Lefty Donkey wonders why goats get all the cheese glory. (Photo thanks to NGPSoftware.com.)
Now that we’ve taken you on a “Blue State” cheese tour from East to West, we consulted the experts for a few parting recommendations to round out your cheeseboard on Inauguration day.
Jamie Forrest, author of the Curd Nerds blog and the terrific “Serious Cheese” column on Serious Eats, weighs in with patriotic Red, White & Blue picks. (Yeah, we know “Red, White & Greeen” is the new mantra, but unless it’s a leaf-wrapped cheese, you probably want to stay away from green cheeses!)
First off, I’ll stick with American cheeses only, of course. Secondly, I’ll pick one cheese for each color of the flag. Here it goes.
Red: There’s no such thing as a red cheese, of course. The closest things are the deeply orange washed-rind cheeses, and there’s even one with the word red in its name. Cowgirl Creamery‘s Red Hawk is an excellent washed rind cheese from California. It’s made with triple the cream of an ordinary cheese, it’s organic, and it’s supremely delicious. What more do you need?
White: Got to go with a bloomy-rind cheese here. New York’s 3 Corner Field Farm makes a wonderful sheep’s milk cheese called Shushan Snow. The first part of the name comes from the town the farm is in, and the second comes from the color of the rind–snow white. Mushroomy, earthy, and sheepy all at once, basically a sheep’s milk Camembert.
Blue: My favorite American blue is Jasper Hill Farm‘s Bayley Hazen Blue. Jasper Hill has a herd of happy, grass-fed Ayrshire cows, a breed whose milk is high in protein and fat. Bayley Hazen is drier than most similar British-style blue cheeses, but what really makes this cheese special is the grassiness underlying the blue mold flavor.
{Readers know we love Cowgirl & Jasper Hill, and Shushan Snow is now on our “must find” list. Thanks, Jamie!}
Jill Erber, proprietor of Cheesetique (Alexandria, Va.), suggests a few Presidential picks:
“Barick Obama“, an assertive cow’s milk cheese hand-crafted in Vermont. In honor of our new President.
“Lincoln Log“, a surface-ripened goat cheese hand-made in Michigan. In honor of President Abraham Lincoln.
“Cider Soaked Plymouth“, a cheddar-like cow’s milk cheese made on President Calvin Coolidge’s family farm in Vermont.
If you’re hunkering down south of the Potomac on Inaugural day, Cheesetique is open normal hours (11am – 9pm) to fulfill your cheese cravings, with each of these in stock.
Finally, in the spirit of bipartisan unity, a shout out to our “Red State” friends. I’ve not sampled any cheeses from Senator McCain’s home state, Arizona, but you might enjoy Kenny’s Kentucky Cheddar or the offerings from Georgia’s Sweeetgrass Dairy.
Whatever your party preference, have a great, cheesy holiday weekend and keep warm!
Cheese + Champagne 