JANUARY 2024 CHEESE CLUB
WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB
ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 CHEESES:
Rodolphe Le Meunier Beurre de Baratte Sel | Normandy, France
Cow's milk
This cultured butter is a cheesemonger favorite — it's better than all the French butters out there (at least, the ones we can import). Coming from the lush pastures, this butter is made with milk that's been carefully selected from small farms in the area. It's made in the traditional method, where it gets churned in a wooden churn and then molded by hand. Cultured butter should be reminiscent of the cheese produced in the area—Meunier’s butter is just that. It tastes of the place, lending pastoral wafts. Because butter is fat, and fat is flavor, spread some on radishes if you’re feeling extra French — the butter can handle the spicy snap. Or slather it on fresh sourdough bread and wash it down with something. Or serve it on some high quality chocolate, and pretend it’s cheese.
From this month’s wine club lineup, this cheese pairs well with: 2022 L.A. Cetto
Crottin de Poitou | Loire Valley, France
Pasteurized goat’s milk
This classic is a simple, hand-made fromage that's been in existence since the Moors homesteaded the region way back when (they brought their goats with them!). The brainy exterior is a by-product of a yeast-like mold, known as Geotrichum Candidum — this is the friendly fungus that plays a crucial role in crafting that delightful white, fuzzy outer coating and transforms the texture and flavor. Note the classic, peppery sass on the rind that envelops a gob-filling, warmed milky, slightly capric paté. As this cheese ages, it gets firmer, and eventually, grate-able.
Try it with: 2021 Il Meridione
Cambozola | Bavaria, Germany
Pasteurized cow's milk
This cute mish-mash is a bloomy-rinded blue cheese (the "cam" is for Camembert, the "zola" is for Gorgonzola). So why is it from Bavaria where neither of those cheeses originated? Who knows. But who cares?! It's gorgeous, lactic, luscious, and approachable.This is a gateway blue to entice those who think they hate blue cheese. It spreads like butter, so you can smooth it onto some warm, crusty bread, and wash it down with something delicious.
Try it with: 2021 Santa Tresa 'Rina Russa'
6-CHEESE MEMBERS ALSO GET TO ENJOY THESE 3:
Gorgonzola Dolce | Lombardy, Italy
Pasteurized cow’s milk
This blue cheese is a soft, rich take on Gorgonzola Piccante (its famous, spicy step-sister). Cultured cream gives it a smooth, fatty mouthfeel and a gentler kick — and makes for a stellar dessert.
Try it with: 2022 Alexakis
Asiago Vecchio | Veneto, Italy
Raw cow’s milk
This mature, classic mountain cheese is a total beast. It has an intense chew with a dry, crumbly, crystalline texture that's certainly grate-able, but it has such a pleasant nuttiness that it feels like a waste to cook with it. Let’s normalize putting this mouthfeel powerhouse on our cheese boards.
Try it with: Finca la Carrodilla
Balarina Goat Gouda | South Holland, The Netherlands
Pasteurized goat’s milk
This cheese has been matured for 4 years, making it crystalline, candied, and moreish. The waxy exterior enables goudas to age for long periods of time without losing too much moisture, and the result is something dulcet and brothy with textural complexity.
Try it with: A classic pairing for an aged goat gouda is a Dubbel or Trippel from the region, but (I swear, through painstaking r & d) goat goudas seem to be super chummy with a full red like 2022 Lomita Cabernet.
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).