American Masters – COTM April 2014

Our April Cheese of the Month Club features 3 of our seasonal favorites which all happen to be American made.  For more information about subscribing to our Cheese Club please follow the link here http://cheeseplus.com/wp-content/uploads/cotm-120208.pdf.

Rupert

Consider Bardwell Farm

West Pawlet, Vermont

Raw Cow Milk

Believe it or not, Consider Bardwell was the name of the founder of the Consider Bardwell Farm in Vermont’s Lake Champlain Valley back in 1864.  Flash Forward to today and Rupert – no not a reference to Mr. Murdoch, but the name of one of Vermont’s oldest towns – is an extra aged Alpine-style cheese with a tangy bite.  Alpine-style is a loose cheese term referring to a number of cheese styles including familiar favorites such as Gruyere, Raclette, Appenzell, etc.  To us it has all that great Gruyere style, actually a little more fruity like a French Comte, but with a nice tangy bite on the finish… Somewhat cheddary?  You be the judge.  Made with raw milk and aged just under a year, the texture is firm and chewy.  An excellent cheese for melting in casseroles or grilled cheese sandwiches; and simply wonderful with a juicy red wine such as French Morgon Gamay (Beaujolais) or California Grenache.

Ameribella

Jacobs and Brichford

Connersville, Indiana

Raw Cow Milk

We’re super excited to offer Ameribella as a COTM Club selection.  Jacobs and Brichford only make a handful of wheels each week, and we’re proud to have secured a few for you!  This super creamy and über-stinky washed rind cheese is based on Taleggio, but is much more powerful and buttery than the slightly tangy and somewhat yeasty Italian original.  Ameribella is a farmstead cheese meaning the cheese was made directly on the farm from the farms grass-fed, Jersey, Normande and Tarentaise cross cows.  Routine washings of salty brine on the young cheese rind produce a sticky and golden rind encasing a sweet and creamy interior.  We can think of nothing finer to match with Ameribella than a thick crusty loaf of bread, a few slices of smoky ham, and a great bottle of creamy hefe-weizen beer!

Boont Corners Reserve

Pennyroyal Farmstead

Boonville, California

Raw Goat Milk

Pennyroyal is the cheesemaking offspring of California’s cult Navarro winery.  They’re just getting the cheese thing off the ground and their offerings are become more and more impressive.  The Boont Corners Reserve is aged a minimum of 6 months, and to our tastes has a wonderful balance of flavor and texture.  This is a brine-salted cheese, not to be confused with the brine washed Ameribella cheese above.  Brine salting examples include European classics Parmigiano Reggiano and Gruyere, as well as local Basseri from Marcia Barinaga’s farm in West Marin.  In this method the cheese is submerged in a salty vat of water to absorb the proper balance of salt for flavor and preservation.  Boont Corners is aged on wooden shelves which assist with moisture expulsion revealing a dry and crumbly texture.  As spring heats up we find Boont Corners Reserve to be an excellent cheese to shave on salads and fresh spring vegetables like Asparagus and Sweet Peas.  The character of the cheese is also complemented by a bright, minerally white wine such as Spanish Albarino, or (if you are lucky enough to be on their wine list) a bottle of Navarro’s White Roan Roussanne/Marsanne Blend!