I took a Rhine river cruise in Germany with my family and enjoyed it immensely. While on board ship the topic of Oktoberfest was brought up several times by our fellow shipmates. German beer was the focal point of most of these conversations but I was surprised to hear several people rave about German cheeses. Now being a cheese monger I am always looking for new and exciting cheeses to sample and hopefully to import back into the US. Our host and guide, after hearing our cheese conversation provided us with a truly great cheese named Hirtenkase which translates loosely as shepherd cheese.
German Cheese sampler at Amazon
German Cheese sampler at Amazon
Details: Hirtenkase is produced during the summer months in the Allgau Mountains of Germany. The dairy farmers in this region allow their cows to eat only fresh mountain grass during the summer and hay during the winter, no silage, therefore they produce a very high grade of milk. This system of pure grazing and cheese production is similar to the one employed by Swiss dairy farmers. Hirtenkase can truly be considered a great mountain style cheese and can proudly stand next to Gruyere, Emmentaler and Fontina Val D'Aosta.
Flavor: When aged it has a hard outer rind and the interior paste is hard and flinty with an orange tint. It has a slight citrus/ apple aroma and nutty and butterscotch flavor that lingers on the palate, I personally think that it has a much deeper flavor than French Comte
Keurig K-Cafe Coffee Maker from Amazon
The Hirtenkase cheese that is produced in the summer starts arriving in small quantities beginning in late September and its availability ebbs during late March, so now would be a great time to search it out. Hirtenkase is a great table cheese and can be served with grapes , figs, dates and nuts. Also try shaving it over a salad for a nice appetizer, melted over vegetables or for fondue. Check out this link for a great Hirtenkase recipe .
As for wine pairings serve it with a good Merlot or any big red German wine . It also goes well with good hearty German beers during Oktoberfest.
No comments:
Post a Comment