Patrick

Name: Tomme de SavoieProducer: Various (Haute-Savoie)Milk: Raw/Pasteurized CowAge: 2 monthsPrice: $16.00-$18.99 I had intended to start this article by clarifying the meaning of the word “tomme”, as there seems to be some confusion about tomme cheeses being a family of similar flavors. As it turns out, after consulting three different sources, I got three different definitions.

Name: Serra da EstrelaProducer: Various (Serra da Estrela, Portugal)Milk: Raw SheepAge: 60 days+Price: $26.00-$32.50/lb High in the Serra da Estrela mountain range of Portugal, artisanal cheesemakers have been producing this, their namesake cheese, almost the same way for centuries. Starting with raw sheep’s milk (it has to, since the cheese is DOP protected), Serra da Estrela is completely handmade; even the curds are cut by hand!

Name: Rajya MetokProducer: Village of Ragya, TibetMilk: Pasteurized YakAge: 2 months+Price: $21.98/lb “Tibetan Yak Cheese”. The name itself sounds a bit mysterious and more than a little absurd.I first heard about Yak cheese in May, during Tibetan Yak Cheese Week. Ironically, having to sell cheese prevented me from going to the event, but I kept the thought in the back of my head. When I found out iGourmet* carried it, I had to try some.

Name: ReblochonProducer: Various (Savoie, France)Milk: Raw Cow’s MilkAge: 30 days+Price: $14.00-$21.50/lb I’ve seen signs, at both cheese counters where I’ve worked, describing a cheese as “sexy”. In the past, I just laughed it off. Now, I find myself using the very same word to describe Reblochon. This cheese is so lush, rich and impossibly silken in texture, it creates a very sensual experience on the tongue.

Name: Gorwydd CaerphillyProducer: Gorwydd Farm (Ceredigion, Wales)Milk: Raw Cow’s MilkAge: 2 monthsPrice: $22.99-29.00/lb. I never expected to be impressed by Caerphilly. I had tasted examples of this cheese before and its straightforward, dry, citrus-like flavor was good, if not uninspiring. Then I tasted Gorwydd Caerphilly and everything was illuminated. This is what Caerphillly should taste like!

Name: Great Hill BlueProducer: Great Hill Dairy (Marion, Massachusetts)Milk: Raw Cow’s MilkAge: 4 months+Price: $13.99-$17.75 Unpasteurized, unhomogenized and, as an orange juice company put it, “simply unfooled around with”. These phrases describe the ideals Great Hill Dairy employs when producing their lone cheese, Great Hill Blue. Located near Boston, in Marion, Massachusetts, they are one of a growing segment of Massachusetts cheesemakers.

Name: TronchonProducer: Various (Tronchon, Spain)Milk: Raw/Pasteurized Raw Cow’s, Goat’s & Sheep’s MilkAge: 2 months+Price: $11.99-$23.00 Few cheeses are as readily identifiable at Spain’s Tronchon. Produced in a small village of the same name, Tronchon has a distinct crater in the center and a raised ring around the outside, giving it the look of a very large doughnut whose center has not been completely removed.

In preparing these weekly articles, I have a small arsenal of cheese books at my disposal. Though the internet helps, of course, my first stop is always the books. As much info as Wikipedia has, I trust Max McCalman a whole lot more. Here’s a list of my favorites:Cheese: A Connoisseurs Guide to the World’s Best by Max McCalmanSimply put, this is the best cheese book out there now. Not only is it easy to read and full of information, it’s simply gorgeous.