Past Newsletters

Vol. 6 No. 6

Announcement: Member Of The Month—What Better Reward Is There?

We’re proud to announce that starting in July of 2005 (that’s just next month) we will feature a new component to our monthly newsletters—you! But we need your help! If you want to be a part of it, ask yourself the following questions:

1) Do I have a camera (or can I borrow one from someone who does)?
2) Can I get someone to snap a picture of me and/or friends and family enjoying my Gourmet Cheeses of the Month?
3) Do I want to receive a FREE one-month extension to my membership?

If you answered yes to all three of these questions (and why wouldn’t you, especially after reading question #3) then you are well on your way to becoming our next Member of the Month!

Here’s how it works: simply submit a photograph of yourself (with or without company), snapped while enjoying your monthly features, along with a few lines of text detailing the scenario to mom@monthlyclubs.com (don’t forget to give us your name and address). We’ll review all submissions each month and select our favorites. If we select yours, you’ll get a FREE one-month extension to your club membership! No kidding!! Not only that, but you’ll have your gorgeous mug in our newsletter—and plastered all over our website! You know what that means don’t you? You’ll be an instant celebrity! So get those cheese trays set up, grab that camera and start snapping some photos—it just might earn you a free month of handmade, artisan-crafted gourmet cheese! Now honestly, what better reward is there for 2-minutes of work?

We Know What Your Future Holds!

During the winter months, you may have noticed that a number of your featured cheeses have been of the semi-soft variety. For those of you who are new to the club, 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 4 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 our much anticipated summer days. 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 energy. Of course, one of our favorite ways to combine summer weather and hard cheese is to toss them in a picnic basket with a loaf of bread and a bottle or two of wine and take off for a romantic picnic. If you’ve ever found yourself looking for that perfect wine, visit The International Wine of the Month Club at www.winemonthclub.com and have a look—Red, white or somewhere in between—there’s something in our monthly features for everyone!

Oops! We Did It Again…

Like last month, we have again selected a three-country assortment from nations known for centuries as experts in cheese making. But despite their geographical disparities, all three of our cheeses are made from sheep’s milk, or more technically correct ewes’ milk (the sheep is the male of the species, and let’s just say it is pretty difficult to milk a sheep). Ewes’ milk is among our favorites for cheese. They produce only a very small amount of milk, but each batch is exceptionally rich and creamy, and quite high in protein, making them not only flavorsome, but easy to digest as ewes’ milk cheeses typically break 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 Cacio de Roma Love Story

We love the story behind this one, for it combines love and another passion of ours—cheese. It begins with that favorite past time we know as lunch. What’s so romantic about lunch? Well, 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 found 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 moved together—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. For instance, Michelle has been known to fly around the country in order to educate staffs at cheese stores, in hopes of making them feel more comfortable about mold. “Mold is natural and does not ruin cheese. That doesn’t mean you must eat it, but you can safely eat the cheese beneath,” says Michelle.

Sini Family History

The Sini family has been making Cacio de Roma and other cheeses for over 30 years, beginning on a small dairy farm in the Village of Nepi, Province-Viterbo, in the Lazio region of Italy. Many of their cheeses are very unusual and often quite hard to find. 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 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 30 -60 days. The end result is a creamy textured cheese with a mild, balanced flavor finishing with a touch of fruit. 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. Some typical uses are as a filling for ravioli, grated or cubed in salads, on pizza and for simple sandwiches, like grilled cheese.

Manchego, A Spanish Favorite!

Spain has over one hundred different varieties of cheese and a large percentage of them are made from ewes’ milk. More than 1,500 common species of sheep can be found here. This diversity in breeds can be attributed to Spain’s size (the second largest country in the European Union) and more importantly, to its countryside, which ranges from alpine to desert-like conditions.

Manchego cheese is made exclusively from the milk of Manchega sheep, originating from the Entrefino breed. These sheep, used for both milk and meat, graze on the plains of southern central Spain, called La Mancha. The name La Mancha is derived from the Arabic word “manhsa,” meaning “land without water.” It can get pretty hot in this part of the world, so the fact that Manchega ewes can produce milk under these conditions is quite extraordinary. In fact, the Manchega’s milk capacity is astounding; the average milk production is 26.4 gallons per animal per year, being markedly seasonal during the months of April, May and June.

These prized animals graze mainly on dry pasture and leftovers of the grain harvest. In this region one can find a large variety of perennial plants and other aromatic species that have a determining influence on the milk composition. Manchega ewes are accustomed to roaming freely and are well adapted to cold windswept winters and extremely hot summers where temperatures reach more than 122ºF! Eighty percent of the days are sunny, rain is scarce and irregular, and the wind changes constantly. You would think under these conditions the milk would be low in fats, but quite the opposite is true. Manchega milk is very fatty which results in a rich, full flavored, fragrant cheese with a subtle, salty, tang in the finish.

Today, Manchego is one of the most acclaimed ewes’ milk cheeses in the world and it comes with its own Denominacion de Origen designation, meaning it is a cheese of high integrity which meets specific criteria, such as the breed of sheep, and how and where it’s made. The Denomination Manchego includes the largest natural region of Spain, located in the center of the Iberian Peninsula. Its most northern part can be found 30 miles north of Madrid. This area is a plain with altitudes that range from 2,133 to 2,625 feet above sea level.

Savor a Bit of the Old Country—Experience P'tit Basque

The natural border dividing France and Spain is the Pyrenees mountain range, the home of P’tit 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 even 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 ancestors centuries ago. Amongst these artisans, herds average just one- to two-hundred sheep. They are still hand-milked, yielding 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. No wonder this cheese is a far cry from what we Americans have gotten used to in our super markets. Enjoy!

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
Manchego	Mahn-CHAY-go	Spanish sparkling white wine, dry Sherry, American Zinfandel, light red wines, or pub ales (pale or mild ales)
P’tit Basque	Puh-TEE Bask	Dry white wines, Bordeaux, Burgundy or Barbaresca

Tasting Notes

The rich and creamy milk that comes from ewes’ makes resounding and intensely flavored cheeses. You’ll find that only small amounts are required to satisfy your palate.

Cacio de Roma: 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 beautifully bold in quesadillas.

Manchego: This fragrant cheese has a complex and intense flavor, a wonderful nutty undertone, and a subtly salty tang in the finish. Manchego is usually aged 6 or more months. Sometimes Manchego is served as a light dessert accompanied by membrillo, fig wheels, and fresh fruit with honey. Try it grated over grilled vegetables—it’s a nice alternative to using salt.

P'tit Basque: Pyrenees cheeses aren’t the kind that hit you over the head. Instead, they’re lovely, smooth, subtle and fruity with a nice little bit of a nose—the kind of cheese you would eat every day at lunch, or with a simple dinner and a glass of dry white wine. Made from pure ewes’ milk, this cheese has a rather dry texture and an earthy, nutty flavor. Expect numerous floral and sweet caramel notes.