APRIL 2023 CHEESE CLUB

 
 

 WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB

ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 CHEESES:

Petit Cantal Entre Deux | Auvergne, France

Pasteurized cow's milk
This classic cheese recipe has been around since before France was French, when it was Gaul! Cantal is arguably the world’s first cheddar, since the cheddaring process was brought to this region by the Romans in 1 BCE and then later to Britain in 50 CE. It’s the closest you'll get to a cheddar-style in France, although there’s quite a bit of moisture in the paté, which gives it a softer mouthfeel than a typical British Cheddar. Despite the rind's rusticity, Petit Cantal is quite mild with up-front notes of grass, cultured butter, and a minerality that comes from happy cows grazing on lush pasture atop an ancient volcano.
From this month’s wine club lineup, this cheese pairs well with: 2020 Faillenc Corbieres Rouge

Bianca | Yakima, Washington, United States

Pasteurized sheep and goat’s milk
This spring sensation comes to us from Tieton Farm and Creamery, Washington’s first solar-powered, sustainable, farmstead creamery. This local, rindless, sheep and goat’s mix-up is made in the style of fresh chèvre, which means it’s an acid-coagulated cheese. It’s bright and spritely from the goat’s milk, and rich and unctuous from the sheep’s milk.
Try it with: 2022 Sonder Cinsault Rosé

Artikaas | The Netherlands

Pasteurized cow’s milk
This 3-year-aged Dutch Gouda has gobs of textural elements and a palatal explosion. Remember last month when we sampled a young little gouda that was creamy, buttery, and mild in flavor? This is that kind of cheese, but with some years of age to it. The waxy exterior is meant to retain moisture in the paste, so it can mature for a long time without drying out. This gives it a crystalline texture and that brothy, butterscotchy flavors that aged gouda is famous for.
Try it with: 2022 Storm Point Red Blend

6-CHEESE MEMBERS ALSO GET TO ENJOY THESE 3:

Bleu des Causses | Aquitaine, France

Pasteurized cow’s milk
Now on to a Roquefort-style, stunner of a blue cheese. It has similar characteristics as its ewe’s milk half brother, but it lacks that punchy, retronasal wollup, which can be off-putting to some folks. Bleu des Causses is a little bit more approachable than that, which makes it a vestibular blue. Interestingly, Roquefort used to be made as a cow and sheep mixed milk cheese, but when it received appellation status in 1925 (the first cheese appellation in Europe), the cattle farmers had to find a new outlet for their milk because Roquefort, by law, had to be made with 100% ewe’s milk. Bleu des Causses, it’s your time to shine.
Try it with: 2021 Triennes Rosé

Ossau Iraty AOP | Ossau Valley, France

Raw ewe's milk
This rich, natural-rinded tomme from the Iraty Forest has enjoyed the distinction of name protection since 1980. The Basques are a quirky culture, and wow have they perfected their cheese through the ages. The recipe itself is said to pre-date the English language. With flavors ranging from floral, verdant pasture, and herbaceous to sweet cream, this cheese is sure to please a crowd. Serve it as a table cheese, melt it into eggs, or let it be your cheese board work horse.
Try it with: 2020 Special Sauce (Bois d'Arlene) Vin de France

Marcel Petit Comté | Jura, France

Raw cow’s milk
This alpine-style, organoleptic powerhouse is aged for at least 18 months, which allows time for flavor and aromatic development. This cheese is absolutely packed with complex deliciousness.
Try it with: 2022 Fabre en Provence Rosé

 
 

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).