Holiday Cheese
By Beth Rotto. Cheese & Chill Buyer
Ordering cheese for the holidays is an exciting and sometimes daunting job. Most of our cheese needed to be ordered weeks and even months ago, so I had to guess what we will want for the holidays and how much to buy. I decided you would want lots! Luckily, Tara and I were able to attend the Classic Provisions Food Show in Minneapolis this fall to meet producers and distributors and taste many, many cheeses. We have new and exciting cheeses coming. Let us know what you think. (And please, if you want a certain cheese, don’t wait to pick it up. We are not able to reorder many of our specialty cheeses very quickly.)
Here are just some of the cheeses coming into the store in late 2013:
Marieke’s Honey Clover Gouda,
Marieke’s Fenugreek Gouda (Wisconsin)
Made with an authentic Old World Gouda recipe, including equipment, cultures, herbs and spices all imported from Holland.
Red Barn Edun (Wisconsin)
New Zealand style cheddar made with raw milk and raw cream. This company was started by a vet who saw farms producing such high quality milk that he believed it was a shame to throw it in with the milk making commodity cheese.
Cello Riserva Copper Kettle Parmesan (Wisconsin)
Robust flavor andcrunchy texture are the result ofbrining in natural sea salt and aginguntil each wheel has reached intenseflavor. Made with strict traditionalmethods.
Carr Valley Caso Bolo (Wisconsin)
Made with sheep, goat and cow’s milk and aged 2 years. Award winning!
Sartori Bellevitano Chai (Wisconsin)
Exotic, subtle holiday flavors and winner of 2013 Best New Dairy Product at the International Cheese Awards. This is my #1 recommendation for a holiday cheese plate!
Widmer’s Brick Spread (Wisconsin)
Two time Blue Ribbon Award winner made from a blend of Aged Brick and Cheddar Cheese.
Oven Baked 5 year Cheddar (Wisconsin)
Buttery flavored baked cheese, also known as Juustoleipa or Bread Cheese. The baking process forms a tasty crust. This variety is top flavor with 5 year Aged Cheddar featured. Warm and enjoy.
Sartori Shaved Parmesan (Wisconsin)
American’s most highly decorated Parmesan in large, lovely shaved pieces. Beautiful and delicious.
Bent River Camembert (Minnesota)
Shepherd’s Way Friesago and Shepherd’s
Hope (Minnesota)
Sheep’s milk cheese made in small batches on this farm near Northfield, Minnesota.
Cypress Grove Assorted Chevre Disks (Sgt. Pepper, Ms. Natural, PsycheDillic, Purple Haze) (California)- Love thenames and the flavors!
Fin Briard Grand Marnier
(France)-Bloomy rind, raw milk cheese made in France.
Le Roule Cranberry Log (France)
Recognized by its distinctive swirl pattern, this creamy cheese melts in your mouth. Flavored with either herbs and garlic or cranberries (good for dessert or breakfast.)
Petit Billy (France) Made from goats milk (Billy) and it also comes from the medieval town of Billy in France. What a coincidence! Tangy, light fresh chevre.
Tuxeford and Tebbutt Stilton (England)
This famous blue cheese comes from Leicestershire County in England. Tusford and Tebbut Creamery dates back to 1780! Lots of blue veining..
La Tur (Italy)
Mixed milk cheese that is oh, so rich. Its melty rind oozes over a dense and creamy interior.
Bonrus
(Italy)- A distinctive pale orange and bloomy white rind with deep wrinkles. Made from sheep’s milk.
Robiola Bosina (Italy)- This looks like a flat, square, little pillow and it contains silky smooth paste with a mild, sweet, milky flavor. From Northern Italian cows’ and sheeps’ milk.
Pecorino Stagianato Red Pepper
(Italy)- Sheeps’ milk cheese, this is salty, pale yellow with little red pepper flakes. Beautiful and both sweet and assertive. Specialties in the Cheese Department:
Devon Cream (Great Britain)- Also called clotted cream. Thick and creamy, it can be spread on scones for a traditional treat.
Creme Brulee– A dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel.
Chocolate Covered Figs (Spain)
BT McElrath Truffles– (Minnesota)
Five packs of Berry or Eggnog Truffles in clear boxes.
Daelias Hazelnut Fig Crackers (Ohio)
Created to complement cheese.
Daelias Beer Flat Porter Crackers and
Beer Flat Pilsner Crackers (Ohio)
Tasty complement for craft beer and cheese. Boxes have a retro look evoking old-time beer labels.
