#Zuercher Cheese

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New LaClare Cheeses!

We are pleased to announce that we are expanding our offerings from LaClare Family Creamery.  Family owned and operated, LaClare was started 40 years ago in Wisconsin when Larry Hedrich bought a small goat farm and quickly became interested in high quality cheese.  Since then LaClare (named for Larry and his wife Clare) has since grown into an highly decorated dairy specializing in goat and mixed-milk cheeses, made by Larry’s daughter Katie.  Because of the enthusiastic reaction we’ve received to our current LaClare lineup, we have decided to add the following four cheeses:

 •         Chandoka Block 1/5# (U1700)—This mixed-milk cheddar is a younger, rindless version of LaClare’s award-winning Cave Aged Chandoka and features similar deep, brothy flavors with sweet butterscotch notes.  However, it is softer and creamier in texture, making it superior for melting.

•         Plain Chevre 12/4oz (U1910)—With its silky texture and rich, clean flavor, this is premium-quality chevre at a very accessible price point.

•         Garlic and Herb Chevre 12/4oz (U1920)—A robustly flavored mix of herbs gives this fresh goat cheese a savory kick. 

•         Honey Chevre (U1930)—This tangy chevre is mixed with sweet honey for a perfectly balanced flavor that pairs beautifully with fresh fruit.

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NEW TO STOCK

We added a new Spanish cheese to stock, and moved two cheeses from Milton Creamery from our pre-order list to stock as well. See below for more info.

            Gran Capitan Curado  2/6.6 lbs

Love Manchego but want to try something different? Gran Capitan Curado may be your answer. Made with 50% cow’s milk and 50% sheep’s milk, this cheese has notes of olive oil, hay, and a pleasant lemony tang. The addition of cow’s milk balances out the funky barnyard flavors of sheep’s milk, while creating a creamier texture than your typical Manchego. It’s made in Villarrobledo, Spain, right in the heart of La Mancha. As a nod to traditional cheese making practices of the region, the wheels are formed with the classic basket weave texture. It’s then aged for a minimum of five months so that the flavors have time to develop.  Add it to your next Spanish cheese plate, or shave it over a crisp summer salad!

Flory’s Truckle from Milton Creamery – 20# wheel

The makers of Prairie Breeze have teamed up with Homestead Creamery in Jamesport, Missouri to create this Old World clothbound cheddar. The small creamery is run by the Flory family, who started making cheese with their herd of 30 Jersey cows back in 2008. The truckles are wrapped in cloth at Homestead and dried outdoors for ten days. They are then covered with lard to prevent mold penetration and also to slow moisture loss. When the cheese is two months old, it’s sent to Milton Creamery who takes care of the rest. It’s aged for twelve months and turned periodically to keep the mold under control.  The result is a paste that’s crumbly yet has a creamy finish. There are notes of caramelized onions, roasted potato, and a hint of horseradish.

 What’s a truckle you ask? It’s an old English word, first used in the 15th century meaning “small wheel.” It became a term used to describe Old World cylindrical shaped cheddars.  Like its name the cheese making process follows tradition.

 4 Alarm Cheddar from Milton Creamery – 5# loaf

 Four Alarm Cheddar is made from a young Milton cheddar blended dried chiles, jalapeno, chipotle, and ghost peppers. The young creamy cheddar acts a vehicle for the spiciness of the peppers, which can range from moderately hot to mouth burning, depending on the distribution of peppers in the bite. This cheese can work in a variety of cooking applications, or as a table cheese for spicy food aficionados.

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Now Available: Pierce Point from Cowgirl Creamery

As spring gives way to warmer months, we welcome the latest seasonal cheese from Cowgirl Creamery back to our pre-order lineup.   Pierce Point is a dense small-form bloomy wheel with a light coating of herbs native to Northern California, including chamomile, calendula and Thai Basil.  Savory and full-flavored with balanced herbal notes, Pierce Point is the perfect indulgence for picnics on lazy summer holidays.  Like the joys of summer, though, it won’t be here long, so place your pre-orders now.

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Now Back in Stock – Sepertino Butter w/ Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

After a hiatus, we are back to stocking Sepertino’s Butter with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. This staff and customer favorite has a silky mouthfeel, and a wonderfully light but rich flavor. The pink hand-wrapped packaging, while mostly in Italian, gives it a rustic and colorful pop. We have samples available, so please reply directly to this email to request one on your next outgoing order.

Sepertino centrifuges its cream to create this butter. Beautiful Himalayan pink salt is added, but added with a light hand (demi-sel translates to “half-” or “slightly salted.”) As a result, the butter remains highly versatile for use in recipes for sauces and baked goods. Overall, we feel this butter is high quality relative to its cost, and it comes wrapped in an attractive paper packaging. Its texture is light and creamy, making it equally delicious when eaten raw, slathered onto fresh bread, muffins, breakfast radishes or baked potatoes.

ABOUT CASEIFICIO SEPERTINO - Located in the Piedmont region of Italy, the Sepertino family began their small-scale production in 1930 with Nonna Genia and Nonno Pietro at the helm. Today, Anna Maria and Mario, along with brother Gabriele, oversee Caseificio Sepertino, leading them into the new millennium. Despite newer facilities, care is given to retaining traditional processing techniques, including the use of linen sheets for draining, hand-massaging wheels with salt and/or oil and aging cheeses on white fir boards.

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We are now stocking four retail-pack organic Greek cheeses from Kourellas

The first organic dairy in Greece, Kourellas is a family business that believes in sustainable practices and animal welfare. These cheeses are made using authentic Greek recipes, and are all USDA certified organic.

 Organic Grill & Eat Cheese – 10/5.29 oz. - M3130

·         Mixed milk (cow, goat, sheep)

·         Holds its shape when grilling or frying

·         Try serving with mint and a drizzle of honey

 Organic Bake & Eat Cheese – 6/3.88 oz. - M3120

·         Combination of feta and kefalograviera cheeses

·         Flavored with sundried tomatoes, green peppers, olive oil and oregano

·         Packed in a crock and ready to oven-bake

 Organic Barrel-Aged Feta – 10/5.29 oz. - M3100

·         Made with sheep and goat’s milk and traditional animal rennet

·         Aged in wooden barrels and brine for a minimum of 2 months

·         Delicious when paired with watermelon and arugula

 Organic Manouri – 10/5.29 oz. - M3110

·         Made from the sheep and goat’s whey from feta production

·         Whey proteins are subjected to a secondary coagulation; cream is added for richness

·         Makes a tasty addition to an orzo salad with olives and roasted tomatoes

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New Cheeses Available from Zuercher

We have recently added the following new items to our stock and pre-order lists: Flory’s Truckle & Four Alarm Cheddar from Milton Creamery

Flory’s Truckle is made by Homestead Creamery in Jamesport, Missouri, and aged by Milton Creamery in Milton, Iowa. Flory’s Truckle is a small, cylindrical larded and bandaged cheddar made from the milk of Homestead’s 30 Jerseys. When the cheese is two months old, it’s sent to Milton Creamery who takes care of the rest. It’s aged for twelve months and turned periodically to keep the mold under control.  The result is a paste that’s crumbly yet has a creamy finish. There are notes of caramelized onions, roasted potato, and a hint of horseradish.

Four Alarm Cheddar is made from a young Milton cheddar blended dried chiles, jalapeno, chipotle, and ghost peppers. The young creamy cheddar acts a vehicle for the spiciness of the peppers, which can range from moderately hot to mouth burning, depending on the distribution of peppers in the bite. This cheese can work in a variety of cooking applications, or as a table cheese for spicy food aficionados.

 Keep Dreaming and Comeback Cow from Dorothy’s Creamery

6/7oz Pack - Both cheeses are in stock

Just received a 2018 SOFI Award

Named after the inspirational Dorothy Demeter, Dorothy’s Creamery is based out of rural Lena, IL. Dorothy’s passion for cheesemaking came at an early age when helping with the family business, Kolb-Lena Cheese Company. In 1953, she became the first female to earn a degree in dairy science from Iowa State University, hoisting milk cans and lifting blocks of cheese alongside the boys. The creamery and these two retail format Brie style cheeses are a dedication to her passion and integrity in the dairy industry.

Keep Dreaming comes coated in a thin ashed layer, and Comeback Cow has a light dust of annatto to give it a glow which intensifies with age. The flavors of each of these soft-ripened cheeses are approachable but not dull. The paste hits the sweet spot, not too runny, but not too firm, just gooey enough to appease any brie lover.

Grand Noir

5# wheel, available from stock

Grand Noir is a rich and buttery blue from Käserei Champignon in Bavaria, Germany. The blue flavors are milder, letting the brightness of the cow’s milk to shine through, but still has notes of black pepper.  Uniquely, the wheels are hand-dipped in wax, and then cold-ripened, resulting in exquisite blue veining in the paste. Grand Noir took home two awards, the World Cheese Championship Best Blue Cheese and the Reserve Champion at International Cheese Awards.

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Little Hosmer from Jasper Hill

Please welcome the newest addition to the Cellars at Jasper Hill collection: Little Hosmer!  A “mini version of a new world-style brie”, this gooey cheese is approachable in flavor, with notes of cauliflower, butter, and fresh cream.  Its namesake is equally charming; a small pond in Craftsbury, Vermont, where the cheesemakers take breaks swimming and fishing. At just 4oz. Little Hosmer is perfect for a spring picnic or makes an easy appetizer for two with a light drizzle of lavender honey. Try pairing it with a Sparkling Rose or a crisp Pale Ale.

The Cellars at Jasper Hill   began with the intention to be a model for struggling New England farmers while reviving the dairy industry in the Vermont area.  They proved that, with certain modifications, it was possible to be successful amongst the rocky hillsides that dominate the area’s farming terrain.  In the early 2000’s the company invested in a series of aging tunnels built into the farm's hillside.  The tunnels have been designed to maintain the specific temperatures and humidity levels necessary for ripening, ensuring consistency and the best environment for cheeses not only from Jasper Hill Creamery, but also from neighboring cheesemakers.

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Alta Langa Mixed Milk Cheeses for Easter

Sick of Winter yet? Before you know it, Easter will be here and the current dull grey landscape will transform into lush sprouting green. Why not set some pre-orders for this rebirth?

Caseificio dell’alta Langa’s delicate Italian mixed milk cheeses fit the season perfectly. Located in the Piedmont region of Italy, and named after the province of Alta Langa, this creamery produces exemplary soft-ripened cow, sheep and goat’s milk cheeses. This area is famous for its picturesque rolling pastures and its production of fine cheeses, wine, hazelnuts, and truffles.

Here are just some of their cheeses that we offer. 

ROCHETTA

Rocchetta combines cow, sheep and goat’s milk into a beautifully balanced soft-ripened cheese. Dense, but fluffy towards the core, and oozy towards the rind, wrinkly Rocchetta displays flavors of earth and crème fraîche. This is especially delicious when paired with walnuts and a glass of Prosecco.

BONRUS

Like all of Alta Langa’s cheeses, this one is best served at room temperature. It’s a semi-soft cow and sheep oval with a sweet and straw like aroma. The flavor is mild, but with a pleasant herbal note. The texture is smooth, runny on the outside and doughy in the inside.

 CAMEMBERT DELL’ALTA LANGA

For this mixed milk cheese, Alta Langa has taken inspiration from the classic French Camembert, while still using the techniques of an Italian Robiola. This cheese is made with cow, goat, and sheep milk, making the flavors more complex.

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Alpha Tolman comes out of hibernation

Inspired by Alpine cheeses such as Appenzeller, this Jasper Hill Creamery original is made using the same traditional techniques. Starting with unpasteurized cow’s milk, curds are formed, cooked, and pressed; essential for achieving that smooth, pliant texture. The wheels are aged for eight to twelve months and are turned and washed with cultured brine, transforming the rind to a warm burnt sienna color. Alpha Tolman has notes of sweet cream and toasted hazelnuts. As it matures it develops bolder flavors of beef broth and caramelized onions. It’s perfect for melting onto a plate of roasted fingerling potatoes, or on a cheese plate with onion jam and caramelized walnuts.  

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Going Raw – Oregonzola from Rogue Creamery

Arriving next week will be the first shipment of Rogue Creamery’s Organic Oregonzola made with unpasteurized milk. A number of years ago, Rogue went through significant changes. They became Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth and Certified Sustainable by Food Alliance. Additionally, in an effort to control the milk quality from start-to-finish, Rogue became a closed-system grass-fed farm. With all of these changes in variables, and in such a short amount of time, meant that the safest route would be to switch temporarily to pasteurized milk. Now that Rogue Creamery has mastered their new operational procedures, they are confidently returning to raw milk in their recipe of Oregonzola.

 Oregonzola blue cheese was developed by Ignazio (Ig) Vella, previous owner of Rogue Creamery, in the late 1990’s. Reflecting the Vella family’s Italian heritage, Oregonzola pays homage to Gorgonzola while expressing the terroir of the Pacific Northwest. Aged for approximately six months, its texture is smooth, displaying an ample amount of blue veining. Most noticeable are the flavors of sweet cream and fruit with an earthy, tangy finish.

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Rogue River Blue – Now Certified Organic!

As we approach autumn, there is always an anticipation of the seasonal release of Rogue River Blue. The cheese has a special rhythm with the earth, as it is made between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. Rogue River Blue is aged for up to a year, to be enjoyed after the next autumnal equinox. Even if you don’t believe this tradition contributes anything to the cheese in the cosmic sense, you cannot deny its heavenly complexity on your palate.

Brown Swiss and Holstein cows graze at higher elevations in pastures above Rogue River. Their feed consists of grasses, hop clover, wild herbs and flowers, blackberries, grain from their ranch, hay and alfalfa. This variety produces milk that can vary from nutty to fruity to earthy mushroom to pine. While this has always been the practice of Rogue Creamery, they have taken the extra step to ensure the entire process is Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth.

In the style of a handful of southern French cheeses, using brandy-soaked chestnut leaves to impart flavor, Rogue puts their twist on Organic Rogue River Blue. Organic grape leaves are bathed in local organic pear liqueur, which are used to enrobe the blue cheese. This addition imparts a sweet, burnt caramel note and would seem perfectly matched with your own local eau de vie as part of a dessert course.

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Seasonal Cheeses to Return to Zuercher & Co.

With warmer weather upon us, we anticipate the return of our beloved seasonal cheeses. The first batches utilize spring milk and the lush herbs, flowers, legumes and grasses contributing to its flavor. We are excited to announce two cheeses making their way to Zuercher & Co. in the coming week: Grayson, from Meadow Creek Dairy, and Ameribella, from Jacobs & Brichford.

 AMC110 Meadow Creek Dairy – Grayson – 1 / 4#

Grayson is an unpasteurized, washed rind cow’s milk cheese from Meadow Creek Dairy, a family-run farm located in the mountains of southwest Virginia. Since Grayson is a farmstead cheese, the Feete family is able to control many aspects of their cheesemaking in an ecologically ethical manner, including rotational pasture grazing, seasonal milking and the absence of herbicides and pesticides.

One of the most thrilling aspects of purchasing and consuming farmstead cheeses from pasture-grazing herds is the variability seen from season to season. We’re eager to discover what’s in store for 2017. We’ve always found the texture of Grayson to be supple and fudgy, thanks to the rich quality of their Jersey cow’s milk. The flavor is often yeasty, brothy and slightly sweet with nutty and grassy overtones.

 B1670 Jacobs & Brichford – Ameribella – 1 / 2#

Like Meadow Creek Dairy, Jacobs & Brichford’s small family farm practices rotational grazing and seasonal milking. Their herd of Jersey, Normande and Tarentaise crossbred cattle provide unpasteurized milk for their cheese.

Inspired by the washed rind cheeses of northern Italy, Ameribella is consistently sweet and funky. Although we have yet to sample this year’s batch of spring milk Ameribella, the season’s influence generally reflects clean barnyard and hay flavors mingling with wildflowers and a tangy crème fresh finish. The color is quite striking; you’ll notice a rich buttery-yellow hue in the paste – an indication of especially carotene-rich young grass upon which their cows are grazing.

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Now Available:  Spring Brook Tomme

Spring Brook Farm has recently been experimenting with a new Tomme-style cheese.  After a few months of test batches, they decided that they need new aging space before they can commit to this cheese long term and suspended production.  But in the meantime, we have an exclusive opportunity to bring some of these test batches to you.  We have sampled a couple wheels here and were really impressed by how interesting and complex this cheese tastes considering how early it is in development.  Priced to move at $7.99/lb, we think Spring Brook Tomme represents an incredible value.

 Spring Brook Tomme has a smooth, dense texture and flavors of toasted nuts, earth and beef broth. There is a grassy, vegetal overtone and a long finish to the cheese. A few of our tasters noted that it reminded them of an Alpine-style cheese. These particular wheels are aged from 8 – 10 months and weigh in at approximately 3 ½ pounds each. Supplies are limited and samples are available, so please get in touch with your sales representative if you would like to make a reservation.

 Spring Brook Farm cheeses were created to support Farms for City Kids, a foundation that brings urban youth to the farm for a week to learn the connection between the land and our food.  Its mission includes teaching children the basics of animal rearing, cheesemaking, maple syrup production and food preservation.  All funds from the sale of these cheeses go to support Farms for City Kids.

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Israeli Feta Update

The lack of sheep’s milk supply in Israel had caused a shortage with our supplier of Israeli Feta since last spring. The country experienced unusually high temperatures, and the limited stock was reserved for domestic use. We are happy to announce that exports have resumed, and this item is available to order through Zuercher & Co. To refresh your memory, Israeli Feta is certified kosher and produced under the Israeli Sheep Breeders Association. It is made from 100% pure pasteurized sheep’s milk and is milder and less salty than other sheep feta brands.

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Capriole’s Mont St. Francis Has Risen

Capriole is one of the oldest artisan American goat cheese producers in the United States. At the helm is Judy Schad, whose pioneering spirit continues to inspire others to progress within a now-flourishing industry. Along with only a few others in the country, Capriole led the movement from commodity to craft.

(Above: Judy Schad and a Tuckhill Farm goat)

Over the years, Judy Schad built her farmstead operation to include a herd of approximately 500 Alpine breed goats adjacent to her cheesemaking facility in Greenville, Indiana. In 2012, she evolved further, and found a partner farm to adopt her goats, and care for the milking operation, while Capriole focused all efforts on cheesemaking. This partner, Tuckhill Farm, operated by Tim, Karmen and the Clark family kids, continues to produce goats’ milk within the high standards upheld by Judy Schad since the late 1970’s.  

(Above: Tuckhill Farm)

Having the time to focus on more tinkering, Capriole has been revisiting their classic, Mont St. Francis. Named after a nearby monastery located in southern Indiana, Mont St. Francis is Capriole’s ode to the monastic Belgian and French washed rind cheeses, which continue to gain such a devoted following today.

In recent weeks, Mont St. Francis has been going through a bit of a renaissance. While this semi-soft cheese is still being produced with pasteurized goats’ milk, the recipe for the wash has changed. Judy Schad carried out trials with different beers, finally settling on Lagunitas Imperial Stout, a nearly black brew with flavors of toasted malt, coffee and bitter hops. The type of beer used to wash isn’t advertised on the label, but can be a great “insider’s” talking point when discussing the cheese with customers at the counter.

(Above: Lagunitas Imperial Stout)

What the change equates to is agreeably the best version of Mont St. Francis we’ve ever tasted. You’ll notice a beefy, slightly smokey salinity upfront, moving into flavors reminiscent of oatmeal or a bowl of Malt-O-Meal swigged down with black coffee. The goaty flavor doesn’t seem as prevalent as in past incarnations of the cheese, but it definitely lingers in the background. While the flavor is satisfyingly hearty, the texture is smooth and heavenly, suggesting vanilla custard, which finishes by melting like butter on the tongue.

Washed rind cheeses can prove to be a bit of a challenge when it comes to pairing, but a challenge that can be a lot of fun with which to experiment. Depending on the season, play around with Mont St. Francis in:

·         Winter with an Imperial Stout (an obvious choice); add some hearty bread, mustard and pickles

·         Spring with a Tempranillo rosé and smoked charcuterie

·         Summer with an off-dry Gewürztraminer or spicy Saison ale and grilled peaches or nectarines

·         Autumn with a funky red Côtes du Rhône, red Burgundy (classic French pairing) or Bourbon

Let us know if you find your own match made in heaven with Mont St. Francis.

(Above: New Beer Washed Mont St. Francis)

We hope you are as excited as we are for the future of Capriole cheeses. Zuercher is proud to maintain close relationships with cheesemakers and share news with you, our beloved customers. Thank you for your continued support, and of your support of small family farms.

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Essex 1605 Manchego

We often categorize Manchego as a basic cheese. It’s found virtually everywhere, easy to sell, and just flavorful enough to be crowd pleasing. Because of this, it’s easy to forget Manchego’s rich history and its notability. It was first mentioned in 1605 by Cervantes’s novel about the rambunctious nobleman of La Mancha, Don Quixote. It actually dates further back to the Bronze Age, where its main purpose was to preserve leftover milk. Thanks to the Spanish Government’s name protection ‘Denominacion de Origen’, Manchego is made close to as it was centuries ago. In order for a Manchego to be Manchego, it has to be:

 -Produced in the La Mancha region

-Made using whole milk of Manchega sheep

-Aged for a minimum of 60 days, and up to 2 years

-Made in a cylindrical mold of max height 12 cm and a max diameter of 22 cm.

 There are few Manchego producers that go above and beyond the DO regulations, and the makers of our Essex 1605 Manchego is one of them. It is hand selected at Finca Sierra de la Solana by Essex St. Cheese, purveyors of many of our favorites such as the L’amuse Signature Gouda. What’s different about this raw milk Manchego is its naked rind. Instead of coating the outside with wax, it is left bare to keep it closer to tradition. The result is a sea-foam green dusting of mold that only extenuates the esparto basket weaving print; the tell-tale identifier of Manchego. They are also farmstead, meaning the milk comes from the same place the cheese is made. Finca Sierra de la Solana controls everything down to the feed of the Manchega ewes, thereby controlling the flavor profile of their cheese. They even play soft Mariachi music on the speakers of their nursery to keep the lambs happy. Does it affect the cheese at the end? You’ll have to order some to find out.