Stories around the campfire…

Hello Cheese Enthusiast!

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

This time of year, the air is a little crisper, the leaves are turning the most beautiful array of colors, and nightfall seems to come a little quicker…That can only mean one thing!!...Halloween is almost here!!

Realizing that Summer was officially behind us, we wanted one last camping adventure to help celebrate a few birthdays, the last warm weekend of the year, and sitting around the campfire at night enjoying a few too many s’mores, a few laughs, and of course, some good stories!

No ghost stories here…although it may be frightening that some of these cheeses we are about to discuss are not more readily available.

So settle in and gather around the fire as I tell you about three cheeses that are perfect for this time of year…

Screamer – Don’t be frightened by the name of this cheese…I think it must have received its name because once you try it, you’ll be screaming for more!

While this product was first launched in 2015, it tends to pop up in cheese counters around this time of year due to its name, size, and let’s face it, people are more “cheese curious” as we start to enter the holiday season.

This little triple crème (72% FDM) is made from pasteurized cow’s milk and comes to us from Ueli Moser, owner and master cheese maker at BonCas, a specialty cheese producer in Dotzigen, Switzerland. 

Ueli grew up in a family of cheese makers in Eastern Switzerland. Both Ueli and his father produced traditional hard and semi hard cheeses like Emmentaler, Tilsiter and Rahmkäse. As a young man, Ueli traveled extensively and immediately fell in love with the soft cheeses of Normandy, France where he worked in a small Fromagerie. Ueli worked there for a few years before returning to Switzerland to again work with his father. This move was crucial…while it ultimately brought him back to his homeland, it also encouraged him to open his ownFromagerie. 

Producing these small little soft ripened cheeses in a country that is known for it hard cheese was a risky undertaking, but the public (and the cheese judges) loved them!

Today, they produce a variety of soft ripened cheeses that are shipped around the globe.

This cheese is super buttery, earthy and delicious. Triple crème cheeses love sparkling wines and vice versa.

Red Witch: - This cheese may have been around for the last ten years, but due to its name and its eye-catching color, I tend to only see it around this time of year.

This cheese was created in conjunction with Fasnacht, (a version of Carnival celebrated in Switzerland’s German-speaking areas) which is celebrated the Thursday thru Monday before Lent. The tradition has varying oral origins: as an old Germanic sacrificial practice, a time to let loose before the period of Lent, a festival to drive away demons, and a celebration marking the end of winter. 

Swiss cheesemaker Christian Oberli created this velvety smooth, buttery, meaty, slightly funky cheese. He covered the rind in paprika and called it Red Witch (Rote Hexe) because during Fasnacht celebrations people dress up in crazy Halloween style costumes and masks. It has a shape, size, and smell of Appenzeller, another classic cheese of Switzerland. Made from raw cow’s milk and aged six to eight months.

For over 100 years, Käserei Oberli Rislen has played a big role in the Swiss cheese market, whether through production of name protected classics or original creations, all the while remaining under ownership by just one family.  The Oberli family started the dairy in 1918, primarily producing Emmentaler for the export market.

Photo courtesy of Face Rock Creamery

Vampire Slayer – This third and final cheese, I did not get a chance to find in time for the camping trip, but after reading about it, it will be a “must find”.

At one time I lived in Gilroy, CA., better known as the “Garlic Capital of the World” and they were right…there was SO much garlic there, that we never saw a single vampire….AND the smell of garlic was SO strong during the summer harvest months, that you could marinate your steaks by hanging them on the clothesline.

Face Rock Creamery is a young, Award-Winning cheddar creamery in Bandon, Oregon on the beautiful Southern Oregon Coast.  Founded in May 2013, Face Rock Creamery has been gaining national acclaim and followers with its wonderful handmade cheeses.

Specializing in Cheddar, Face Rock Creamery believes in a classic approach to cheese making where things are done the old fashion way, and nothing artificial or unnecessary is added.  Cheddar cheese has been made for centuries, and Face Rock Creamery honors this tradition and heritage with each curd it produces.

Artful attention to detail in the craft of cheese making has paid off, as Face Rock Creamery has been honored with two American Cheese Society (ACS) 1st First Place Blue Ribbons in their first two years of business (won on their Vampire Slayer, so you know it’s good).  This is the highest honor in cheese making, and testimony to the quality of their cheese.

While I haven’t had a chance to try this cheese yet, I know that it will not only make a great snacking cheese, but will also make a “killer” cheesy garlic bread!!

While I wanted to end the story with good cheese and Halloween candy pairings, this subject has been expertly covered by two of the Cheese Travelers friends…The Cheese Professor and Antonelli’s Cheese Shop.

Halloween has always been one of my very favorite times of year, so enjoy some “spooky” cheese this time of year while it lasts.

All my best,

Trevor