Past Newsletters

January 2007

Happy New Year!

Whether you're a continuing member of The Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club, or a first time subscriber, we're very happy to have you with us! Welcome to 2007, a year that is forecasted to be full of delicious cheese treasures!

Stilton: A Village at the Right Place at the Right Time

Stilton, first made in the midlands of England, takes its name from the village of Stilton. No big surprise there. But what may come as a shock is the fact that no Stilton has ever been made there! It was actually made in the nearby town known as Melton Mowbray, and sold in the shops of Stilton. You'll find the town of Stilton about 80 miles north of London along the Great North Road. It was here that the coaches traveling between London and Scotland and other northern cities made their first stop for fresh horses and overnight stays. Its convenient location made the village a center marketplace for cheeses. Travelers of the day were clearly smitten with the blue cheese found in Stilton markets; word about its remarkable flavor spread far and wide. So it would be that this thoroughfare village eventually lent its name to the famed blue cheese.

Today Stilton is made much the same way as it was in the 1700's. In 1936, The Stilton Cheese Makers Association was formed to maintain the quality standards and protect the trademark of Stilton. Long known as "The King of Cheeses", blue Stilton is one a handful of British cheeses granted the status of a "protected designation origin" (PDO) by the European Commission. This means only authorized creameries can make true Stilton, operating only in the three counties of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire. So esteemed is Stilton's unique flavor and texture, it is the only British cheese graced with its own certification trademark.

How is Stilton Made?

Early each morning fresh pasteurized milk is fed into an open vat to which acid forming bacteria (starter cultures), a milk clotting agent (such as rennet) and "penicillium roqueforti" (blue mould spores) are added. Once the curds have formed, the whey is removed and the curds are allowed to drain overnight. The following morning, the curd is then cut into blocks to allow further drainage before being milled and salted. Each cheese requires about 24 lbs of salted curd, which is fed into cylindrical moulds. The moulds are then placed on boards and turned daily to allow natural drainage for 5 or 6 days. This ensures an even distribution of moisture throughout the cheese so that it creates the flaky, open texture required for the important bluing stage. The cheese is then transferred to the store where temperature and humidity are carefully controlled. Each cheese is turned regularly during this ripening period.

So how does this cheese get blue? As you can see, the basic recipe for blue cheese starts like any other cheese. The difference is the addition of the blue mold spores added to the milk. Since mold needs air to grow, the cheeses are pierced with stainless steel needles when they are about 6 weeks old and have formed the traditional Stilton crust, allowing air to enter the body of the cheese and permitting the growth of its famed blue veins. At about 9 weeks of age, by which time each cheese will weigh about 17 lbs, the cheese is ready to be sold. But before this happens every cheese must be graded using a cheese iron. The iron is used to bore into the cheese and extract a plug of cheese. By visual inspection and by smell the grader can determine whether the cheese is up to the mark and able to be sold as Stilton. Cheese that does not satisfy the Stilton criteria will be sold simply as "blue cheese."

Tasting Notes

More mild than Roquefort or Gorgonzola, Stilton has a rich and mellow flavor with a pungent aftertaste. The finest Stilton is creamy with a subtle yeasty sweetness and a salty, nutty finish. In fact, the way to judge the quality of your Stilton is by how creamy it is (not by how blue it is). Stilton is excellent for crumbling over salads or as a dessert cheese, served with a Port Wine. Just be sure to let your Stilton come to room temperature before enjoying!

Antique Emmentaler

Cheese has long been a staple of the Swiss diet—a fact that is hardly surprising in a nation where, until recent times, dairy cows outnumbered people. Our third selection this month hails from the central cantons of Switzerland. The etymology of the word Emmental provides a clue to its origin: Emme is the name of a river in Switzerland and 'Tal' means valley. The Emmental valley is probably the best-known valley in Switzerland and its residents are considered to be hard working, thoughtful, and independent.

In its beginnings, which sources traces back to the early 1500s, Emmentaler was not manufactured with trade in mind. Rather, it was used for preserving the milk of the significant herds. This technique spread with almost all the Alpine nations ultimately developing a production of Emmentaler. These days, it takes 1½ tons of milk to make one 220 pound wheel of Emmentaler, which doesn't really sound like an efficient way to preserve the milk that's gone in to it now does it… Certainly, times have changed, as Emmentaler is these days, a very widely traded cheese.

Emmentaler provides a window into the ingenuity and willpower of the Swiss. Faced with a huge demand for their cheese, they could have easily consolidated operations, built huge factories and churned out the giant wheels at a quick clip. They didn't. Instead, Swiss cheese is made in over 1,500 small dairies lining the Emme valley. Each dairy makes a wheel or two of strictly controlled, raw milk cheese, under the watchful eye of the ever important Swiss Cheese Association.

This system allows for more careful, hands-on cheese making with higher overall quality. With the high prices of fuel, the Swiss Cheese Association thought it made more sense to move the milk short distances to make the cheese, then truck the wheels (which makes a lot of sense when you consider the volume of milk required to produce each wheel). The fact that the Swiss built an organization around these two principals: artisan quality cheese making and finely honed economics, is anecdotal evidence that you actually can have it all!

How do the holes get into the cheese?

The characteristic holes of Emmentaler cheese are formed during the maturing process in the fermentation cellar. What's that? You want a more scientific explanation? Ok, here goes… The heat in the fermentation cellar causes propionic acid to ferment, leading to a production of carbon dioxide gas byproduct which forms within the body of the cheese. As the cheese rind becomes harder and harder with age, it forms a natural barrier, preventing the gas from escaping outwards. As a result, the gas accumulates in various places in the body of the cheese, displacing an equal volume of the body of the cheese and leaving, what else, the famed Swiss cheese holes.

One striking characteristic of many kinds of cheese is the varying number, size, and distribution of the holes. If they are particularly regular and round in shape, they are called "eyes". While there are some kinds of cheese with a body that should be as "closed" as possible, there are others in which these holes are essential, and this is definitely the case with Emmentaler cheese, in which the formation of the holes is a clear feature of the type and quality. Emmentaler has large, nearly walnut-sized holes. It is considered to be one of the most difficult cheeses to be produced because of its complicated hole-forming fermentation process.

Tasting Notes

Authentic Swiss cheese is never harsh or bitter, but should present a degree of acidity in the finish. As you will notice with each piece of Antique Emmental, the smoothness is quite pronounced. Its normal intense, sweet nuttiness has mellowed, leaving a long, swelling feeling of warmth in your mouth. Your Emmental is well over 12 months old—most Emmental is less than 6 months old. Enjoy!

Montchevre Goat Cheese Log: French-style Goat Cheese Made in America

The goat cheese log you will enjoy this month comes from the Montchevre cheese company in Belmont, Wisconsin. Though it is American-made, its recipes, methods and makers come from a long line of French cheesemakers.

Please meet Arnaud Solandt and Jean Rossard, partners in the Montchevre cheese company. Both men come from generations of cheesemakers and purveyors and from the heart of the goat cheese making area of France: Poitou in central France. Arriving in the United States from France in the mid-1980's, they saw the rise in popularity of goat cheese in this country and decided to put their years of experience into a new adventure. They searched Wisconsin for a small cheese factory in which to begin their company, finding one with a goat farm right across the street! Montchevre began making goat cheese in 1988 on 5,000 pounds of milk each week producing very small but impressively high quality cheese produced.

Today, Montchevre processes 3 million pounds of milk each year with approximately 100 employees. Though the company has grown and has modernized some equipment, it is still small, making it easy to maintain a high quality product. The growth in the company has not changed the cheesemaking method. The cheese is still made by hand with the curd produced in the same French-style manner. This manual process helps keep the process focused on quality.

Montchevre uses only fresh, 100% natural goat's milk; no hormones or preservatives are added. We use milk from Amish farmers who are local to the Wisconsin and Iowa areas. Goat cheese is a delicious alternative to cows' milk for most lactose intolerant adults and children. Goat cheese has twice the calcium as cream cheese and half the saturated fat and fat calories. It's truly a nutritious AND healthy indulgence!

Arnaud and Jean have a strong partnership – each participating fully in the decisions make about the company – always with the highest-quality cheesemaking being the common denominator. Arnaud says "I couldn't do it without Jean. And he couldn't do it without me. In 18 years of working together, we have never had a fight. If we disagree, we always find a compromise position."

Award Winning Cheeses

Even though the Montchevre is a relatively new company, its' cheeses have already begun to win distinguished awards, notably some against other Wisconsin cheese producers. No small feat since Wisconsin is the cheese capital of the U.S.!

• 2003 Wisconsin State Fair: silver and bronze medals
• 2002 World Cheese Competition: gold medal
• 2002 Wisconsin State Fair: gold and silver medals
• 1999 National Cheese Contest: Best of Class for Blue Cheese and 2nd Place in Goat Cheese class
• 1997 World Cheese Contest: Best in Class for Chabis

Tasting Notes

Goat's milk cheeses are especially rich and delicious since it is made from fresh milk. These cheeses are versatile and can be used at any time of the day you wish to serve them. It can be served warmed, with salad, and at room temperature after dinner as a dessert, often served with fruit.
Fine Cheese. Fine Wine.

Culture Corner
Cheese	Pronunciation	Recommended Wine/Beer
Stilton	STILL-tun	An excellent dessert cheese, Stilton is excellent paired with port.
Emmentaler	EM-awn-TAHL	With its sweet aroma and notes of fresh-cut hay, along with its fruity flavor, this cheese tastes delicious with a glass of Jura Blanc.
Goat Cheese	BREE	Young, dry whites or Gewürztraminer. Champagne. Ripe cheeses are good with a light, fruity red.