Specialty Food Magazine

G iven all the upheaval the pandemic has wrought on international transport, with canceled flights and vessel delays, you might imagine that cheese importers would shy away from new items. Not so. Although the lack of sampling at most cheese counters persuaded mongers to stick with the tried-and-true during the pandemic, importers have a heap of tantalizing newcomers in the pipeline. Here's hoping that pent-up demand from consumers will mean a warm welcome for many of these debuts from Europe. A few newbies to watch for: From Columbia Cheese Alpencheddar: A quirky collaboration between Quicke's, the British Cheddar producer, and Albert Kraus, the Austrian producer of Alp Blossom, this unusual cheese is definitely a mixed marriage. Kraus adds grated Quicke's Mature Cheddar to the curds of his Alp Blossom to yield an alpine-style wheel with faint fruity Cheddar notes. With many American cheesemakers now using Swiss cultures in their Cheddar, these partners thought it would be fascinating—or at least amusing—to try the reverse. Funky Monk: A Trappist-style cow's milk cheese similar to St. Nectaire, Funky Monk weighs about 5 pounds. The Belgian producer is T. Groendal, which also makes the sublime OG Kristal. The aptly named Drunk Monk is the same cheese washed in Belgian blonde ale. From Forever Cheese Golden Fleece: This Spanish wheel from La Mancha is made by adding saffron to pasteurized sheep's milk, then following a Manchego recipe. Wheels are matured for a minimum of four months. Leonora a Fuego: From the producer of the brick-shaped bloomy-rind Leonora, this version of the Spanish goat cheese is "on fire" from spicy pimentón de la Vera outside. Aged for about 20 days, it is dense, lemony, peppery, and creamy. Luna Llena: From the raw milk of Lacaune sheep, this 21-ounce washed-rind wheel is made by a new cheesemaker whose father has a large sheep farm in the region of La Mancha. Michele Buster of Forever Cheese describes it as "meaty and pungent." Urepel: A dual-citizen sheep cheese made in France's Basque Country but matured on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees by a producer of Etxegarai and Idiazábal. Weighing about 7 pounds and matured for 6 to 8 months, Urepel is closer to a mellow Ossau-Iraty in flavor than to the spicy Spanish Basque wheels. Wooly Woolly: A 5-ounce fresh sheep log from Spain, from the producer of Drunken Goat. From Fresca Italia Camembert di Bufala, with pistachio or truffle: From an Italian producer near Cremona, these 200- to 250-gram disks depart from French tradition by using water buffalo milk and flavor additions. The same creamery is producing Rosso di Bufala and Rossa di Pecora, 400-gram washed-rind cheeses from water-buffalo and sheep's milk, respectively. All four cheeses are destined for Fresca Italia's private label. Il Frastuchino: A 3-pound young pecorino studded with Sicilian pistachios from Tuscan creamery Rocca Toscana, which is affiliated with the well- known Canti family. Il Tesoro: The same base cheese as Il Frastuchino but with candied orange peel replacing the pistachios, Il Tesoro is semi-firm, fragrant, and fruity. Verde di Bufala: This 6-pound blue-veined wheel is exceptionally creamy and not super potent, says Fresca Italia representative Andy Lax. Funky Monk PHOTO: COLUMBIA CHEESE LOGO: STUDIO BRAT GRAPHIC STUDIO SUMMER 2021 17

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