CG's Artisan & Farmstead Cheese Threak

[Cary Grant]

Taking up on Matt's suggestion, I'm starting a separate threak on artisan & farmstead cheese. Some of you follow my blog
I'm also currently a tester for a new cheese in development by Cellars at Jasper Hill in conjunction with Culture Magazine.

...And with this being National American Cheese Month, I'll cross-post some of that. I've copied the posts from the "One Cheese" thread here to get the thread started.

Thanks All!

-Chris
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Day #1: Hoja Santa- from Dallas. You eat the leaves.

Day #2: Dante
Aged Sheep milk, made in Wisconsin.
More mild than farmstead aged manchego but I've never had a sheep milk cheese I didn't enjoy.

Day #3: Hook's Blue, Wisconsin
Dense and very creamy. Mild enough to eat plain by itself.

Day #4: Hidden Falls
Shepherd's Way Farm, MN

Day #5: Black River Blue, Wisconsin

Day #6: A big soft blob of very goaty Granite Ridge

Day #7: Marieke Gouda, Wisconsin

Day #8 Cowgirl Creamery, Petaluma
"Pierce Pt."

Day #9 Moses Sleeper, Cellars at Jasper Hill, Vermont

Day #10: Green Hill, Georgia

Day #11 - St. Mary's Grass-fed Gouda, Faribault MN

 

[Cary Grant]

A few older images from earlier posts.

Garrotxa

Natalie in Gray

Quite possibly my all-time fav, Ossau Iraty

Pecorino di Vino

Evalon

Stichelton

Big Woods Blue

Appleby's Cheshire

 

[indesertum]

Really mild. Prolly very little age. No crystals

Love ossau iraty. One of my favorites as well

 

[Cary Grant]

Day #12: Middlebury Blue from Blue Ledge Farm. My new favorite blue, right up there with Stichelton.
Raw milk- zingy/complex.

 

[edmorel]

CG, the cheeses, photography and settings are all beautiful. Talk me to about the Ossau, why is it your favorite, what is the flavor profile, what would you compare it to, and how do you eat it.

 

[Cary Grant]

Thanks Ed-

What to say. For starters, sheep's milk cheeses are my favorite overall, I like the flavor profile, that bit of lanolin and the little bit of oiliness that you get when the cheese is warm.

I especially anything Basque in origin. Ossau is a Northern Basque (southwestern France) cheese. So include Idiazabal (practically tied wit Ossau as a fav), Petit Basque...

Cheeses from La Mancha like Manchego are similar.

I like cheese with a firm, dense bite. I can easily enjoy eating parmigiano plain in chunks. Ossau is a pressed cheese so it has that density. Flavor is really deep and complex. Caramel, ***** (that sheep oily thing), nutty, - not unlike alpine cheese like comte but not generally as sour/tangy. You get the notes of the dry vegetation/herbs etc.

And Ossau holds up really well against big reds AND whites... so I can readily drink an eye-tal barolo or chard with it.
I tend to eat cheeses straight... maybe just with nuts, a little fruit... this is nice with Medjool dates... most similar cheeses are good with membrillo or marmalade...

It's a good grater and melter... I've grated it over caramelized onion tart and also used grated in french onion soup... doesn't give you that melted cap but easier to eat and combines n the soup.

 

[edmorel]

I'm not a big sheeps milk guy and parmagiano is probably my favorite cheese for the reasons you mention and I also pretty much eat it straight. When you say warm, do you mean room temp or do you warm up the cheese?

 

[Cary Grant]

Room temp... sheep milk cheeses can get a bit unctuous if they get too warm. I don't mind but it can make them more sheepy.
Taste Ossau at your monger and see what you think.

 

[mgm9128]

Ossau Iraty is one of my favorite cheeses, as well. I just had some this week from spring milk. The best I've tasted. I think ed would like it.

 

[erictheobscure]

Sounds like I've gotta go out and look for this ossau stuff.

 

[indesertum]

mmmm. petit basque is delicous although i always regret polishing off the small wheel.

i think my favorites are goat cheeses. they have that lovely funkiness and i love the tanginess of chevres. if i could id only eat petit billy and tomme fleur vert

 

[Cary Grant]

Day #13: Pleasant Ridge Reserve "Extra Aged"
Stunning cheese, multiple best in show at the ACS. The regular Reserve is excellent- the extra depth, the crystals- put this over the top.

 

[b1os]

^Looks very interesting.

 

[Cary Grant]

Your like of aged gouda/comte would lead me to believe you'd really like this one.

 

[b1os]

FWIW, I like aged comté. I'm not a big fan of gouda. I hope this one plays more in the comté league..
(I mean (original?) Dutch gouda. Not sure whether "your" gouda is different in taste than Dutch.)