Made by hand from raw, unpasteurized milk in traditional European fashion, these selections represent the ultimate in American cheese-making. Each has a unique complexity and a distinct milky taste (a signature of raw-milk cheese). Before serving, bring to room temperature—about one hour—to heighten nuances.
Rogue River Blue Cheese
Created each fall using milk from cows that graze along the Rogue River in Oregon, this intensely creamy blue comes wrapped in grape leaves that have been soaked in pear brandy. It's sweet, spicy and pungent. roguecreamery.com
Sally Jackson Goat Cheese
From a farm in eastern Washington state, this legendary varietal tastes like milk and mountain air: pure and fresh with a bracing saltiness. sallyjacksoncheeses.com
San Andreas Sheep Cheese
Bellwether Farms founder Cindy Callahan, a former nurse, assists in the delivery of lambs, and her son, Liam, crafts every round of cheese himself. Such TLC yields impeccable straight-from-the-farm flavor. bellwethercheese.com
Prima Caciotta Cow's-Milk Cheese
Produced via old-school Tuscan methods, this semi-firm cheese is rubbed with tomato paste, which forms an elegant, burnished crust. It has a mild creaminess and a tang subtler than cheddar's. artisanalcheese.com
June Taylor Blood-Orange Marmalade
Sustainably grown in California, the fruit is cooked with a minimum of sugar and no commercial pectin. The result is a great complement to the Sally Jackson and San Andreas in particular. junetaylorjams.com
Walnuts
In the spring, before seasonal fruit is available, the ideal accompaniment to a cheese board is freshly shelled walnuts. (Dried pears are another nice accompaniment).
Online Sources for American Cheeses
Here are some top U.S. purveyors. Artisanal cheeses are seasonal, but similar varieties are usually available.
cowgirlcreamery.com
An
award-winning organic maker
of handcrafted bounty, with
outposts in San Francisco and
Washington, D.C.
idealcheese.com
Best
place to find the cheeses
you see here.
saxelbycheese.com
Possibly the only vendor
devoted exclusively to
farmstead cheeses.
Make it a meal
A light simply dressed salad, rustic bread, and California white wine round out this bright, farm-fresh celebration.
Simple Salad
Toss lettuce with extra-virgin
olive oil and lemon
juice, plus sea salt and fresh
tarragon.
Perfect Pairing
This medium-bodied California white
with notes of orange zest, hazelnut
and honey has a slight bitterness
that stands up to the assertive blue
and sheep's-milk cheese but doesn't
overpower the other two. Qupé Santa
Ynez Valley Marsanne 2006. $21.99 appellationyc.com
