smoked meat or something grilling," says Arnold. "It's elusively
smoky." She describes the interior as creamy, dense, and buttery, with
a boiled-peanut flavor. " That's such a Southern thing," she says of the
peanut reference, "but we all taste it."
Valley Ford Cheese Company Grazin' Girl (California): This small
Sonoma County producer makes exclusively farmstead cheese from
Domestic:
Deer Creek The Blue Jay (Wisconsin): Made by Carr Valley for the
Artisan Cheese Exchange, this 6-pound triple-cream wheel is subtly
but noticeably scented with juniper berry. The paste is as moist, mel-
low, and luscious as Gorgonzola Dolce. Pair with a gin and tonic at
the cocktail hour, or with a nutty sherry at the end of a meal.
Grey Barn Farm Bluebird (Massachusetts): An 8-pound block
made from raw organic cow's milk, Bluebird has a handsome natural
rind, a rich butter-colored paste, and plentiful veining. Sarah Dvorak
of San Francisco's Mission Cheese is a fan. The producer, Grey Barn,
is a small diversified farm on Martha's Vineyard milking 45 Dutch
Belted and Normande cows.
Sequatchie Cove Creamery Bellamy Blue (Tennessee): This
creamery's Shakerag Blue has been well-received but is complex,
labor-intensive, and "agonizing" to make, says creamery co-owner
Padgett Arnold. Hoping to add another blue cheese that was easier
to produce, cheesemaker Nathan Arnold devised Bellamy Blue,
a raw-milk farmstead wheel seasoned with smoked sea salt. The
6-½-pound wheels are matured for at least four months but often
longer and develop a natural rind. "It has an appealing aroma, like
Grey Barn Bluebird
36 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com
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