APRIL 2022 CHEESE CLUB

 
 

 WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB

ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 CHEESES:

Jumi Garlic and Herb Raclette | Emmental, Switzerland

Raw cow’s milk
Without a rind, this alpine rarity isn’t as funky as typical Swiss Raclette (raclettes are typically washed-rind cheeses). This one is sweet, savory, and very herbaceous. I chose to include it this month because we need to normalize eating raclette all year long. Who’s with me?! You can grill it on burgers, make killer grilled cheese, or melt it in cast iron to drench potatoes. This gorgeous cheese also equally deserves to be on a cheese and charcuterie board.
From this month’s wine club lineup, this cheese pairs well with: 2018 Clos des Fous ‘Pour ma gueule’

Brique Agour | Basque Country, France

Raw sheep’s milk
This tile-shaped, natural-rinded fromage is floral, nutty, and approachable. It has a silky paste that does well shaved — it just melts on your tongue.
Try it with: 2018 Clos Siguier Cahors

Blumenkäse | St. Gallen Rhine Valley, Switzerland

Raw cow’s milk
Next up we have another alpine cheese — this one is coated in wildflowers from the mountains where the ruminants graze. It’s a young cheese with swissy nuances — a little like Emmenthal — and is sweet, nutty, and, of course, floral.
Try it with: 2021 Ovum Big Salt White

6-CHEESE MEMBERS ALSO GET TO ENJOY THESE 3:

Chèvre du Vivarois | Pélussin, France

Pasteurized goat’s milk
This bloomed-rind French Softie has three distinct textures. The rind has a great thickness to give you all the peppery notes. Just underneath the rind is the ripest part of a bloomy rind (called the creamline), and this one is salty, complex, and gooey. Then, the paste is chalky and a little cakey and tongue-coaty.
Try it with: 2020 Adaras Almansa Lluvia Blanco

Cascadia Creamery’s Sawtooth | Trout Lake, Washington, USA

Raw cow’s milk
Here’s a stinky little Washingtonian for you. This washed-rind cheese gets aged in bona-fide caves, and you can smell it on the rind! This thing is loaded with umami, hammy notes, roasted cashews, and chocolate.
Try it with: 2019 Accornero Bricco del Bosco Grignolino. And really, it would also be delightful with beer or whiskey. If it’s that type of night.

Saint Nuage | Burgundy, France

Pasteurized cow’s milk
This bloomy, single-format triple crème made by Hervé Mons is rich in butterfat, with bags of lovely notes like sweet, cultured cream, butter, and hints of grass. This cheese needs some bubbly wine stat.
Try it with: 2018 Vins el Cep Kila Cava Brut

 
 

AND SOME TIPS TO KEEP YOUR CHEESE HAPPY AT HOME

  • Protect your cheese from drying out by keeping it in your fridge in a lidded container (like tupperware), a plastic baggie, or the crisper drawer.

  • After opening, always use fresh plastic wrap for any cheese you’re not planning to eat within a day, unless it’s being kept in a container (which we recommend).

  • In general, we suggest eating your cheese within a week or so of purchasing. Some cheeses will last longer, but, you know, why wait!

  • Keep bloomy rinds and blues separated when possible. The molds are quite zealous and will grow on any cheese they can latch onto, so just keep them in separate containers and you’ll be fine.

  • A word about mold: If it’s growing on your semi-firm or firm cheeses, just cut it off and eat it! This white and blue mold is just fine — these cheeses lack the water to host the nasty molds. But if mold is growing on your fresh mozzarella, feta, cream cheese, or fresh chèvre, throw it out.  The amount of water in these cheeses provides a great environment for the nasty stuff. If you start to see mold, you can be sure that the filaments are already running throughout the cheese :(

  • For the best flavors, take your cheese out of the fridge for an hour or so before serving. When cheeses are too cold, all their delicious flavors, aromas, and textures get shy. Serve at room temperature to enjoy to the fullest.

This month’s cheese was carefully curated by Seattle’s Resident Cheese Lady, Rachael Lucas, ACS CCP, CCSE. Rachael is a cheese buyer for the Ballinger Thriftway in Shoreline, a fromage writer for tastewashingtontravel.com, and she’s on the Board of Directors for WASCA (Washington State Cheesemaker’s Association).