Tales from the Cheesemonger

January 2005

Welcome to the first edition of Tales from the Cheesemonger. Consider it a helping hand in exploring the rising category of new American cheeses, particularly those from the U.S. West, where some of the most exciting cheese culture is emerging. As craft brew did for the beer industry beginning in the early Eighties so, we believe Beecher’s and a host of cheese makers, cheese shops, and enthusiasts are doing for cheese in this fresh century.

Idaho is making its mark with a few notable cheeses lately. My favorite maker is called Rollingstone Chevre . They create a wonderful & waxed Orange Zest & Pecan Chevre and Anise & Lavender Chevre.The milk comes from Saanen goats that are known to produce less ‘goaty’ milk with an approachable flavor. The Saanens are raised by Chuck and Karen Evans on their farm in Parma, Idaho, near Boise (which is French for “The Trees,” did you know?). In 1987, they began making exquisite pasteurized chevre commercially – lightly floral, at times basking in brandy-soaked grape leaves or bathing in grape marc, which is the leftover material in the wine-making process – skins, seeds, and some juice. The hot-color coated chevres open to reveal a cheese as fluffy as snow, studded with nuts and encased in lemon-yellow or gumdrop-orange wax. We also have an un-waxed torta of this fine chevre embedded with cranberries and walnuts for the winter season. As for the waxed chevres, a hint: to cut these somewhat unwieldy cheeses use a shorter, sharp knife; decide the cut; and make it swiftly. To dally is to crush the wax and ruin the presentation.

I’m ecstatic to report that we have a very rare treat in stock, a true domestic water buffalo mozzarella called Bubalus Bubalis Mozzarella di Bufala. The maker is an Italian fellow in Garden Grove, California, named Renato who is a mozzarella maestro. He uses a special method to ‘cure’ the cheese (which means to salt for preservation). Mozz, as we say in the industry, is a “pasta filata” cheese. That means the curds (milk solids) are stretched and pulled like taffy under warm water to create its unique texture. After cheddar, mozzarella is the most requested cheese in the US market. Usually, mozz is a fresh cheese best eaten as soon as it’s made. With Bubalus Bubalis the curd is more heavily salted and then placed in its bag of distilled water, where, by reverse osmosis, the water becomes saline over the course of a week and by the second week, the cheese is reaching its prime. Water Buffalo give milk incredibly rich in butterfat – three times that of cow’s milk – which is why this melts so supremely. Let’s hear it for the real thing!

Amo la Mozzarella di Bufala!!

We are proud to be a part of Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. Come down to watch us make cheese and try some of the Best of the West’s food treasures. For those of you too far away to stop by the shop, consider Tales from the Cheesemonger a literary tease; a casual romp through the ever-widening world of new artisan cheese.

Until next time: Bon Fromage!