Enjoy Talmadge Cheese Market in Montclair, NJ

My wife, Diana, has been buying cheese here since they opened in the spring, I had an opportunity to check the place out for myself this past weekend.

I love this market, such a great selection of interesting cheese, meats and other goodies.

The proprietor Allin Tallmadge knows his cheese and is happy to let you sample and give advice. We came home with 3 exceptional wedges.

The first was an Alsatian Muenster called Muenster Traditionale. This is nothing like the typical flat Muenster you buy in the supermarket and throw and sandwiches. No this is the real thing and if you have never had a real Meunster you are missing a real treat.

It comes from the town of Muenster in the Vosges Mountains in the province of Alsace, France. it was originally made by monks in the region, (munster is a contraction of the Latin monasterium), in the Middle Ages.

Tasting this cheese is like biting into a wonderful crusty fresh home made sour dough bread with warm butter, compared to factory made white brad, the later being the typical grocery store muenster cheese.

We also bought a cheese called Ossau Iraty.

It is a firm sheep's milk cheese made in the French Pyrénées in the Ossau Valley in the Bearn and the wooded hills of Iraty in the French Basque country.

It has a nice nutty flavor and goes well with any french white wine, particularly Sauvignon Blanc.

The most exciting cheese we bought, however, was a artisinal creation called Barely Buzzed from Colorado cheese makers, Beehive Cheese Makers. It is a lively American Cheddar Cheese.

"This is a full bodied cheese with a nutty flavor and smooth texture. The cheese is hand rubbed with a Turkish grind of Colorado Legacy Coffee Company's (The Cheesemakers brother) "Beehive Blend"... "The cheese is aged on Utah Blue Spruce aging racks in our humidity controlled caves, and moved to different temperature during the aging process to develop texture and flavor." The name "Barely Buzzed" comes from Andrea at Deluxe Foods in California. She was the winner of the name this cheese contest." Cheese Maker's Web Site