Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 1836 Every cheese has a story. However, no one else has a story quite like ours. Our award-winning cheeses are crafted by artisans, ensuring the highest quality that not only meets your expectations, but appeals to the changing tastes of your customers. © 2017 Saputo Cheese USA Inc. All rights reserved. The brands and logos shown herein are protected trademarks used by Saputo Cheese USA Inc. Embrace your inner artisan. SAPUTOSPECIALTY.COM | 1-800-824-3373 GET ON BOARD. NEW items! VISIT US AT SUMMER FANCY FOOD SHOW BOOTH #1836 cheese focus In contrast, the ash rippling through the center of Sequatchie Cove's Coppinger, a washed-rind cow's milk wheel, serves no technical purpose. "It's just a cosmetic thing to make it more eye-catching," says Padgett Arnold, proprietor of the Tennessee cream- ery with her husband, Nathan. "People stop in their tracks when they see it on the table, and chefs like it because it adds something to the cheese plate." The internal ash has no impact on the texture or f lavor, Arnold adds. Recent Evolutions and Issues Convincing the FDA that ash is a processing aid, not a color, was key to getting the agen- cy to rethink its objections and recognize the ingredient as safe. In the amounts that people consume it, ash is harmless, research- ers say. In fact, the human digestive system doesn't even absorb it. Most cheesemakers have transitioned from using powdered ash to a paste because the paste has FDA approval. Typically, for external use, cheesemakers mix the ash with salt in a predetermined ratio. Even so, the stuff is messy. "You can see fingerprints on the walls if you don't wash your gloves," Genke says. "I look in the mirror and I look like a coal miner." Although external ashing is most closely associated with goat cheese, today's cheesemakers are ashing wheels of all types, inside and outside. Bellwether Farms' new Blackstone, a firm, aged wheel rubbed with oil, ash, rosemary, and peppercorns, is a cow-sheep blend. Carr Valley's convention- defying Mobay features layers of goat cheese and sheep cheese separated by ash. Spring Brook Farm's new Ashbrook, a cow's milk wheel, looks like Morbier's Vermont cousin. In fact, like most Morbier today, Ashbrook is made by slicing a young wheel in half hori- zontally and sprinkling ash in the center. After a light pressing and a little time, the two halves re-knit. Paradoxically, as ashed cheeses become more commonplace, they could lose the visual "wow" factor that draws consumers. But until that happens—if it happens— ashed cheeses will continue to beckon. Janet Fletcher writes the email newsletter Planet Cheese and is the author of "Cheese & Wine" and "Cheese & Beer." (continued from p. 48) 52 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com