Tomme Brulee

Tomme Brulee, literally meaning "burnt wheel" is exactly that. This sheep's milk cheese has been left to age, then the rind gets hit by a blow torch. Made in the Savoy Mountains in the Basque region of France, this cheese is similar in taste and texture to Spain's Manchego but with much more bitter saltiness. My first bite I thought "oh no, I'm not into this" but then I kept trying it, slice by slice, the more I ate the more I liked it. It kind of lingers in your mouth, at first bitter and smokey but then warms up with notes of salt, nuts and a teeny tiny hint of caramel.  It borders on being a hard cheese and cuts a bit crumbly and the rind almost tastes like a burnt cracker.

How to eat:

  We just sliced it and ate it either on its own or with a cracker. It's a little dry so I would definitely recommend eating it with something a little moist like quince or honey. It could be grated or shaved over a salad or pasta dish. Or add it to your charcuterie plate as the bold flavored cheese selection.

Pairings:

   I thought that it was delicious with the Caramelized Onion flavor of Potter's Crackers. They added enough of a strong flavor to compete with the cheese. I would also suggest sweet components like apple slices, honey, quince or jams. As far as drinks go, I'd stick with stronger flavors like a Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon or a rich brown ale.

Where to buy:

   We purchased our little chunk at Taylor's Market here in Sacramento at $7.95 for 4.16 ounces. It is widely available all over the country at specialty cheese shops and groceries with a great cheese selection. 

Big Boy Blue

   Another favorite of ours from the cheese festival is the Big Boy Blue from Willapa Hills Cheese Company. It's strong, salty and complex. Easily my new favorite blue cheese. The Willapa Hills are part of the California coastal range and is home to this historic farmstead dating back to the 1920's. They're big on making a quality product from all natural and sustainable ingredients. The Big Boy Blue is aged for 75 days, and it's worth it, you can taste the time and effort. It has a delicate natural texture, semi-soft, yet pungent and salty. 

How to eat:
  You can use it like any other blue cheese, just be mindful of it's saltiness. Whatever you eat it with needs to be strong enough to stand up to this bold cheese. Your typical cracker or sliced baguette will be completely overpowered. It's great to nibble on, crumble on top of a salad, or my favorite, loaded on top of a big juicy burger!

Pairings:
  One of the best combos, in my opinion, is blue cheese and red meat, like a steak or a burger. If you're not on the red meat train, we had it on a spicy turkey burger and it was equally delicious. A rich red wine or a dark stout beer would be a lovely combination as well.

Where to buy:
  We purchased or little wedge at the Artisan Cheese Festival.  It is available online at Willapa Hills in 3 different sizes, ranging from $30-$100.  Unfortunately I was unable to find retail locations that sell it, but it wouldn't hurt to ask you local grocer about it. Places like Whole Foods or Nugget Market may carry it or can possibly order it for you. 

Estero Gold

  This delicious golden hunk of a cheese was one of our favorites from the Artisan Cheese Festival.  It is locally made in Sonoma County by Valley Ford Cheese Co.  It's made in the style of an Italian Asiago cheese and aged for four months.  It's a dry and tough cheese with a subtle flavor of nuttiness.  The Valley Ford Cheese Co. has won several awards for this cheese, and is praised for using all sustainable products and has been certified by the Humane Farm Animal Care Program.  

How to eat:
   It's perfect for snacking alongside some fruit or nuts, Valley Ford suggests a sliced pear.  It would also be fantastic shaved on top of a pasta dish or a salad. Their website has several recipes a available using this cheese, including Gnocchi with Estero Gold Sauce! Yum!

Pairing:
   The cheese has a light and subtle flavor so pairing with a light white wine or a lighter beer. Stay away from rich heavy flavors that would overpower the delicateness of the cheese.

Where to buy:
   We purchased our wedge at the Artisan Cheese Festival, however, it is available for purchase in several markets in the Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Sebastopol regions of California. Many eateries in San Francisco and up into Sonoma County serve this cheese as well.

Ewephoria

  This cheese doesn't just have a great name but a great taste as well.  It's made in the same way that Gouda is made, but this Holland farm uses their sheep's milk instead of cows. The sheep roam free and are well fed, the wife of the farmer even says that she feeds her sheep better than her sons!  Well, whatever they're doing over there, it's working. This cheese is deliciously sweet. It's a bit dry and gritty but with a nice finish. There's notes of toffee, caramel, honey and an underlying nuttiness. 

How to eat:
  Definitely as a snack or part of a dessert course. You could easily munch on this cheese with a handful of nuts or on a sweet baguette drizzled with honey.

Pairing:
   We enjoyed this cheese with a nice Cabernet Sauvignon, it paired quite well. It would also pair nicely with a malty, nutty beer. 

Where to buy:  This particular Ewephoria was found at Nugget Market, $8.51 for 5.9 ounces. It is also available online at Murrays Cheese, half pound blocks all the way to 10 pounds and $19 a pound. 

Hopscotch

  This beautifully marbled white cheddar is made using Devil's Canyon "Full Boar" Scotch Ale. The curds of the cheese are soaked in the malty, caramel ale for a full two hours before the curds are pressed down into their cheese form. This process really makes the beer permeate the entire cheese and is what gives it it's marbled look. The cheddar is sharp and tangy with a subtle but definitely there beer taste. The Fiscalini Cheese company uses raw milk from their own cows and makes a wide variety of other delicious cheeses. 

How to eat:
  I loved this cheese just sliced up on some crackers, but it would also be great in a sandwich or as part of a charcuterie board with some fresh salami and prosciutto.

Pairings:
  Ale! This cheese made me crave a good strong ale. I would actually love to get the Devil's Canyon beer that it's made with and try them together. Aside from beer, I'd stick with the saltier side of accompaniments, a salty cracker, pretzels, nuts, etc. 

Where to buy:
  We found this in the gourmet cheese section of Safeway, $7.48 for 7.04 ounces. You can find it at your local grocery store or on Fiscalini Cheese's website at a half pound for $20. Devil's Canyon beers can be found almost exclusively in California, but Total Wine has the "Full Boar", 22 ounce bottle for $4.29.

Pesto Gouda

  I know what you're thinking, "Green cheese?... I dunno about that." Well, that's what I'm here for. I tried it, I liked it. I'm a big fan of pesto so it works for me, but pesto is really the only flavor you get out of this cheese so steer clear if you're not into it. It's bright, herby and tangy and the cheese melts in your mouth.

How to eat:
  I just nibbled on a little bit of it, but I'm saving the rest for cooking. I'm having fantasies of all the amazing pesto-y, melty, cheesy things I could make with it. Like in a grilled cheese sandwich, dipped in tomato soup or melted on top of crostini or crumbled on top of pasta. So many possibilities!

Pairings:
  I wouldn't really say that this is a great cheese to do pairings with. It's very strong, and really just tastes like pesto, so I think it's much better to be used alongside things rather then paired with. However, I do think a crisp white wine would be delicious with that pasta dish I mentioned earlier.

Where to buy:
   This particular one is Trader Joe's March Spotlight cheese. We purchased a 8.16 ounce wedge for $5.09.  When doing my research, I came across a few other brands of pesto cheese that can be found online and at your local grocery store. 

Irish Whiskey Cheddar

   Anyone that knows me, knows that I absolutely love a good whiskey and a good cheese. So needless to say when I saw this cheese amongst the beautiful assortment of equally delectable cheeses, my eyes grew wide and I may or may not have squealed a lil bit. I approached this cheese fairly certain that I was going to be disappointed by a lack of whiskey taste, I could not have been more wrong. The first bite is most definitely whiskey. Sweet, smokey and bold. A great balance with a medium, slightly tangy cheddar. This particular cheese is made by Cahill's Cheese Farm in Ireland. It has been family owned for 4 generations and they pride themselves on doing almost everything by hand, only using machines when absolutely necessary. They use only local and farm fresh ingredients, so this cheddar can only be from Cahill. They permeate the cheddar with Kilbeggan whiskey. Who interestingly, is the oldest licensed distillery in Ireland. For 255 years, they have been making whiskey the old fashioned way, using some of their original pots.  Both Cahill and Kilbeggan are doing things the old school way so it only makes sense that these two would come together and create something truly special.

How to eat: 
  It's still a cheddar, so anywhere you'd normally use a cheddar, you can definitely do the same with this one. It would be great on a sandwich, or with some salty cured meats like salami or prosciutto. I would recommend sticking to the savory side of things.  

Pairings:
  This is a very flavorful cheese so you need something that can stand up to it, like a dark ale or a bold red wine like a chianti. 

Where to buy:
  We purchased this cheese at Corti Brothers in Sacramento, $7.92 for 7.04 ounces. Cahill's Cheese is widely distributed and can be found in many grocery stores and on the web, including amazon and igourmet.