Leonora
Produced in the mountainous region of Leon in northwestern Spain, Leonora is a relatively new creation, and is very much a part of a resurgence in Spanish cheesemaking that has been taking place in recent years.
Made from the pasteurized milk of Alpine goats, Leonora is produced in a striking loaf shape. Cheeses have a natural, mold ripened rind that is occasionally mottled with gray.
The interior paste is bone-white and the texture is very smooth and dense. As the cheeses age, the paste begins to break down just under the rind, becoming more runny and slightly translucent. Leonora should never be completely soft and runny all the way through. In fact, a cheese where the soft layer extends more than an inch into the center of the cheese is probably past its best.
In young cheeses, flavors are balanced, bright, creamy and lactic, with a pleasant, lemony tang. With age, these intensify and can become quite assertive, especially just under the rind.
