Featured Cheese - March 2023

Based in Southeast Iowa, Milton Creamery was started in 2006 as a joint venture by the Musser Family and local Amish dairy farmers. Today the creamery is solely owned and operated by the Musser Family with the addition of a couple of outside employees. Soon after opening, 17 year old Galen Musser submitted his take on cheddar, Prairie Breeze, and won Best of Class in the Open Hard category at the U.S. Cheese Championship which is one of many awards. Sweeter than most cheddars, this well aged cheddar is loaded with flavor with the added crunch of calcium crystals developed during the aging process.

Buttermilk Blue is all natural and made with cow milk, is gluten-free, and is made with vegetarian rennet. Unlike most blue cheeses, Buttermilk Blue uses a higher butterfat content, resulting in a smoother and creamier texture. Matured in Roth’s cellars for at least two months, it’s delicately laced with blue veins, and is tangy yet mellow. Pair it with raw veggies, figs, pears, and dark choclate, or even enjoy it alone on your cheese board.

This creamy cheese is made with incredibly rich milk, producing a voluptuous center. Because the wild grasses and flowers flavor the milk, each has a unique flavor, influenced by the flora of a particular time and place. Its silky texture and nutty, whipped cream flavor make it particularly good with a light champagne.

Cheddar is made all over the world but this cheddar hails from Vermont so Team Zingerman’s wanted a true New England flavor profile. This 12-month aged cheddar offers a slightly crumbly paste that gets very creamy at room temperature, but is still plenty firm enough to slice. The flavor is slightly sweet with just the right amount of acidity and tanginess. Every cheddar has some amount of sulfur in the flavor profile, some more than others.

You’ll find Délice des Crémiers a delicate and rich triple crème that will melt your heart and make your cheeks blush! If you care to try the bloomy rind (not everyone does), you’ll discover that it provides a slightly salty tang on the finish. Matured 2-4 weeks, its mouthfeel is as velvety as it gets; buttery cow's milk plus added cream make sure of that. It’s luxurious and indulgent and a world-class dessert cheese in its own right.

Though soft and spreadable, it can still be sliced and offered on a cheese tray, served with blackberries, fresh figs or cherries. Taleggio also can be melted into dishes like polenta and risotto. A merlot will bring out the natural sweetness of this cheese. Effervescent, yeasty beers like lactic Sour Ales and mixed fermentation Farmhouse Ales would also complement this wonderful Italian classic.