First I have to tell you the cheeses that brightened my week: A wedge of smoky, pungent blue called Moody Blue; an amazing cheese that most people would serve with a Zinfandel or a rich Merlot. Me, I savored it with my morning cup of coffee. What a wonderful way to start the day.
Moody Blue is comes from Emmi-Roth Käse USA in Wisconsin, and it's exactly right for tossing into a Waldorf or Cobb salad, for topping a burger or for eating with fresh and dried fruits, with a glass of port. The cheese comes in both 7-ounce wedges and 6-ounce crumbles; or a 6-pound wheel. It's $21 per pound, but a pound goes a very long way.
http://www.rothkase.com/
I owe Tillamook a nod for my other cheese experience, a rectangle of super-sharp cheddar wrapped in black plastic. It set me back nearly $8 for the 2-pound hunk, but was worth every slice. Tillamook, based in Oregon, is worth the extra $2-$4 it costs at most supermarkets and club stores.
Now a rundown on the cheese-news. California cow’s milk cheesemakers scored 32 awards at the annual American Cheese Society competition, held in Seattle this year.
First-place winners included Karoun Dairies in Turlock for Queso Crema, Feta with Green Olives and Thyme, and Labne Kefir Cheese; Bellwether Farms in Petaluma for Fromage Blanc and Creme Fraiche; Bravo Farms in Traver for Silver Mountain cheddar and Bravo Bl'u; Fiscalini Cheese in Modesto for Purple Moon; Lactalis American Group for two mozzarellas; and Marin French Cheese Company in Petaluma, for it's unbelieveably stinky Schlosskranz.
For more details, go to http://www.realcaliforniamilk.com/ or http://www.cheesesociety.org/.
