Grayson Cheese The American Taleggio

Grayson  is not a unique cheese but it is one of the excellent newer arrivals in the renaissance of American cheese making. It is produced by the Meadow Creek Dairy located in the southwestern mountains of Virginia. This area of Virginia is well known for its mineral rich soil, pure air and pristine water, these elements form the backbone of the dairy and agriculture production.

Details: Grayson is an American "stinky cheese" that is  strictly seasonally produced so the milking process begins in early March and continues until early winter with the last milking day being Christmas Eve. The raw milk used to make Grayson comes from a free ranging, closed herd of Jersey cows that graze on mixture of perennial grasses, grains and iodine rich Norwegian kelp.

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This cheese is based on the recipe for the popular Italian cheese Taleggio but it has its own signature due to its longer aging process (60 days) and the type of raw milk that is used to produce it. However like Taleggio it is formed into squares that weigh about 5 pounds. Grayson is a surface ripened, washed rind raw milk cheese so it will have a moderate stink factor however this will begin to disappear when the cheese is cut and allowed to breathe. Its edible washed rind  is well formed with a deep red color and is soft and pliant to the touch. The inner paste has a light yellow or straw color and when ripe will be bulgy or slightly oozy like brie. Grayson is a nice substitute for Brie and a nice introduction to Taleggio.

Flavor: Grayson's flavor profile is rich and beefy, slightly salty with a nutty sweet buttery finish.

Serve Grayson as a dessert course drizzled with honey, spread on crusty bread, or with dried fruit or sweet melons. It can also stand on its own so it can be used as a table cheese and can be substitute for Taleggio or Brie in your recipes. Please remember that this is a seasonally produced cheese so is may be hard to find, but when you do find it you will be rewarded with an excellent example of American cheese making.

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Store Grayson in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator wrapped in wax paper and placed in a zip lock bag. If any mold should form in its rind or inner paste simply cut or scrape it off .When shopping for this cheese do not purchase  any that look very runny or smell like ammonia another sign of abuse is a dried out looking cheese.

Wine Pairing: Malbec, Albarino, Cabernet or Gewurztraminer Grayson also pairs well with beer

Stilton Blue Cheese England's King Of Cheeses

 

When you are considering the purchase of blue cheese you may want to investigate English Stilton blue cheese. This great blue cheese is usually overlooked and under appreciated by cheese buyers because Roquefort, Cabrales, Valdeon and Gorgonzola get all the attention. So we would like to shine a bright light on the magnificent Stilton blue cheese which is well known as the English holiday cheese. It is thought that this tradition is based around Stilton's yearly arrival in stores during the early fall and the Christmas holidays.

Stilton is known as the King of English Cheeses, and is only made in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. It is the only English cheese protected by a certificated trade mark. The British name certification insures that the milk and the cheese manufacturing must be done in the above listed counties and that the production recipe and aging process must adhere to the guidelines established by the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association/

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Details: Stilton is a pasteurized, firm cow’s milk cheese with a natural brushed inedible rind. It has a dry rough or gritty brownish rind and an ivory colored interior paste that has large amounts of greenish-blue veins .The production of Stilton begins when a culture of Penicillium Roquefortii is added to the milk and the starter, the rennet is added a short time later. After cutting, draining, milling and salting the curds, then shaping ( into cylinders) and turning by hand, the cheeses are stored in precise conditions of temperature and humidity to produce the characteristic crust and veining. The veining is created by inserting steel needles to aid in the aeration and mold growth. The cylinders are then aged for a minimum of six months, however the best Stilton's are aged for at least12 months and have a fat content of about 55%

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Well aged Stilton's exhibit an inner paste that has a crumbly yet moist and creamy texture a spicy aroma and a sharp tangy flavor. This wonderful cheese should be savored at the end of a meal with a hearty bread and red wine. Any leftovers can be added to Crème Fraiche to create a tasty spread. Try to remember that this is a strong cheese and it will overpower most other cheeses. So, when using it on a cheese platter or at a cheese tasting serve it at the end of the line. If you can not find Stilton three good substitutes are Gorgonzola, Maytag Blue and English Shropshire Blue which the same characteristics as Stilton except that an orange color instead of white.

When shopping for Stilton avoid any that have gray interior paste or that fall apart when cut. Ask your cheese monger to cut your cheese in layers not wedges, this will add eye appeal to your table setting. The condition of the outer rind will usually look unsightly but this is not really important and should not hinder you from purchasing it. Stilton should be covered with a clean damp cotton cloth and then wrapped with aluminum foil and kept in the vegetable bin in the refrigerator. If fuzzy mold develops on the rind just scrape it off . Stilton can usually be found in good cheese shops or online at Amazon. Stilton Blue Cheese

For some really great recipes using Stilton cheese check out the link.

The best brands to purchase are, Long Clawson Dairy, Cropwell Bishop Creamery, Colston Bassett and Thomas Hoe Stevenson all are readily available here in  the United States. The Long Clawson Dairy also produces a great cheese named Huntsman  which is made by cutting out sections of Double Gloucester and filling them with Stilton. 

Wine parings: All big reds, Bordeaux, Cotes-du Rhone, Sherry, a good tawny Port or Madeira, also try it with a good hearty English or Irish Beer.

                                                               

Comte France's Answer To Gruyere

Comte (cone-tay) is in reality the French equivalent of Swiss Gruyere, in fact it is often called Gruyere de Comte or French Gruyere.

The major difference between French Comte and Swiss Gruyere is that Swiss Gruyere is aged for only three months while the French Comte is aged for a minimum of six months and is often aged for twelve months. This longer aging process brings out a bolder and richer flavor.

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Details: This great French cheese is produced in the Franche-Comte region which encompasses the three departments of Jura, Doubs and Haute-Salone. This mountainous region borders the Swiss Alps and the cheeses that are produced there are considered to be Alpine cheeses. The dairy cows in these alpine pastures graze on grass and mountain flowers which  produces the grassy, herbaceous flavors and aromas of the cheeses that are produced there. 

All French Comte is AOC name controlled to assure that only milk from this regions’ dairies is used to produce it. Comte is not produced on a large scale or in cheese factories but continues to made by small local dairies that make about six to seven 80lb wheels per day. This low volume ensures attention to detail and consistent high quality cheeses.

Flavor: Comte is an unpasteurized pressed, cooked curd cheese that has an inedible natural brushed rind. The interior paste will have small pea sized holes through out and will have a yellowish to ivory color. Comte"s flavor will have hints of hazelnuts and grassy herbs. The flavor and aroma will increase as the cheese ages so try to find one that has been aged at least 12 months. 

 Comte, as with many hard Alpine cheeses, is hard to abuse and will hold up well in the refrigerator. When shopping for Comte do not purchase any that is moldy, dried out or has a cracked rind. Always look for the bell symbol and the name Comte stamped in green on the rind. However, a lot of the Comte coming into the US now has a white and green paper label attached to the cheese with the name Comte AOC printed in Green on it. 

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Comte is a versatile cheese that goes well with salads and sliced for sandwiches. It is also great for lunch served with salami and crusty bread and as a dessert course served with fresh fruit. Comte also melts well so use it with baked potatoes or rice dishes or on paninis. Or try this great salad recipe.

Wine parings: Big French reds like Cotes du Rhone, Burgundies and fruity reds like Beaujolais