Poor Richard’s Almanac

Cheese, glorious cheese. October 1, 2010

Silence Dogood here. It’s been a good week here at Hawk’s Haven, the cottage home our friend Ben and I share in the precise middle of nowhere, PA. First, we’ve finally gotten plenty of rain, several nice showers followed by 8 inches of rain in the past 24 hours! Because we’d had such a prolonged summer drought, even a deluge like that didn’t result in flooding here. And now our little stream, Hawk Run, is flowing again.

That’s nice, you may be thinking, but what does it have to do with cheese? Good point. This week has also been good because our friend Ben’s birthday is coming up, and this week we received three packages of treats from OFB’s brother: a torte, a big box of petits fours (one of OFB’s childhood faves), and a box of cheese from Cowgirl Creamery. We’re thrilled to have the desserts to serve up at OFB’s birthday bash, but we’re especially thrilled with the cheeses.

Cowgirl Creamery is not your ordinary cheesemaking operation, and there’s certainly nothing ordinary about the cheeses they make and import. Our three cheeses, Mahon Reserva, Garroxta, and Ombra, are from Spain. Here’s how the helpful fact sheet that accompanied them described these cheeses:

Mahon Reserva: “Ripened between six months and two years, cow milk Mahon is simultaneously sweet, nutty, sharp, and buttery with a light golden paste and a fiery orange rind.”

Garroxta: “Snow-white and firm with a soft suede-like rind, this aged goat cheese has a moist, yet almost flaky, texture that melts across your tongue. Garroxta is mildly herbal and tangy with the briefest whisper of hazelnuts in the aftertaste.”

Ombra: “This aged sheep milk cheese from Catalunya, Spain is mild, yet full-flavored. The finish is sweet and lingering with hints of caramel.” 

Yum! Which to try first?! We especially liked that the selection included cow’s, sheep’s, and goat’s milk cheeses. And the cheeses arrived in perfect condition and were beautifully packaged. Digging through the wood-shaving “nest” to find the cheeses was as exciting as going on an Easter-egg hunt.

You can find these and many more great cheeses on Cowgirl Creamery’s website, www.cowgirlcreamery.com. They also feature an informative “Library of Cheese” section, fabulous cheese clubs (we must persuade somebody to sign us up!), and, of course, Cowgirl Creamery’s own artisanal cheeses, including Mt. Tam, Red Hawk, Pierce Pt., St. Pat, Wagon Wheel, and their new winter cheese, the wonderfully named Devil’s Gulch (who could resist trying that?!).

You can sign up for their newsletters online or register to take a tour if you’re lucky enough to live in California or be visiting the state. (They also sell cheese at eight CA farmers’ markets, two CA retail shops, and one shop in Washington, DC.) And of course, there are photos and mouthwatering descriptions of their own cheeses and all the cheeses they sell.

One other great thing about the package was that it included a “Care and Handling” fact sheet along with the descriptions of the cheeses and a lovely brochure about the company. We think everyone who enjoys cheese would benefit from Cowgirl Creamery’s advice, so we’ll share some with you here. I quote:

* Store it in the fridge. Cheese is a living, breathing food. The best place to store it is in the vegetable crisper area of the refrigerator where there is some humidity. Just keep the cheese wrapped in paper (the paper it arrives in or wax paper).

* Scrape the surface. Bacteria are essential components of cheese & contribute to its taste. Cheese may develop mold and surface oils when wrapped. Always take a knife & scrape the surface to remove. Some cheeses, like Stilton, have a natural rind with a variety of molds that contribute to its taste. Most rinds are edible but may not always be to your taste. Don’t be afraid to try the rind, but taste the paste or interior first.

* Serve at room temperature. Cheese tastes best at room temperature. Bring it out 2-3 hours before serving. While we are accustomed to refrigerating our cheeses here in the US, in Europe many cheese-loving people keep their cheeses out on the counter for daily eating.

The vegetable crisper, eh? Who’d’a thunk?! As if we could cram cheese in there with all those veggies… But do as they say, not as we do. Thanks, Cowgirl Creamery, for providing superb cheese and superb service. Thanks, OFB’s family, for giving us the chance to try some. And thanks, OFB, for having a birthday to create a cheese-giving occasion!

              ‘Til next time,

                           Silence