APRIL 2024 CHEESE CLUB

 
 

 WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB

ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 CHEESES:

Cherry Valley Dairy Fromage Blanc | Duvall, Washington, USA

Pasteurized cow’s milk

This local freshie is an acid-coagulated cheese made in a simple, clean fashion. These cows live in a meadow and are now out on pasture munching on early spring flowers, grasses, and alliums, which ultimately translates into complexity in the milk. The best part about this creamery is that they keep the herd small, in order for their animals to get all the individual attention and care that they need. Happy cows = better milk.
From this month’s wine club lineup, this cheese pairs well with: 2023 Lubanzi Chenin Blanc

Piave Vecchio | Veneto, Italy

Pasteurized cow’s milk
This dense and firm, acidic, and fruity (think pineapple and citrus) formaggio boasts brothy notes, and is a skosh nutty. It is similar in flavor to Parmigiano Reggiano, though without the inherent crystallization and crumble. Piave is approachable and couples well with lots of different libations. Note the substantial chew.
Try it with: 2022 Iuli Umberto

Twisca | The Netherlands

Pasteurized sheep’s milk
Next up we have a delicious, organic aged Gouda. Industrial Gouda comes loaded with preservatives, so these family-made, smaller batch, organic styles are the best option, though they are difficult to find. Twisca has been made in the same recipe by the same family for over 400 years. These sheep munch on grass that gets naturally salinated by Atlantic sea spray, and this translates into a complex minerality in the cheese. Many people do not even realize this is a gouda since it deviates from the norms with which we associate this genre of kaas (cheese in Dutch).
Try it with: 2020 Ostatu Rosado

6-CHEESE MEMBERS ALSO GET TO ENJOY THESE 3:

Baby Golden Child | Washington, USA

Pasturized goat's milk
This local goodie comes to us from a small, farmstead creamery where the animals are treated like family. This young, semi-soft gouda-style cheese has a craggy/sort of bees waxy, golden rind that has been rubbed in olive oil and a vinegar brine (an Italian cheese-making practice) that helps the exterior to harden and protect all the lively activity that happens on the inside. The pliable paste boasts notes of chocolate, warmed milk, and its taste of place with a capric exhale.
Try it with: 2023 Constant Crush Limited Addition Piquette Orange Wine

Chaumes | Perigord region, Southern France

Pasteurized cow’s milk
This trappist style, washed-rinded fromage comes to us from just east of Bordeaux. This is a classic brine washed table cheese that boasts beefy notes and cruciferous veggies, sour cream, and grass.
Try it with: Zestos Old Vine Garnacha

Bosquetto al Tartufo | Tuscany, Italy

Pasteurized sheep’s milk
This truffle freckled cheese is a younger pecorino with a clean, non-wooly paste and a savory, umami nuance thanks to the black truffle flecks. A table cheese with a kick, this cheese tends to do well with a Chianti Classico, but it also plays nicely with fruity whites.
Try it with: Viña Echeverria ‘No es Pituko’

 
 

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).