April 2011
Cheese of the Month
Mt Sterling Cooperative
Mt. Sterling Cooperative
Located in Mt. Sterling, Wisconsin (in the Driftless Region), Mt. Sterling Co-op Creamery is a member-owned and operated cheese cooperative. The co-op is run by a board of directors and over 40 member-producers that operate traditional family farms in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota. Their goats are pastured in the spring, summer, and fall, and the milk is sampled and tested for taste and quality before being pumped into the truck at each farm.
Mt. Sterling has produced a number of award-winning goat cheeses and prides itself in producing both raw (though heat-treated*) and pasteurized goats milk cheeses that are 100% natural, using no additives or colorings. All members of the co-op are committed and bound by contract to the humane treatment of their animals and rejection of the use of growth hormones. Eastside has Raw Milk Cheddar, Feta, and Mozzarella.
The co-op creamery is open to tours and their facilities are handicap-accessible. Visit www.buygoatcheese.com for more details and contact information!
*Known as thermization, heat-treatment of raw milk is for sterilization; it is similar to pasteurization, but thermization uses lower temperatures. Because thermization is not considered pasteurization by the USDA, it must be aged for 60 days, as all true raw milk cheeses must be.
February 2011
Chesse of the Month
Eichtens Cheese
Eichtens Hidden Acres is a family farm established in 1976. Currently run by son Ed and his wife Eileen, the farm specializes in Dutch Goudas,
handmade daily in small batches from fresh cow's and goat's milk. Eichtens is an all natural dairy farm using milk that is rGBH free. With
much pride, their cheeses are additive free, as well -- no colorings, preservatives, or artificial flavors are used.
Eichtens produces around 2,200 pounds of cheese a week, selling in the Twin Cities and now nationwide.
A bit about the process:
Rather than machine-made, Eichtens cheeses are still hand-stirred, pressed, molded, dipped and turned, as is traditional. Eichtens partners
with dairy farms to deliver dairy-fresh milk, direct from them to the Eichtens' vats, where it is then pasteurized. Hoops (cheese forms)
purchased from the Netherlands are used and the curd is pressed, turned, and allowed to drain. The wheels are moved to a warm room, allowing
them to reach the correct acidity. Next, the cheese is placed in a brining tank -- this begins the curing process, during which the wheels are
turned and carefully watched for several days. After curing, the wheels are placed in the aging room for at least 60 days. Here again, each
wheel is turned every 10 days, for proper distribution of the cheese culture.
A Shortlist of Eichtens' Goudas:
Tomato Basil (goat's milk; flavored with sundried tomatoes, sweet
basil, onion, garlic; aged 2-4 months; also available in cow's milk)*
Goat Gouda (goat's milk; aged for a minimum of 2 months)*
Chipotle Pepper
Herb Spice
Smoked with Bison Sausage
Habanero
Olive Tapenade
Peppercorn Garlic (cow's milk; flavored with garlic and peppercorn
seasonings; aged 2-4 months)*
Wild Rice (cow's milk; flavored with MN grown wild rice and wild rice
seasoning; aged 2-4 months)*
Caraway
*carried at the Eastside Food Co-op
Their line of Goudas are at home on cheese trays, however casual or formal. They are perfect as a table cheese, meaning that all you really
need to pair with them any of them is a baguette, glass of whatever beverage you prefer, and a paring knife. The Goudas are semi-firm in
texture and delicately flavored, making them suited for cooking and baked goods (think casseroles and biscuits or breads).
In addition to an array of over 13 Goudas and several other European varieties of cheese made by the Eichtens family, they also raise bison
(which can be found in the freezer case here at Eastside). The animals are raised on the farm, free of antibiotics, growth hormones, and other
medications. Further, the bison are fed on native pasture grasses and hay and oats grown by the Eichtens.
If you'd like to visit Eichtens Hidden Acres, they have a charming cafe and market in Center City, MN, less than an hour's drive away, featuring
their bison and artisan cheeses, and a local and imported beer selection. For more details, visit their website.
(adapted from the Eichtens Hidden Acres website, http://www.specialtycheese.com/Home_Page.html)
http://heavytable.com/the-eichtens-cheese-mouse-in-center-city/
January 2011
Cheese of the Month
Sottocenere al Tartufo
"sotto cenere" literally "under ash" "tartufo" means "truffle"
Slice through this beautiful, pressed grey ashen rind to find a semi-soft ecru colored cheese. Italian cheesemakers begin with raw cow's milk and then layer shavings of black truffles. The paste is then set to age with a rubbing of truffle oil, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, liquorice, fennel, cloves, anise, and finally ash, a rind material traditional to the Veneto region of Italy. Brillat-Savarin, esteemed French epicure, called truffles the "diamond of gastronomy." They are a specialty fungus found under the forest floor, sniffed out by specially trained pigs or dogs. Their prized flavor is earthy, buttery, and highly aromatic, similar to the highest quality mushrooms. If you haven't experienced truffles before, this may be a good first departure, as black truffles are milder in flavor than the white variety.
To serve: As with any cheese, I will often suggest first that it be eaten alone, so that its flavor and texture can be experienced and pondered. And Sottocenere al Tartufo can very easily be served on its own or simply on a cheese tray accompanied by walnuts. The semi-soft texture of this cheese lends itself to melting over slices of toasted baguette, perhaps with caramelized onions, or wherever else a rich melted cheese is welcome. As a starter, shred over a salad of fresh or wilted radicchio, a red-streaked leafy vegetable indigenous to the cheese's place of origin. Drizzle olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar, and you have a first course that won't overpower your entree or your guests appetites. For dinner, lay a couple slices over a sautéed filet mignon, broil, and top with a pat of butter, and you'll have a phenomenally easy and luxurious meal. Sottocenere al Tartufo is special treat but very easy-going, at home next to any cracker or crusty bread. It's so good that you'll make occasion to pair it with everything!
