News From The Cheese Caves

My good friend Mary Falk once referred to raw milk as “manna from heaven.” Today’s Wall Street Journal issued this press release: “New Studies Confirm: Raw Milk a Low-Risk Food”. Drawing from a Journal of Food Protection publication, three quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRAs) demonstrate that unpasteurized milk is a low-risk food, contrary to previous, inappropriately-evidenced claims suggesting a high-risk profile.

Today, even (if not especially) within the dairy industry itself, raw milk is regarded as a dangerous food, whereas cheese is considered to be comparatively safe. That cheese may be safer could take into consideration the fermented nature of cheese with its lower pH level (the more acid environment tending to thwart pathogenic contamination) as well as the salt in cheese – salt being the great preservative that it is. The myths surrounding raw milk abound, which could have something to do with the word “raw.”

The peer-reviewed QMRAs demonstrate a low risk of illness from unpasteurized milk consumption for each of the main pathogens attributed to dairy: Campylobacter, Shiga-toxin inducing E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. This low risk profile of raw milk is attributed to immunologically-susceptible groups as well as to healthy adults.

Anecdotally, in my two decades as a cheese guy the cheeses crafted from raw milk have enjoyed far longer shelf lives than their compromised milk counterparts.

- Max McCalman

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We anticipate a room full of applicants at this year’s American Cheese Society’s Conference, almost 200 cheese peeps who will be taking the broad-based exam, each one hoping to become an ACS Certified Cheese Professional. You have to be more than merely a cheese “lover” to sit for the exam; you must show work experience in the cheese industry. The application process is closed for this year’s exam; the ACS is now accepting applications for the 2014 exam. Again, the exam is broad-based; no one who took the first exam last year got all the answers correct. Cool thing about cheese: there are so many facets to it. This certification is intended to support the artisan cheese industry by promoting education and recognizing the professional skills required to properly care for cheese. We believe the Certification effort is the best thing that ever happened to the American Cheese Society. It should go a long way to getting cheese some respect.

- Max McCalman

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Did you forget that yesterday was German Beer Day? You may have thought the beer celebrations only take place in October. Not according to our German beer expert Freddy Bohn. According to Freddy there is a reason to celebrate the superior beers of Germany every single day of the year, though there is this one day in particular – April 23rd – that is marked on the calendar recognizing this near-perfect beverage, especially by German brewers. It was this day, exactly 497 years ago, that the Reinheitsgebot was implemented. Perhaps you have already read the beer chapter in my new book, Mastering Cheese, which delves into its history. You can hear Mr. Bohn explain the significance of this law while we enjoy a generous helping of his country’s finest at this Sunday’s German Beer class.

Along with hearing him speak about the Reinheitsgebot while enjoying distinguished Biere, we will also get to understand their superior pairing capacities with great cheeses. Speaking of cheese, did you know that Germany produces more cheese than France? Their output is second only to the United States.

- Max McCalman

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On my subway ride into work this morning I overheard a pre-teen kid ask his dad who cut the cheese.

Whenever I hear the word “cheese,” or whenever I see it referenced in print, I tune in.

On hearing this question, and then hearing it again a couple more times, it reminded me of what my daughter may have answered years ago when classmates would ask her what her dad did for a living: “He cuts the cheese.”

Snickers all around.

Besides the association with its misinformed association with daunting aroma and poor food choices, cheese suffers from its association with poverty, as though it is no more than a poor man’s steak.

I recall another comment recently: “Or we could just have cheese.”

Precisely: why not?

The “C” word is heard more frequently than ever. I suppose “bad” publicity is better than none at all. The excitement is building; we are poised to see a capacity crowd taking the second American Cheese Society’s Certified Cheese Professional™ exam in Madison this summer.

In my current duties I may not cut the cheese at the break-neck pace the way I use to at Picholine years ago, yet I eat at least as much as I ever did, if not more.

Max McCalman

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A friend told me about a recent cheese shop visit when the cheesemonger told her that the crystals in an aged Parmigiano Reggiano were salt. Alors! Not that there is no salt in Parm but this does not make the cheese sound especially desirable, and more importantly, this is inaccurate information. Had the retailer provided the correct information (that those are tyrosine amino acid crystals) the cheese would have been far more attractive to the would-be buyer.

I like to drop in unannounced at cheese shops from time to time, just to hear what cheese people are saying. Actually, it is a little disturbing, especially when these people try to give recommendations regarding nutritive values and the safety of cheese. I’m sure they mean well. They are often excited to pontificate about their cheese knowledge. Fortunately, cheese tends to bring out the humility in people, especially once you’ve been in the industry long enough to discover how amazingly complex this food group is.

Yet I am concerned. Cheese has suffered quite enough: through mishandling, sloppy packaging, temperature abuses, too little or too much ventilation, abandonment for weeks in hostile storage conditions, left exposed to hungry pests, left on one side for weeks on end to the point that they develop “soggy bottom,” or outright physical abuse.

I welcome the enthusiasm but get the information correct, please. You never know when a customer may be better informed about a product than you are. There are so many facets to cheese that it is impossible to have a full knowledge of the entire lactic universe. We would expect that one would want to know how to convey accurate information. Or if the answer is unknown, that one would admit it, maybe come back to the topic later in the day and study up.

Then there are the “perfect-pairing” suggestions. There are some reliable principles of pairing cheeses with wines, or other beverages. These food and beverage pairing principles can be applied but they should not be stated as dogma. Classic pairings exist, such as Roquefort and Sauternes. On the “pairing” point, it is best to recognize that this is a little subjective.

We expect that the Certified Cheese Professional™ will help the entire industry. American and European cheesemakers are embracing the endeavor, and are applauding our efforts. Some of us are Cheese Educators, so how do we earn that title? As Chairman of the American Cheese Society’s Certified Cheese Professional Committee, I may not be able to take the exam ever. That’s okay though: I believe I may be “grandfathered” in.

I want as many applicants as possible to pass the next exam July 31st at the ACS conference in Madison, which is why in our Master Series we teach everything we believe one should need to know to be a good cheesemonger, whether or not the topics are on the exam itself. It’s the right thing to do.

Again, we need more Certified Cheese Professionals!

- Max McCalman

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The fun and friendly crew who signed up for Artisanal’s fondue class last Friday night were rewarded with some ridiculously good eats.

The stage was set to make and consume four different fondues, topped off by a chocolate fondue for dessert.

The popular vote went to the French team of fondue makers who prepared their decadent creation using a pound of Raclette and a pound of Comté. A little taste of heaven on a piece of crusty bread.

An extremely close second place ribbon was awarded to the Swiss – the country credited with the creation of fondue in the 18th century. The cheese blend in this fondue was Appenzeller and Gruyère – a time-honored classic.

America made its debut in the fondue pot with a blend of Fortsonia, a firm, nutty, sweet and dense cheese that was inspired by classic Alpine style cheeses like Gruyère and Comté and Uplands Pleasant Ridge – rock star of the American Artisanal cheese scene, garnering three ”Best in Show” awards at the American Cheese Society conference…kinda like the Oscars, but with cheese.

This fondue was the quite delicious and I hear that Fortsonia was named best cheese in the South by a local magazine. Last year Fortsonia also took third place in the hard cheese category from the American Cheese Society and earned a gold medal from the World Jersey Cheese Awards in the United Kingdom.

Rounding out our melted cheese contest were the Italians. The two cheeses blended together for a palate-pleasing experience. They were the Toma Maccagno (a washed-rind tomme) and Toma Piemontese (one of the oldest styles of cheeses made in Italy). As the team began grating these aromatic wedges they were surprised at how silky and mild the blend tasted when the fondue was done. It was amazingly good.

If you want to try your hand at some fondue olympics…please sign up for the next round of play.  Your taste buds and your tummy will be very happy.

Erin Hedley
Fromagère, APC

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So what does that bring to mind?

Hopefully you are in the cheese cognoscenti – those that recognize that the excitement occurring in the cheese world today is happening right here within our shores. Few American-made cheeses inspired us just over a decade ago but today it is eye-popping, or rather, tastebuds-thrilling.

In addition to some of our long-time favorite American cheeses such as Uplands Pleasant Ridge, Tarentaise, Grayson, Rogue River Blue and Wabash Cannonball, we have some that are aging in our caves right now that will be made available in the coming weeks. You will find many outstanding cheeses from across the country, a full range from the younger milder types like Grassias to the boldest of blues, like the Smokey Oregon Blue.

We will continue to bring in and ripen many of the best of Europe but with the way things are going on this side of the pond, we will have to add more space. In the past we offered classes here featuring American Artisan cheeses but there was surprisingly little interest, or maybe not that surprising considering their general reputation. Many fine cheeses have been crafted here for decades, now there are hundreds, with more coming along every month.

Makes you proud, don’t it? Drop us a line and let us know if you might reconsider attending a class on American cheeses only. In the meantime you will find many of them making appearances in our classes such as our Cheese and Wine 101 class, the 201, Matchmaking, Microbrews, Scotch, and Best-in-Show among others. Likely our entire American line of cheeses will make an appearance in our Master Series.

Watch for many more domestics coming into their primes over the next few weeks.

Max McCalman

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Take two pieces of cheese and call me in the morning.

Cheese has components that help alleviate stress. The casein in cheese is a precursor to opioid peptides, which along with helping to moderate our appetites (think: weight loss) can also ameliorate stress and pain. The amino acid Tyrosine (a lot of it in cheese, like those little crystals in your aged Gouda or Gruyère) is a precursor to norepinephrine, known as the stress hormone. This building block amino acid is found in high concentration in cheese. When it was discovered in the nineteenth century it got its name; the root word for Tyrosine is “tyros,” a Greek word for “cheese.”

Cheese offers the full complement of amino acids. For a food that seems to be quite simple, cheese actually offers near-complete nutrition. The “simplicity” of cheese is part of its success as a near-perfect food. Cheese undergoes proteolysis, breaking the complex proteins into their constituent peptides and amino acids, making it easier for our digestive systems to absorb those elemental nutrients and then to use those to build all the protein chains of which we are composed.

Another amino acid derived from cheese is Taurine. It is used to treat anxiety, hyperactivity and poor brain function. I would become stressed if I did not get some cheese-sourced Taurine in my belly.

Cheese also contains the stress reducer Tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin which is responsible for normal sleep. Tryptophan also combats depression, stabilizes moods, relieves migraine headaches, and helps control hyperactivity in children – a stress producing activity in itself.

There are many things cheese has going for it, beyond what it can do to reduce stress. During these holiday times when we can become a little gluttonous, isn’t it good to know that cheese can help metabolize the foods we consume, and that it can help reduce weight? Some studies have found that cheese can help reduce our waist lines!

I suppose some people may become a little stressed just thinking about cheese. They may love it. Those addictive opioid peptides may make them feel a little guilty about consuming this much-maligned food, as though eating it is an indulgence! Cheese should be considered for its marvelous life-sustaining and life-enhancing qualities.

Max McCalman

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We received a call this morning from a customer who said that the Azeitão we sent her was bad. Of course the customer is always right; however, I have strong doubts that there was anything wrong with the cheese. The last two shipments we received were some of the loveliest specimens I have ever tasted. I was reminded of why I chose to write an ode to Azeitão in Mastering Cheese; the cheese can be incredibly delicious!

The thistle renneted sheep milk cheeses may not be for everyone. Many people simply can’t stomach them. This leaves more for the rest of us. The Queijo Azeitão has a very agreeable texture: buttery, velvety, smooth, and unctuous. The aroma/flavor is full but not funky. Some people detect a fishy flavor; I prefer to call it maritime. The cheese is gently salted and it exhibits a little bitter note, though its overall pH is well below 7. These type vegetarian rennet cheeses undergo extensive proteolysis which releases extra aroma on top of that provided by their generous helping of short chain fatty acids. Along with maritime flavors you may detect olive oil, grass and vegetal aromas, as well as an underlying meatiness.

At other times of the year the Azeitão may not be quite so lovely; right now they are at peak. No surprise there – these cheeses were produced in the fall when the vegetation in this part of warm southern Portugal is relatively full. The animals eat well in the fall, hence the full-flavored and especially nutritious Azeitão at this time.

Like most sheep milk cheeses, the Azeitão marries well with many wines, and exceptionally well with some, such as Chenin Blanc, Albariño, Sangiovese, Baco Noir, Tempranillo, Syrah, Ports, and some Pinot Noirs. I recommend that you be careful with throwing any old wine its way though, a full flavored cheese such as Azeitão can thrash certain elegant wines; white Burgundies and Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux are two examples you might reserve for a different cheese selection. Similarly, neither of these wine types enhances the Azeitão.

That could have been the problem with her Azeitão. She may have tasted it with an inappropriate wine partner, or it may have had something to do with other residual flavors from other foods and beverages, or the cheese may have been tasted outside of its recommended progression in a grouping of cheeses. We place the Azeitão on the medium quadrant of the CheeseClock™, as big as it may seem. It is less persistent than most cheeses but a better successor to others. If a poor wine partner was not the problem it may have been when it was tasted among other cheeses.

We would love to keep these several Azeitãos to ourselves but that wouldn’t be nice.

Max McCalman

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Merlot (pronounced mehr-LOT, as in “like-it-a-lot”) was featured at our “Meet the Winemakers” session recently. Special guest producers included Roman Roth of Wölffer Estate, Gilles Martin – winemaker for McCall Wines & Sherwood House, Russel Hearn of T’Jara, and John Cleo of Clovis Point. Each winemaker (German, French, Australian and American) had their own styles of wine making. Along with those four wineries we also tasted Raphael’s 2005 First Label Merlot, and the group effort 2010 Merliance.

When I made the cheese selections for this class I looked at my database for Merlot-friendly cheeses. I also referenced Mastering Cheese, in which I recommended sheep and cow cheeses, pressed and/or cooked, and blues usually. Based on these recommendations I chose Chaource (cow, but not pressed or cooked, but with noting Merlot successes in the database), Roncal, Seven Sisters, Gruyère (Beeler’s of course), Roomano, and Shaker Blue. Of the seven wines we sampled, two were 100% Merlot. Looking at those two, the cheese pairing scores were not quite identical but close. The McCall 2008 Reserve has a little better synergy with the Shaker Blue than the 2010 Merliance. Apparently the extra aging helped tackle the blue.

The other five wines were blended with as little as 3% Cabernet Sauvignon in the Wölffer Estate 2010 Lambardo, to as much as 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Petit Verdot in the Sherwood House 2007 Sherwood Manor. The T’Jara Vineyards 2007 Merlot had the biggest mash-up of varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and the grape Australians can’t seem to resist – Syrah. And with all that was going on in the T’Jara, it was the most successful wine partner for all the cheeses, delicious, though not my favorite wine in the group.

It would have been more instructive had a I selected at least one cheese type which can clash with Merlot. Instead, I chose cheeses that “like” Merlot. As it turned out, there were several cheeses in the lineup that liked the Merlots a lot. The standout successes were with the Roncal, the Seven Sisters, the Beeler Gruyère and the Roomano. The Chaource fared well with all of seven of the wines and the Shaker Blue came up just a little short with three of the wines, though it was delicious on its own. And interesting to note: the Shaker Blue was the one cheese produced in the same state as the wines. I did not choose any goat cheeses because I had recorded very few successes with Merlot.

You might try some of these cheeses with your favorite Merlot. You will likely enjoy the experience a lot.

Max McCalman

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