Featured Cheese - July 2019

Halloumi is a cheese indigenous to Cyprus. It is traditionally made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk. The cheese is white, with a distinctive layered texture, similar to mozzarella, and has a salty flavour. It is stored in its natural juices with salt-water. Fresh sliced halloumi is used in cooking, as it can be fried until brown without melting due to its higher-than-normal melting point, making it a good cheese for frying or grilling, as an ingredient in salads, or fried and served with vegetables.

The outside of the La Dama Sagrada wheels look very similar to Manchego wheels, prominently displaying their basket weave texture, but this cheese’s paste is more the color of ivory. When you first open the wheel you smell the aroma of sweet, cooked curds and caramel. Since this one is aged 6-8 months, the paste is drier, and you'll find it studded with flavor crystals. La Dama’s up-front sweetness is balanced nicely with a little bit of spiciness on the finish.

The mixed milk blend makes such a really interesting combination of sweetness and rich, deep savory notes. If a sweet goat's milk gouda fell in love with a savory English cheddar and had a baby, they would name it Chandoka! It’s a mild fruity cheese, with rich cheddary notes. The cow milk contributes to the cheese’s sweet buttery characteristics, while the goat milk expresses in sweet tangy notes.

Hornbacher arrives in warm burnished brown colored 12-pound wheels that when first opened offer hints of mushrooms, mineral notes and browned butter. Think roasted hazelnuts and caramelized onions. The cheese maker describes the flavor as 'buttered baked potatoes.' This firm cheese is a bit crumbly, presents flavor crystals, and stands out for its intense savory umami flavors and creamy mouthfeel.