionnier is a firm cheese with a bit of washed rind, a dense cheese texture and some earthiness, and is very robust. Aged for 10 to 12 months, Le Pionnier displays complex aromas of butter, brown sugar and macadamia nuts with a delicate floral note. This cheese says \u2018Look at me\u2019 and is very indicative of their personalities. They are very outspoken cheesemakers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Now\"<\/a>
COLLABORATION: Marie-Chantal Houde and Jean Morin toast the introduction of Pionnier, now also a Caseus winner.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Born on the family farm in Racine 30-something years ago, Marie-Chantal studied at l\u2019Institut de technologie agroalimentaire in Saint-Hyacinthe, then at l\u2019Universit\u00e9 McGill in Montr\u00e9al and l\u2019\u00c9cole nationale d\u2019industrie laiti\u00e8re et des biotechnologies in Poligny in the Jura cheese region of France.<\/p>\n

Jean-Paul Houde represents the fourth generation of farmers in his family. His knowledge of the fields, grains, soil and harvesting he owes to his grandfather. His father taught him animal husbandry, to love and care for the animals and, of course, how to milk them. Jean-Paul manages 400 East Friesian sheep of which 250 are milked in rotation. The Solidar sheep farms in Chicoutimi and the sheep farm Fou du Berger in Hatley also supply milk for cheesemaking.<\/p>\n

For Marie-Chantal, fine cheese is a marriage of art and science. Her passion for cheesemaking seems boundless. We look forward to seeing\u2014and tasting\u2014where her star will take her.<\/p>\n

\u2014Georgs Kolesnikovs<\/em><\/p>\n

Georgs Kolesnikovs is founder of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival<\/a> and Canadian Cheese Awards\/Le Concours des fromages fins canadiens.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marie-Chantal Houde has done it again. Her wonderful sheep milk cheese, Zacharie Cloutier, has been crowned the best cheese in Quebec\u2014for the second time. The honour came last night at the conclusion of S\u00e9lection Caseus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[182,413],"tags":[416,449],"brand":[],"class_list":["post-7912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fromagerie-nouvelle-france","category-zacharie-cloutier","tag-artisan-cheese","tag-quebec-cheese"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7912"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7919,"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7912\/revisions\/7919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7912"},{"taxonomy":"brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cheeselover.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/brand?post=7912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}