Past Newsletters - June 2009
Three Cheeses to Brighten Your Day This Month!
You may have noticed that a number of your featured cheeses during the winter months have been of the semi-soft variety. For those of you who are new club members, you're just in time for our beloved summer selections which are typically harder textured cheeses. You're probably familiar with the great variety in flavors, aromas and textures of cheeses. Despite the tremendous variation in cheese styles and flavors, in general, all cheeses can be broken down into four categories, depending upon their firmness: soft, semi-soft, semi-hard and hard. Hard cheeses fare much better than soft while shipped during warmer weather, so in order to preserve the cheese's original flavor integrity, we gravitate toward this variety during the summer months. For similar reasons, hard cheeses have a greater tendency to be used in cooking (and on cheese trays) during the summer months. Enjoy them grated over salads and grilled foods, or take them on hikes and bike jaunts for an energy boost. Of course, one of our favorite ways to combine summer weather and hard cheese is to toss them in a basket with a loaf of bread and a bottle or two of wine and take off for a romantic picnic.
Like last month, we have again selected a three-country assortment from different countries. Despite their geographical disparities, all three of our cheeses are made from ewes' milk - among our favorites for cheese. They produce only a very small amount of milk, so each batch is exceptionally rich and creamy, and quite high in protein, making them flavorsome. Ewe's milk cheese is also easy to digest since it typically breaks down into smaller molecules enabling better digestion. In fact, many lactose intolerant people find that they can enjoy ewes' and goat milk cheeses without the usual repercussions.
A LOVE STORY—CACIO DE ROMA
The story behind this gourmet treat combines love and another passion of ours—cheese. It begins with that wonderful past time we know as lunch. Well, it should be wonderful—and romantic! What's so romantic about lunch? Setting has a tremendous impact, especially when that setting is the Roman countryside. This is where, every day for six months, Michele Buster enjoyed her lunch. She had discovered the Sini family's restaurant, Buonatavola, and every day she tasted Sini Fulvi's own cheeses, as well as other select cheeses from Portugal, Spain and Italy (many of which we send to our members). Michele, an American, traveling to such places as Barcelona, Ireland and Italy to set up international sporting events, fell profoundly in love with handcrafted European cheeses! And who could blame her?
At first, she fell in love with one particular cheese. With a bit of a language barrier, when the waiters sometimes brought the wrong cheese, she would say, "No, no! Bring the one with the black label." The object of her affection was a semi-soft, mildly peppery, ewes' milk cheese called Cacio de Roma. Perhaps influenced by the intoxicating nature of this culinary treat, Michele then fell overpoweringly in love with the man who made her favorite cheese, Pierluigi Sini. The two of them joined together and moved—not to a home in Italy, but to Astoria, Queens, in New York City. Together, they would introduce the cheeses of Pierluigi Sini's family to America.
These days, Michele enthusiastically promotes cheese instead of sports, and gives seminars about the many aspects of handcrafted cheese making. She has been known to fly around the country in order to educate staff at cheese stores. In large part, it’s to make them feel more comfortable about mold. "Mold is natural and doesn’t ruin cheese. Nor is it unsafe. It doesn’t mean the cheese is bad. You don’t have to eat it but you can certainly eat the cheese beneath," says Michelle.
Sini Family History
The Sini family has been making Cacio de Roma and other cheeses on a small dairy farm in the Village of Nepi, Province-Viterbo, in the Lazio region of Italy for over 30 years. Many of their cheeses are very unusual and hard to find. Second generation master cheesemaker, Uncle Domenico Sini, uses ewe 's milk collected the same day from local shepherds to produce Cacio de Roma just as his forefather’s did. 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 30 -60 days. The end result is a creamy textured cheese with a mild, balanced flavor with a slightly fruity finish. It is 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 a Caciotta (Kah-CHO-ta) for its small round form. "Cacio", meaning cheese, is generally used in Central and Southern Italy while "formaggio" is the more recognized word in the rest of Italy. 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 exceptionally well. It is used as a filling for ravioli, grated or cubed in salads, on pizza and for simple sandwiches like grilled cheese, for instance.
Tasting Notes: One of Sini Fulvi's own masterworks, this cheese is semi hard, mildly peppery and slightly acidic. The cheese that first brought Pierluigi and Michele together comes in a "Rustico Black" made with whole black peppercorns, or a version made with crushed red pepper. Either variety will give you a light nip on the tongue. It is great in lasagna, and wonderfully bold in quesadillas.
ZINGERMAN’S CREAMERY—BRINGING ARTISAN CHEESEMAKING BACK TO THE STATES
The United States is known for producing goods on a mass scale. It provides what is often the largest market for just about anything that can be bought or sold. And it is this large scale that one must assign blame when considering the quality of most cheeses made domestically. Since the industrial revolution, most craft-created cheeses have essentially disappeared from the nation’s landscape. But there are some cheese artisans out there and we regard tracking them down and provide their products to you as our mission!
Founded by John Loomis and Dave Carson in the fall of 2001, Zingerman’s Creamery is the newest member of the award-winning Zingerman’s Community of Gourmet Businesses. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the culinary gurus at Zingerman’s, let us just tell you, we’ve been relying on their expertise for years now. A regular supplier of the cheeses we feature in the club, the folks at this fine family of companies employ trained experts who professionally seek out the finest cheeses (and other gourmet items) the world over. They’ve been integral in bringing back to the States the nearly lost traditions of fine cheese making and thus reacquainting countless patrons with artisan cheese treasures. Located in Manchester, Michigan, Zingerman’s Creamery is dedicated to bringing fabulous-tasting, hand-crafted fresh cheeses, gelato and more to dairy lovers everywhere.
John Loomis is also the company’s sole cheese maker. He began making cheese about twenty years ago after spending a year working with various cheesemakers in the mountains of Wales, the west of England, and County Cork, Ireland. Upon his return to the States, he set up a small family-run cheesemaking dairy with his brothers and sister in Ann Arbor. Their first cheese, Great Lakes Cheshire, was met with acclaim. Approximately five years later, the family closed the operation, and John went to work selling and buying cheese for Zingerman’s Delicatessen. John, along with Zingerman’s owners Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw, always had in mind the idea of starting their own dairy to produce cheeses for Zingerman’s. They would, of course, supplement the many artisan cheeses they scouted from around the world.
Three years ago they made the leap and set up on a small farm roughly thirty miles west of Ann Arbor. There John began making fresh cream cheese using recipes and techniques similar to those used fifty years ago. His cream cheeses proved so popular that they began branching out into other cheese styles. Their natural ingredients and traditional techniques are in sharp contrast to other commercially available cheeses. (There’s little doubt, nearly all “advancements” in the dairy field in recent times have been directed towards extending shelf-life and improving profits, usually at the expense of flavor.) Thanks to John’s expertise and Zingerman’s drive to produce only the highest quality, flavorful, craft cheese, their creamery brings back the tradition of handcrafted cheesemaking.
The goat’s milk for your City Goat Round comes from several different farms in Michigan with a mix of Nubian and Alpine goats. The milk is pasteurized at the lowest temperature allowed by law, a process that’s so time consuming few U.S. producers use it, but John feels it’s the best way to preserve the integrity and flavor of the milk. The milk is then set using the more traditional overnight, or long time sets (the time varies anywhere from 10 to 14 hours depending on season). This long setting time allows more complex and diverse flavors to develop in the cheese, and it’s one of the many distinguishing practices used by the creamery to yield wonderfully fresh cheeses. Its taste is unlike anything else—mild and subtly sweet with only the very softest hint of tanginess. Cut into it and you’ll discover it’s firm but yielding in texture. We owe John and the rest of the folks at Zingerman’s a debt of gratitude for their efforts—and after tasting the cheese we’ve sent you, we think you might feel the same.
Tasting Notes: The humble chevre is an especially versatile cheese. This classic fresh goat’s milk round (chevre means goat in French) may be spread with jam on toast as a light, slightly tangy version of cream cheese. Drop dollops on pizza or stuff it under the skin of a chicken breast. Melt it into mashed potatoes. It goes well with dried fruits (especially figs), piquillo peppers and toasted walnuts. And, drizzled with honey, it makes a simple, wonderful and elegant dessert.
SAVOR A BIT OF THE OLD COUNTRY—EXPERIENCE PETIT BASQUE
The natural border dividing France and Spain is the Pyrenees mountain range, the home of Petit Basque. This semi-hard ewes' milk cheese is made on the French side of the Pyrenees in a region populated by the Basques, a people who have their own customs and their own unique language. Although the Basques live on both sides of the border, they produce this cheese on the French side. Amidst the breathtaking, rolling mountains of the Pyrenees, vast pastures stretch as far as the eye can see, providing fertile grazing lands.
The French Pyrenees Mountain Range is one of very few regions still home to hundreds of small cheesemakers. While industrially produced cheeses have made major gains in the lowlands, there are still hundreds of small mountain cheesemakers left who stick to the same traditional methods established by their ancestor's centuries ago. The herds of these artisans average just one to two hundred sheep. These are hand-milked and thus yield the shepherd on average, only two or three ten-pound wheels a day. In addition to the low-yield, this is also a labor-intensive cheese. The curd is "cut", literally, by hand. The cheesemakers reach an arm into their kettle of warm curd, and ever so slowly, break it by hand into small pieces from which the final cheese will be formed. This ancient technique protects the gentle flavor of the finished cheese. This cheese is a far cry from what most Americans have gotten used to via our super markets!
Tasting Notes: Pyrenees cheeses are for those who appreciate subtle. They're lovely, smooth, subtle and fruity with a nice little bit of a nose. They’re the kind of cheese you would eat every day for lunch (assuming you lived in the Pyrenees) or with a simple dinner and a glass of dry white wine. Made from pure ewes' milk, Petit Basque has a rather dry texture and an earthy, nutty flavor. Expect numerous floral and sweet caramel notes.
Culture Corner |
||
Cheese |
Pronunciation |
Recommended Wine/Beer |
Cacio de Roma |
Kah-CHO day ROW-ma |
Wines of Tuscany, especially Chianti, Vino Nobile, or a firm white such as Greco di Tufo |
City Round |
Cit-ee round |
Crisp, dry white wine or a light red zinfandel |
Petit Basque |
Puh-TEE Bask |
Dry white wines, Bordeaux, Burgundy or Barbaresco |
