The SOMM Journal

April / May 2017

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40 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } APRIL/MAY 2017 { wheying in } JUST ABOUT THE TIME the new rosés hit the market, the cheeses they love best reach their peak. Nature nails it again. Across the country, the spring pas - ture is lush and thick now; the cows are back outside. For any creamery producing fresh cheese, the milk is about as good as it gets. And for any somm hoping to sell more rosé, there are no better catalysts than these moist, tart, spreadable cheeses. Showcase them on your bar menu and watch wine sales spike. Aged cheeses with their crusty rinds demonstrate the cheesemaker's expertise. Fresh cheeses show off the milk. The following half-dozen cheeses—from cow's, goat's and sheep's milk—never taste better than they do right now. Young cheeses made with rich sheep's milk have an especially short season; by late sum - mer, most dairy sheep cease lactating entirely. So seek these gems out while they still flaunt the flavors of spring grass, or look for similar cheeses from creameries in your own locale. Made for Spring FRESH CHEESES ARE AT THEIR PEAK JUST AS ROSÉ SEASON ARRIVES by Janet Fletcher Janet Fletcher is the author of Cheese & Wine, Cheese & Beer and The Cheese Course. She publishes Planet Cheese, a weekly blog, and teaches cheese- appreciation classes around the country. (www.janetfletcher.com) Pennyroyal Farm Laychee (Boonville, CA) For most of the year, the moist, fluffy Laychee is made entirely with goat's milk. But in spring and early summer, Pennyroyal's small flock of sheep contributes about 20 percent to the blend. Cheesemaker Erika Scharfen says she can taste the difference, citing a heightened savory note. The aroma suggests cottage cheese and lemon peel, and at its freshest, this rindless cheese feels like it has air whipped into it. Pennyroyal proprietor Sarah Cahn Bennett is the daughter of the couple who started Navarro Vineyards. Garden Variety Cheese Sweet Alyssum (Royal Oaks, CA) A sheep fromage blanc, Sweet Alyssum is packed in tubs and sold when it's only three or four days old. Lemony and lactic, it may remind you of whipped cultured butter. Cheesemaker Rebecca King puts dollops on pizza before baking. Serve with rye toast and farmers' market radishes. Vermont Creamery Fresh Crottin (Websterville, VT) Modeled after the French Crottin de Chavignol, this rindless, lemony goat disk wants to be warmed with extra virgin olive oil and served with tapenade and toast. Shepherd's Way Shepherd's Hope (Nerstrand, MN) A four-pound sheep's milk wheel released the week that it's made, Shepherd's Hope will become softer and tangier over the next eight to ten weeks. It melts well— chefs use it on pizza—and can stand in for mozzarella in an insalata caprese. Nicasio Valley Foggy Morning (Nicasio, CA) The third-generation dairy family on this west Marin County ranch took up cheese making less than ten years ago, but they have multiple successes already. Foggy Morning is their freshest cheese, made from the organic milk of their own cows. It resembles a delicate cream cheese, with a seductive sour-cream aroma. Warm it in a ramekin with olive oil and thyme and serve with crostini and olives. Bellwether Farms Basket Ricotta (Valley Ford, CA) Made from the rich milk of Jersey cows, this small-batch ricotta is sold in the basket it drained in. Inverted, it makes an eye- catching presentation. It just won Best of Class at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest. The texture is moist and quivery, the aroma like clotted cream. Pair with olives and fava beans.

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