Regional Cheeses of Southern Idaho

Hello Fellow Traveler!

Recently, my travels took me across the Treasure Valley and into the Magic Valley in Idaho. No, I was not there panning for gold…but I was in search of some good local cheeses. These valleys are located in Southern Idaho and are home to some amazing dairy pastures, producing some really high quality milk that is perfect for cheese making!

I stopped by a local Whole Foods Market in Boise (as Whole Foods prides themselves is being the home to some of America’s great artisan cheeses). It was there that I spotted a cheese brand that I had not heard of before – Kimberly's Best.

Kimberly is not a person, rather a place, which is about 135 miles South of Boise in the Magic Valley. The goat milk is collected locally in the Twin Falls area, then made into cheese right in downtown Kimberly on Main Street. What made this cheese even more interesting is that it was a cheddar made from goat’s milk. Not too many goat cheddars out there. The average goat produces around 1 gallon (equal to about 1 pound of cheese per day).

I have been in the cheese business a long time and have watched the goat cheese market grow over the years. Back when I first started, the only goat cheeses that you could find were fresh chèvre logs that were being imported from the Loire Valley in France. They were stark white (or covered with vegetable ash), with a stronger ‘barnyardy’ flavor. Back then, the goat’s milk may have been collected every other day which gave it a stronger flavor. Today, most Goat dairies collect their milk daily and turn it in to cheese rather quickly.

Why is Goat Cheese SO bright white?

Goat’s milk lacks beta carotene, which normally give a cheese its rich golden tones founds in most cheese, particularly those made with cow milk. But any beta carotene that a goat intakes converts instantly into Vitamin A, which lacks color!

Why is goat’s milk/cheese easier to digest?

Goat milk has less lactose and a slightly different protein structure than cow's milk. These subtle shifts actually make a big difference: Even people who are allergic to cow's milk can usually drink goat's milk without issue. 

This cheese still had some of the classic cheddar notes, but also had a clean, buttery flavor that is most associated with goat cheeses. I paired this cheese with some local Red d’Anjou Pears, small Muscat Grapes, organic olive oil & sel gris Sourdough Flatbread Crackers from Rustic Bakery and a wonderful local Malbec wine from Scoria Vineyards. 

I now understand why they call this area the Magic Valley!

Until next time…

Saturday was ‘Wash Day’…

No, not the weekly chore of laundry…But an educational, “aromatic” cheese course on Washed Rind Cheeses that I attended this last Saturday.  Washed Rind Cheeses fall under the category of Surface Ripened Cheeses, which means that they age from the outer surface inward. They are also stinky cheeses because of this washing (or smearing) process.

These cheeses have a long standing history and are sometimes referred to as ‘Monastery Cheeses’, as many were developed in Monasteries across Europe. Since the middle ages Monks and Nuns have been the source of many of the original European cheeses and wines. 

Working under the premise – “Ora et Labora” (Pray and Work). This motto summarizes monastic life in two words.  The Monks and Nuns devote a large portion of each day to manual labor, thus providing for their own living expenses as well as helping others in need. 

These cheeses, most of which were founded in France, Belgium, and Switzerland, share a basic recipe and milk type; they are soft ripened,semisoft, or semihard cow’s milk cheeses made from uncooked curds and with washed rinds. 

One of the most famous examples of this genre is Muenster, which takes its name from an old form of the word monastery.

Let’s get back to the cheeses….These cheeses have been washed with a brined water solution, or beer, or spirits, or something called Morge (a salt water solution with remnants of older cheese bits in it). These washes help develop a very thin rind which helps keep bad bacteria away, while allowing good bacteria (brevibacterium linens or just simply b.linens) which also allows an orange/pink coloring, and pungent odors to develop…think Limburger type.

I mentioned Limburger because while many have not enjoyed it, its stinky reputation has proceeded it, which was precisely why this class (and the study at the Oregon State University, Food Innovation Center) developed this training.

We were given four Washed Rind Cheeses in a blind tasting (meaning we were not told their name) and asked to evaluate them on the following: Flavor, Aroma, Texture, and Taste. We were asked to rank them in order of preference and whether we would purchase or not…..Then, we were told that #573 was Limburger. When this same study was given to tasters at Oregon State, half the group tasted them ‘blind’, while the other half were told what they were tasting. The results?...The study showed that people do have a negative connotation of the name ‘Limburger’, as the half of the class that tasted it ‘blind’ really enjoyed it.

My favorites were Pont-l'Eveque (#417) and Grayson (#642).

So in summary, when buying these cheeses, be adventurous! Ask your local cheesemonger for their recommendations, pairings, and for a sample! I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by these wonderful cheeses!

While laundry may be nothing to celebrate, exploring these great cheeses are!

Regional Cheeses of the Northeast

As mentioned in the “About Me” section of this blog, my job takes me to new and different parts of the country. While in these “new” parts, I always like to visit the local cheese shop, or cheese retailer to see what local gems I can find, that I don’t see in my local markets.

Recently, my travels took me into Albany in upstate New York. Other than being the Capitol of The Empire State, I really did not know much about the area (or how high up in the country I was – almost as high as Buffalo, NY).

While in one of these cheese shops, I found a brand called Nettle Meadow Artisan Cheese. It was the word “Nettle” that caught my eye, as Nettle is a type of plant that can be used in helping the milk coagulate in cheese making instead of using animal rennet (more about this in a future post).

The Nettle Meadow Artisan Cheese Company was founded in 1990 is owned and operated by Lorraine Lambiase and Sheila Flanagan in Warrensburg, NY which is about an hour North of Albany. 

While they produce many different styles of cheese (Bloomy Rind, Washed Rind, and Fresh Types) there were two that I had to try: Kunik Mini and Honey Lavender Fromage Blanc.

Kunik Mini is a Bloomy Rind “Button” (a petite 3.5 oz. round) that is made from Pasteurized Goat’s Milk, Cow’s Cream, and Sea Salt. This award-winning cheese had a wonderful earthy aroma and a creamy finish.

Honey Lavender Fromage Blanc is a soft, spreadable cheese that was perfect on a toasted bread and served with a good cup of Jasmine Pearls Green Tea from The Tao of Tea for Breakfast. I have seen Lavender turn up more and more as a flavoring in cheese and I love this trend!

Happy hunting for your own local brands and I look forward to sharing more finds from my travels… Until next time!

The Terroir of Cheese

If you search for the definition of “Terroir” in the dictionary, you will most likely find a reference to wine and it stating that the factors of Climate, Sunlight and Soil will have an overall effect on the outcome, or characteristics of the grapes. However, when it comes to cheese, I learned that there is so much more going on than that!

You see, Terroir for cheese follows the same for factors for wine, but since the animal is eating the grass/flowers/plants that grow in these regions (and elevations), they too have a major impact on the overall taste of the cheese.

This was a hard concept to understand…especially if you walk over to your refrigerator and smell a carton of milk. Assuming it’s a fresh container, you may pick up some buttery, or grassy notes, but beyond that, it’s hard to imagine how the flavor of the cheese is impacted… That is, until I traveled to the Canton of Fribourg, to a small town known as Gruyères in Switzerland. It is here at the La Maison du Gruyère (The House of Gruyere), where you can learn of this famous cheese’s history, how it’s made, but also receive a sensory lesson of how the Terrior of this region effects the overall flavor of the cheese.

When you enter the La Maison du Gruyère, there is an area where you can watch them make the cheese, and of course there is a gift shop, but it was the self-guided educational part that left the biggest impression on me. Along several walls there were close up photographs showing some of the wildflowers, native grasses, and herbaceous plants that grow along the mountain of this region. Patrons are then encouraged to read about these, then to lift the small stainless steel vessel that contains this plant and smell the fragrance.

Each are all so different then the next. Each have their own impact on the final piece of cheese.

When you have made it through all eleven stations, you are then handed a piece of cheese to taste. At once, it all becomes crystal clear how very important these native plants, flowers, and grasses can impact the final flavor of the cheese, and more importantly how this cheese could only be made in this region.

So getting back to the definition… While the dictionary may try to explain it, speak to anyone in this region and they will simply say that Terroir simply means “A Sense of Place.”

Photos Courtesy of www.lamaisondugruyere.ch/homepage-en/

Wine & Cheese Unite

For the last 9 years, I have been fortunate enough to help lead a cheese and wine education event at Bogle Wineryin Clarksburg in Northern California. I have been approached many times over the years by different wineries to do a similar event, but I decline their generous offers…

Bogle is so fun to work with and they have an amazing selection and range of wines to pair with no matter what cheese I bring in every year.

Pairing cheeses and wines seems simple enough, but it is actually more complex than I first thought.

Here are a few examples that you might try at your next event: 

Triple Crème Brie with Champagne

Pure decadence! Creamy, luscious bloomy rind cheeses love Champagne and Sparkling Wines! Something about those silky, creamy and earthy notes of the cheese seem to be in perfect harmony with the fruity, crisp, and effervescent notes of this sparkling treat! Those beautiful bubbles effortlessly wash the creaminess away of this fine style of cheese…No wonder that both have been called the choice of royalty!

Fresh Chévre with Chenin Blanc

The beautiful Loire Valley in Western France is the home to one of the great regional cheese & wine pairings - Fresh Chévre (or aged varieties) served with Chenin Blanc is the classic “What Grows Together, Goes Together” pairing that perfectly captures the essence of “Terrior” (more about that in a future post). As the cheese and wine match each other in acidity and intensity. C'est Magnifique!

Roquefort with Ruby Port 

Some pairings seem to work best with contrasting (or “opposite”) flavors. In this case, you have a creamy sheep’s milk cheese that has a good “bite” of salt, paired with a sweet, almost syrupy gem that is delicious as a dessert or as an apértif. The sweet seems to cut right through the saltiness and balance it out.

Washed Rind Cheeses with Porters

While the Roquefort/Port combination was contrasting, this pairing is complementary, meaning that you have a stronger cheese that can stand up to a stronger beer. Washed Rind cheeses are “Monastery Cheeses” (more about these in a future post) which means that they have been washed with a salt water solution which can give the cheese an orange hue. These tend to be the “Stinky” cheeses varieties such as Limburger, Beer Käse, or Hand Cheese (all from Germany). Prost!

Photos courtesy of Bogle Winery