Featured Cheese - December 2017

Zamorano, a well-known and respected Spanish cheese, is usually produced in the shape of 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.

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.

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.