Not all cheeses are easily accessible at your local grocery store. Below, food scientist Scott Rankin takes us on a safari of special cheeses.
Sartori ReserveSarVecchio Parmesan by Gary Domke, Sartori Foods, Wisconsin: “See the little white crystals? It’s very crunchy; the cheese is literally crunchy. Like flavor bits, if you will. It has a very caramelized flavor to it. It tastes a little bit like butterscotch.”
Montchevre Aged Critton by Jean Rossard, Montchevre-Betin, Inc., California: “This is a goat cheese. More and more we see non-bovine cheeses in the market, and this is a great example of one. Very traditional molds. You’ll notice the flavor is a very distinctive one. It’s potent. We have a very clever term for it: “goaty.” It’s not all about cows. You can’t get that out of bovine milk.”
Cobblestone Red by Ranee May, Falcon Foods, Wisconsin: “This is flavor cheese. They put the flavoring on the curds before it’s pressed, so you can see the curd outline. This manufacturing process is very unique … and turned out very nice on this one. It’s festive.”
Bandage Wrap Cheddar Vintage by Mariano Gonzalez, Fiscalini Cheese Co., California: “They wrap it with a gauze material, so now that cheese can exchange moisture with the environment. And the surface microfloral grows. It’s a very flavorful cheese. So it’s a cheddar, on steroids.”
Sea Smoke by Anne Bossi, Sunset Acres Farm & Dairy, Maine: “This is something you won’t normally find in stores. Such cheeses were made in monasteries back in the day, and they would take morning milk, make a curd out of it, then take the evening milk and make curd. To separate the two, they’d put a layer of ash between them. In some cases, what they’ll do is take cow’s milk and goat’s milk, and put ash in between them. It’s a clever attribute you’d never see mass produced.”
More Top Picks Best Portable Tire Inflators