NOVEMBER 2021 CHEESE CLUB

 
 

 WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB

ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 CHEESES:

Cascadia Creamery Cloudcap | Trout Lake, Washington

Raw cow’s milk
First up, we have a natural-rinded, Caerphilly-style cheese from a farmstead creamery that sits atop natural caves. This enables their small-production operation to age their cheeses in bonafide caves, rather than man-made structures where we find so many cheeses being matured nowadays. Cloudcap has notes of butter, fresh earth, and stinging nettles.
From this month’s wine club lineup, this cheese pairs well with: 2019 Passionate Wines Via Revolucionaria Bonarda

Appenzeller Reserve | Switzerland

Raw cow’s milk
Appenzeller is a well-aged, alpine-style cheese with a round flavor profile of roasted nuts, flowers, and dried herbs. This classic mountain cheese has meltability suitable for fondue, or it’s just as tremendously tasty al fresco with some cornichons.
Try it with: Valdespino Inocente Fino Sherry

Caña de Cabra | Spain

Pasteurized goat’s milk
This Spanish cheese is coming at you with three distinct textures. The rind is perfectly proportionate with the insides, so don’t skip out on the peppery exterior! Just beneath the rind is what’s known as the “creamline” — at room temp (and depending on the age of your cheese) this is like whipped goo in the best way possible. It’s the ripest part of the cheese, so it’s salty and stronger in flavor than the rest. The interior paste is cakey, fudgy, and clean.
Try it with: 2019 Francesco Boschis Freisa Boschi Delle Cicale

6-CHEESE MEMBERS ALSO GET TO ENJOY THESE 3:

Domaine du Vallage | Champagne, France

Pasteurized cow’s milk
Not to over hype it, but this is the butteriest, most substantial triple crème on the planet. This agreeable bloomy-rinded delectation is a lot like munching on cultured butter. If you would prefer a contrast, this cheese is traditionally consumed with bubbles or something else equally acidic.
Try it with: 2020 il Mostro Vino Frizzante Ragana

Bethmale du Chévre | X

Pasteurized goat’s milk tomme
The light wash on this cheese’s rind propogates a lot of microbial activity. Seriously, it’s love and war on that rind. This excellently melty cheese is peanuty, floral, and herbaceous with a pliable paste that will elicit audible “oohs” and “aahs”.
Try it with: 2018 Grosgrain Petit Grosgrain

Fiore Sardo | Sardinia, Italy

Raw ewe’s milk
This classic cheese is still made in the traditional (and ridiculously charming) way — matured in small Italian huts with a fire in the center, which adds a subtle, savory smokiness.
Try it with: 2020 Antoniolo Bricco Lorella Rosato

 
 

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).