Ride The Flavor train to cheeselandia
Dear Coop cheese lovers! As a little holiday gift, your favorite mongers have chosen their top five from the case. One local note: it’s a given that our two scrumptious local cheeses-- Mystery Bay and Chimicum Valley Dairy-- are tops for both of us! So, with that as a given, lets ride that flavor train to Cheeselandia!
Lauren’s Picks
Midnight Moon- This cheese makes me emotional. I consider it a fine treat, and I have it only seldomly. It’s soft and creamy, but still firm and robust. It’s sweet and caramelly but salty enough to feel well rounded, bright, and just delicious. Pair with a crisp apple or pear for a real treat.
Montchèvre Goat Brie- Some people may think this is just an average young brie, no big deal. But to me, it’s everything. I think about this cheese when I’m experiencing strong feelings- sad, or happy. If I’m sad, this cheese makes me feel better. If I’m already happy, this cheese makes me want to share my joy with other people. It maintains firmness, even when perfectly ripe, and the flavor is delicately goaty. The rind is light and never gritty. Pair with some onion jam and a cracker and you’re in heaven.
Campo de Montalban- I didn’t know about this cheese until I started working in the cheese department. It’s subtle, buttery and a little nutty. The texture is light and creamy, and the unique flavor really lingers on the palate. This versatile cheese can be paired with sparkling wine, fresh pears, salty nuts, spicy cured meats, and tangy jams.
Sawtooth- Cascade Creamery cheese wows me across the board, but this one is my favorite. I adore a washed rind cheese because it’s stinky and super flavorful, and this one is uniquely mellow. It’s funky but not offensive, and the texture is so thick and creamy- it’s truly delightful. I love that this cheese tastes just like an Italian Taleggio yet comes from Trout Lake Jersey cows on a small & industrious family farm.
Holey Cow- I first met this succulent and beautiful California Swiss at a cheese tasting event with Peterson Cheese back in February. I’ve always loved the taste of Swiss cheese- from Emmentaler to Raclette. Swiss cheeses have bitter and nutty tones that pair well with buttery grilled mushrooms, fatty meat and sauteed leafy greens. This special cheese has all of that, plus a luscious and smooth texture that is simply unbeatable. 10/10!
Mike’s Picks
1.Bonneville- From the head cheese maker at Ferndale Farms comes this double cream, washed in Washington Shiraz wine, cheese plate stunner. A rich, semi-soft interior is dramatically set off with the fruity, slightly tannic, and strikingly purple rind.
2.Cloud Cap- Cascadia Creamery. Imagine the finest cultured butter aged in a dank, wet stone cellar. Rich and musty with a striking white rind. Raw milk, organic, and family owned from Trout Lake Washington.
3.Toma- Point Reyes Farmstead Creamery. When I imagine the Platonic ideal of a snacking cheese to have with an apple (solid or liquid!), this is it. Creamy, semi-firm with a grassy-citrus finish that helps clear the pallet for the next bite. Never disappoints.
4.Ewephoria- Aged sheep’s milk Gouda. I’ll never understand how four ingredients can create this symphony of flavors! Carmel. Dried apricots. Cultured Cream. It’s just lactic alchemy.
5. Dry Jack- Vella Cheese Company, California. A true American original. Turns out when you carefully age Monterey Jack for nine months or more, you wind up with a crazy taste combo of aged cheddar, gouda and parmesan. Soft enough to cut, dry enough to grate.
