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Featured Cheeses - 2013
Click the months below to learn about our featured cheeses for 2013...
Please note that occasionally we are able to secure a truly special, hard to find cheese on short notice and may substitute an item.
Featured Cheeses - January 2013
Stilton
According to Trevor Hickman, resident of Wymondham in East Leicestershire and a Stilton historian, the background of the cheese is somewhat cloudy. A blue-veined cow’s milk cream cheese was produced by farmers at Wymondham as soon as pastures were enclosed, but the first written reference to Stilton cheese was in 1722. Other references made about the same time clearly indicate that Stilton was very popular even then. Read More »
- Country: England
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-soft; Blue
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 3 months
Emmentaler Classic
This cheese is produced in the central cantons of Switzerland. It's a traditional, unpasteurized, hard cheese made from cow's milk.The aroma is sweet with tones of fresh-cut hay. The flavor is very fruity, not without a tone of acidity. Emmental has walnut-sized holes. It is considered to be one of the most difficult cheeses to be produced because of it's complicated hole-forming fermentation process. We found it delicious with a glass of Jura Blanc! Read More »
- Country: Switzerland
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 4 months
Montchevré Goat Cheese Log
This goat cheese log comes from the Montchevré cheese company in Belmont, Wisconsin. Montchevre uses only fresh, 100% natural goat's milk; no hormones or preservatives are added; from Amish farmers who are local to the Wisconsin and Iowa areas. Goat’s milk cheeses are especially rich and delicious since it is made from fresh milk. Read More »
- Country: United States
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-soft
- Milk Type: Goat
- Cheese Age: Fresh
Featured Cheeses - February 2013
Farmhouse Cheshire
Real farmhouse Cheshire, like the one we so proudly bring to you this month, comes from the county of Cheshire. This northern part of England is irrigated by the River Dee. The county was originally made famous for sheep's milk cheeses, but Cheshire was always made from cow's milk as are most cheeses in northern England today. To be called Cheshire, the cheese must be made from milk derived from the Cheshire area pastures and made in that same locale, using specific cheesemaking processes and a minimum age. Read More »
- Country: England
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 3 months
Rustico Red Pepper
Rustico Red Pepper is a flavor variation of a basic Italian cheese, Cacio de Roma. It’s a creamy, semi-soft, young pecorino cheese with the addition of crushed red pepper. The red pepper enhances this delicate cheese without overwhelming it. Made from sheep’s milk, it’s softer than muenster and holds its shape better than mozzarella does. There are numerous ways to enjoy it. Rustico melts quite nicely and lends itself to polentas, pizzas and Panini. Read More »
- Country: Italy
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-soft
- Milk Type: Sheep
- Cheese Age: 30 days
Limburger
Limburger originated in the Belgian province of Liège and was first sold at markets in Limbourg. Its staggering aroma gives the cheese its infamous reputation, but in truth Limburger is a surprisingly delicate cow's milk cheese. Its washed and edible rind contains the bacteria responsible for its strong odor. Read More »
- Country: United States
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-soft; Washed Rind
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 60 days
Featured Cheeses - March 2013
St. Marcellin
St. Marcellin is a small, round cheese produced in the South-Eastern French region of Dauphine. It has a nutty flavor and creamy texture, that pairs perfectly with any Rhone red wine. Originally this cheese was made using goat’s milk, although now almost all is made (as is ours) using cow’s milk. The rustic nature of St. Marcellin is echoed in the fact that it most often found wrapped in chestnut or grape leaves, which turn from fresh green to a dark brown as the cheese ripens. It’s wonderful served as an appetizer or snack with olives and a good, coarse salami. Read More »
- Country: France
- Cheese Texture/Type: Soft; Bloomy Rind
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 30+ days
Red Leicester
Leicester cheese, usually called Red Leicester, is an English cheese, made in a similar manner to cheddar cheese, but is crumblier. It is colored orange by adding annatto extract during manufacture. The fairly mild flavor goes well with most food and wine or beer, and is good for Welsh rarebit. It has a firm texture, which makes it suitable for grating, and it is a good choice for use in cheese on toast or with a baked potato. The taste compliments fruit, pasta, and crackers and is often used in tarts or quiches. At its best, it has a slightly nutty taste. Read More »
- Country: England
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 6 months
Brie
This creamy cheese is made with incredibly rich milk, producing a voluptuous center. Because the wild grasses and flowers flavor the milk, each has a unique flavor, influenced by the flora of a particular time and place. Its silky texture and nutty, whipped cream flavor make it particularly good with a light champagne. Read More »
- Country: France
- Cheese Texture/Type: Soft; Bloomy Rind
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 30 days
Featured Cheeses - April 2013
Saint Nectaire
St. Nectaire hails from the Auvergne region of France, which is almost right in the middle of the country. Auvergne, which was once covered with active volcanos, has a demanding climate. In the winter the land is covered with deep snow. And when summer comes, it brings high temperatures. Although this sounds grueling, the weather is not only ideal for wine-making, but also for cheese-making. St. Nectaire cheese smells like a very ripe nectarine. It has a fruity aroma, rich texture and a sweetness of flavor we’ve not found in any other cheese. Read More »
- Country: France
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-soft
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 2-3 months
Sage Derby
Sage Derby is a vegetarian cheese made from cow's milk. In the seventeenth century, the custom of adding sage (a herb valued at the time for its health-giving properties) to Derby cheese was born. These days, the cheese is blended with spinach juice and dried sage. Read More »
- Country: England
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 1-3 months
Double Gloucester
Double Gloucester is a traditional, unpasteurized, semi-hard cheese which has been made in Gloucestershire since the sixteenth century. Records show, however, that Gloucester was known as early as the 8th century. The hard, natural rind has some gray-blue moulds and bears the marks of the cloth in which it is matured. Cheese merchants used to check the rind's robustness by jumping on it with both feet to test it! If the rind didn't crack, the cheese was safe to travel. The full-cream, double milking sessions milk used to make Double Gloucester gives it characteristic, rich, buttery taste and flaky texture. It is firm and bitable, like hard chocolate. Not as firm as Cheddar, it has a mellow, nutty character with an orange-zest tang and a hint of onion. Read More »
- Country: England
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 60 days
Featured Cheeses - May 2013
Feta
Feta is a delicious cheese traditionally made from the milk of goats in Greece. It is probably the most famous and important culinary export of Greece, is popular all over the world, eaten on a wide variety of foods from pizzas to salads. Feta has a distinct briny taste and crumbly texture which is recognizable to a large number of cheese consumers, and is considered by many to be among the finest of cheeses.
Read More »
- Country: Greece
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-soft; Brine-cured
- Milk Type: Sheep, Goat
- Cheese Age: 3+ months
Fontina Val d'Aosta
Fontina has enough flavors on its own to summarize the characteristics of the entire Itailan region of Valle d’Aosta. Fontina is dense, smooth and slightly elastic. The straw-colored interior, with its small, round holes, has a delicate nuttiness with a hint of mild honey. This supple cheese’s flavor hints of pristine forest floors, then shifts to a lovely yet powerful lingering scent of wild mushrooms. Read More »
- Country: Italy
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-firm/li>
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 3+ months
Drunken Goat
This amazing goat cheese is made in the village of Jumilla in the Murcia region of Spain, which is on the southeastern coast. It is most unusual, and in fact it is very difficult to find. The name Drunken Goat conjures up images of goats weaving about the pasture… perhaps even snoozing on their backs with their hooves pointed to the blue sky. But just in case you were wondering… wine, beer, or any other form of spirits are not fed to the goats. Rather the cheese is soaked in wine. The flavor begins as mild and sooo creamy, but finishes with a wonderful tangy sweetness and a fruity, lusciously grapey aroma. Read More »
- Country: Spain
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Goat
- Cheese Age: 3 months
Featured Cheeses - June 2013
Cacio de Roma
The Sini Family began making Cacio de Roma more than thirty years ago on a small dairy farm in in the countryside of Rome. Second generation master cheesemaker Uncle Domenico Sini uses same-day sheep's milk collected from local shepherds to produce Cacio de Roma in the same way as did his forefathers. Once the cheese obtains its form and some texture, it is bathed in sea salt for 24 hours and then aged on wood in cellars for thirty days. The end result is a creamy textured cheese with a mild, balanced flavor finishing with a touch of fruit. It's the essence of the classic Italian table cheese found universally in Central and Southern Italy. In Italy this type of cheese is referred to as Caciotta (Kah-CHO-ta) for its small round form. Not only is it enjoyed as a table cheese either before or after a meal, it is also used in everyday cooking as it melts very well. Some typical uses are as a filling for ravioli, in salads, on pizza or for simple things like grilled cheese sandwiches. Read More »
- Country: Italy
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-firm
- Milk Type: Sheep
- Cheese Age: 30-60 days
The City Goat
If you are a fan of goat's milk cheese, you know how unique the flavor is. It is often something of a tangy, tartiness, and you usually seek it out, intentionally. You know what you are going to get and you do this mental comparison to a sharp cheddar or buttery manchego. Goat's milk cheese can usually provide that extra something. While it is tart, and maybe even bitter (thanks to the capric and caproic acids), it is absolutely refreshing. Read More »
- Country: United States
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-firm
- Milk Type: Goat
- Cheese Age: Fresh
P'tit Basque
This is a labor-intensive cheese… the curd is literally cut by hand. The cheesemakers reach into their kettle of warm curd, and ever so slowly, break it into small pieces from which the final cheese will be formed. This ancient technique protects the gentle flavor of the finished cheese. Pyrenees cheeses aren't the kind that hit you over the head. Instead, they're lovely, smooth, subtly fruity with a nice little bit of a nose, the kind of cheese you might eat every day at lunch, or with a simple dinner and glass of dry white wine. P'tit Basque offers floral and sweet caramel notes.
Read More »
- Country: France
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-firm
- Milk Type: Sheep
- Cheese Age: 70 days
Featured Cheeses - July 2013
Provolone Piccante
Provolone is an all-purpose cheese used for cooking, dessert purposes and even grating. It is traditional, creamery, stretched, curd cheese. This cheese appears in various shapes. The thin, hard rind is golden-yellow and shiny, sometimes waxed. Provolne cheese can be of various types. Dolce (mild Provolne) is aged for two to three months, and is supple and smooth and generally used as a table cheese. We prefer, and have sent you provolone aged for six months to two years; you'll find it darker with small holes and a spicier overall flavor. Read More »
- Country: Italy
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 12+ months
Leyden
Leyden cheese has the additional ingredient of creamy buttermilk and is a deliciously firm, subtly spicy tasting dairy treat, unique in its flavor because of the cumin and caraway seeds used to season it. As Leyden cheese ages, the cumin seeds draw out whey from the curds, so it has a drier, firmer texture than Edam. The cumin provides an aromatic flavor that contrasts well with the creamy, nutty character of the cheese. Its spicy tang makes it a delicious snack, especially when served with a dark bread and beer. In Holland it is known as Cumin cheese, but due to it’s popularity around the city of Leiden it is exported as Leyden. Read More »
- Country: Netherlands
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 3 months
Haloumi
Haloumi is a cheese indigenous to Cyprus. It is traditionally made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk. The cheese is white, with a distinctive layered texture, similar to mozzarella, and has a salty flavour. It is stored in its natural juices with salt-water. Fresh sliced halloumi is used in cooking, as it can be fried until brown without melting due to its higher-than-normal melting point, making it a good cheese for frying or grilling, as an ingredient in salads, or fried and served with vegetables. Read More »
- Country: Cyprus
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-soft
- Milk Type: Sheep, Goat
- Cheese Age: 2-3 months
Featured Cheeses - August 2013
Denhay Farms Farmhouse Cheddar
We love Farmhouse Cheddar for its, buttery, nutty, cheddary richness, without the slightest hint of bitterness or bite. The aroma of authentic farmhouse cheddar should be nutty or grassy, with a rich texture and complex flavors ranging from fruity to a woody oakiness. The color of the cheese should range from straw yellow to beige, and the texture should be open with a few cracks… rather than rubbery and dense, which indicates factory processing. You’ll know great cheddar if you can still taste the sweet nuttiness several minutes after you have finished your first mouthful.
Read More »
- Country: England
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 6 months
Grafton Classic Reserve Cheddar
In the US, as well as internationally, Grafton Village Cheese Company is renowned for its Cheddar products. They are part of the New Wave of American Farmhouse Cheesemakers, who have been energizing our taste buds with distinctive farmhouse cheeses for a decade or so. Quality and incredible tastes that will wake up your palate are still the hallmarks of this company's products. Their savory cheddars are made with milk from selected herds of Vermont Jersey cows, whose milk is known for its extraordinary creaminess and high butterfat content. Farmers owning these herds have signed affidavits stating that their animals will not be treated with synthetic bovine growth hormones. These cheddars are 100% natural, and free of any chemical preservatives or additives. Read More »
- Country: United States
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 2 years
Caerphilly
This moist, crumbly cheese offers a slightly sour but buttery flavor and a sharp, but not overpowering smell. A cheese of international reputation, it is creamy, light and subtle in flavor… a gastronomic delight to satisfy all palates. Read More »
- Country: Wales
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 2-3 months
Featured Cheeses - September 2013
Edam
The most famous Dutch cheese, Edam, is made with partially-skimmed cow's milk, and is meant to be eaten within weeks of its creation, while it's still smooth. Pasteurized milk is heated and bacteria is added to increase the acidity level. Liquid rennet is added to create curd, and the curd is cut into tiny pieces, then heated, drained, molded and pressed. After the cheese is salted, it ripens and is exported wrapped in red wax. Read More »
- Country: Netherlands
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 2-3 months
Smoked Gouda
Originally a Dutch cheese, versions of Gouda are now made by artisan cheesemakers throughout the world, like Michigan’s Old Europe Cheese. Old Europe’s Smoked Gouda is unique in that it’s smoked using a “cold smoke” process, which preserves the cheese’s inherent flavor and moisture. Read More »
- Country: United States
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 2 months
Mimolette
Also known as Boule de Lille, Mimolette is creamy, hard, cow's milk cheese produced in Flanders and Normandy. Mimolette is essentially a matured Edam that is allowed to ripen for six to nine months. The natural rind ranges in color from yellow orange to light brown and is pitted, dry and hard. Intensely fruity, it is popular as a cooking cheese and as a snack with a glass of beer. When young (4 - 6 months), the cheese is firm, compact and slightly oily with a subtle fruity aroma and a mellow nutty taste. Most Mimolette, however, is eaten aged. The bright, deep tangerine color of the cheese is due to the natural dye, annatto. Read More »
- Country: France
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 12 months
Featured Cheeses - October 2013
Le Chevrot
PYoung Le Chevrot has an off-white, slightly wrinkled rind. When very young, the cheese has a gentle, aromatic, yeasty taste and a fine, moist texture. As it gets older, the interior softens and the flavor becomes nuttier and full-bodied. At its peak age (This is what In Pursuit of Cheese brings to you this month.), the cheese is denser and creamier, and there is a fruity tinge to the taste. Read More »
- Country: France
- Cheese Texture/Type: Soft; Bloomy Rind
- Milk Type: Goat
- Cheese Age: 30 days
Comté
All Comté is graded using a 20 point grading system. A green label ensures the cheese has been graded 15 points or higher, this also denotes it to be labeled "Comté Extra". The Comté you are tasting with this month's selection is naturally Comté Extra. Thanks to its uniqueness, its cultural importance and its economic contribution to the region, Comté cheese was one of the first cheeses to be awarded a label of origin guaranteeing its quality (AOC). As one of the premiere cheeses of France, we know you'll enjoy this exquisit taste of French living. Bon appetit! Read More »
- Country: France
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 4 months
Zamorano
Zamorano, a well-known and respected Spanish cheese, is usually produced in the shape of a drum. The cheese is very similar to Castelanno and Manchego in texture, but is less grainy. Its natural rind is covered in gray mold. The flavor offers a hint of burnt caramel and the buttery taste of sheep's milk. Zamorano is used as a table cheese and it ripens in three to nine months. Read More »
- Country: Spain
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Sheep
- Cheese Age: 3 months
Featured Cheeses - November 2013
English Cotswold
Cotswold is essentially a double gloucester cheese, with the addition of chives. this has a creamy flavour, and the chives add a nice tang of herbs to the taste. Like double gloucester it is orange in colour, and semi firm in texture. Read More »
- Country: England
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 3-4 months
Danish Havarti
Havarti is a Dutch cheese, and is similar to a Monterey Jack. It has a lot of eyes (tiny holes) throughout the cheese, and a soft almost springy texture. Havarti has a mild flavour, and is great to use in a variety of ways. It works in salads, sandwiches, omelettes and can even be sliced and fried! It's named after the farm in Denmark where it was first created, and is one of the most accessible cheeses in the world. Read More »
- Country: Denmark
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-firm
- Milk Type:
- Cheese Age: 3 months
Saga Gorgonzola
This is a blue veined cheese, originally made in Denmark. It's essentially a cross between a blue mold cheese and a brie, so it has a delicate blue cheese flavour, with a quite soft and almost spreadable texture. It's great in salads and as a snack cheese, and is a really nice introduction to blue cheeses due to it's mild flavour. Read More »
- Country: Denmark
- Cheese Texture/Type: Semi-soft; Blue
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 3 months
Featured Cheeses - December 2013
Roncal
Roncal is not only a name-protected cheese, but was the first cheese to be granted that honor by Spain in 1981. It's made in the Roncal valley, in the Navarre region, where some of the registered sheep herds which produce the milk date back to the thirteenth century! It has an olively and rich flavor that has been savoured in Spain for almost 3000 years, but is difficult to find in this country. It is traditionally enjoyed with Navarra red wines of the same region. Read More »
- Country: Spain
- Cheese Texture/Type: Firm
- Milk Type: Sheep
- Cheese Age: 4 months
Pont L'Eveque
Pont L’Eveque is made on the bridge that gave it it's name in Normandy, France. It is similar to a camembert, but the rind is "washed" before aging with a brine solution. This gives the square-shaped cheese a much more pronounced flavor and a rustic, farmyard aroma. It is particularly well suited to full bodied red wines. Read More »
- Country: France
- Cheese Texture/Type: Soft; Washed Rind
- Milk Type: Cow
- Cheese Age: 4-6 weeks
Bourdin Goat Log
This style of fresh goat log is a staple in French markets, and for very good reason. It has a soft and moist texture and a gentle but creamy flavor. While this wonderfully versatile cheese may be eaten by itself, it is the perfect backdrop to let your culinary imagination run wild! It can be paired with fruit, honey or preserves and is perfect to add depth into any salad. A traditional European way of serving fresh goat cheese is alongside olives and/or olive oils. Read More »
- Country: France
- Cheese Texture/Type: Soft
- Milk Type: Goat
- Cheese Age: Fresh
