Featured Cheese - Sept 2013

This 1st Place winner in 2011 at the American Cheese Society is known for its buttery, full-bodied, semi-firm texture and snappy, citrus-like fruity notes. As the patriarch of Utah's Beehive Cheese Company's family of cheeses, Promontory is equally great on its own on a cheese board with some dates and honey, or with anything you would pair a cheddar-style cheese with, like a Panini or grated on a salad.

The most famous Dutch cheese, Edam, is made with partially-skimmed cow's milk, and is meant to be eaten within weeks of its creation, while it's still smooth. Pasteurized milk is heated and bacteria is added to increase the acidity level. Liquid rennet is added to create curd, and the curd is cut into tiny pieces, then heated, drained, molded and pressed. After the cheese is salted, it ripens and is exported wrapped in red wax.

Originally a Dutch cheese, versions of Gouda are now made by artisan cheesemakers throughout the world, like Michigan’s Old Europe Cheese. Old Europe’s Smoked Gouda is unique in that it’s smoked using a “cold smoke” process, which preserves the cheese’s inherent flavor and moisture.