Artisan Cheese Types

Fresh Cheeses, Soft Ripened Cheeses,

Feb 5, 2009 Stuart Stein

How do you go about categorizing cheese? It's a subject that's just too diverse.

Some choose to delineate by type of milk - cow's milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk - while others come up with unorthodox categories such as mild, bland and stinky.

"As in the wine world where vintage reflects the varietal, region and winemaker 's philosophy, each artisan cheese reflects the animal, region and cheese maker's philosophy." - The Artisan Cheese Lover's Cheese Journal

The seven traditional cheese types are Fresh, Soft-ripened, Washed-rind, Natural -rind, Semi-hard/Hard, Blue-vein and Pasta-Filata.

Fresh Cheeses are young, tart cheeses that are uncooked and unripened lactic curds that are, moist, mild and soft haven't been allowed to age or ripened. They're high in moisture because they are gently placed in containers that allow them to drain without any pressure. The curds therefore retain much of the whey. A smooth good cooking cheese.

• Examples: Cream Cheese, Farmer's Cheese , Fresh Goat Cheese (chèvre frais), Mascarpone, Fromage Blanc, Feta, Ricotta, Cottage Cheese, Crème Fraiche, Scamorza

Cheeses to try:

• Cowgirl Creamery "Fromage Blanc", Point Reyes Station, California - Cheese maker: Maureen Cunnie.
• Bellether Farm "Ricotta", Point Reyes Station, California - Cheese maker: Cindy Callahan.

Soft-ripened Cheeses have a bloomy-rind with soft edible skin, a cream/gold colored interior, with a honey-thick, creamy texture that oozes at room temperature. The center should not be hard and chalky.This group will have a mildly tangy full flavor when young that becomes more pungent with time. The white bloomy rind will be firm but tender and should be eaten. The smell should be clean and pleasantly moldy. and creamy texture.

• Example: Camembert, Brie, Soft-ripened Goat, St. André, Crecenza

Cheeses to try:

• Oregon Gourmet Cheese "Camembert", Albany, Oregon - Cheese maker: Connie Collins.
• Cypress grove "Humboldt Fog", Eureka, California - Cheese maker: Mary & Malorie Keehn.

Washed Rind Cheeses are treated or cured by being brushed, washed, rubbed or immersed in brine of salt, wine, beer, brandy, etc. to promote exterior mold. Usually intense and aromatic.

• Examples: Pont L'Eveque, Taleggio, Munster, Cowgirl Creamery "Red Hawk"

Cheeses to try:

• Moucco Cheese Company "Colorouge", Fort Collins, Colorado - Cheese maker: Robert Poland & Birgit Halbreiter.

Natural Rinds Cheeses have a self-formed rind that hasn't been rubbed or washed. When young, they have a slightly wrinkled, cream colored rind. In time they dry out, the wrinkles become more pronounced and the character and flavor increases, along with the growth of mold.

• Examples: Tomme, Stilton, Cantal, Port-Salut, Reblochon

Cheeses to try:

• Carr Valley "Cave Aged Cheddar", La Valle, Wisconsin - Cheese maker: Sid Cook.
• Up a Creek Abbey "Belgian Abbey", Irasburg, Vermount- Cheese maker: Marybeth Whitten.

Semi-Hard and Hard Cheeses contain less moisture than fresh or soft cheeses and texture is dependent on the moisture content and can range from semi-firm to very firm. They can be either smooth textured (Cheddar) or open textured "holey" (Swiss Emmental). Semi-hard cheeses are ripened by bacteria or by bacteria and surface fungi. Hard cheeses are made by mixing in a bacterial ripening culture and pressing the curds into a very large block or disc. The disc is usually kept anaerobic by dipping the entire cheese in wax. Hard cheeses are aged for months to years.

• Examples: Uncooked/Pressed - Cheddar, Morbier, Tomme de Savoie, Manchego.

Cheeses to try:

• Joe Matos Cheese Factory "St. George", Santa Rosa, California - Cheese maker: Joe Matos.
• Cooked/Pressed - Asiago, Emmental, Gouda, Gruyère, Parmesan, Monterey Dry Jack, Pecorino Romana.
• Sprout Creek "Ouray", LaGrange, New York - Cheese maker: Allison Lakin.
• Roth Kase "Grand Cru Gruyère", Monroe, Wisconsin - Cheese maker: Bruce Workman.

Blue-Veined Cheeses are marbled with green-blue mold throughout the interior. They are usually sprayed or pierced with penicillin mold spores.

• Examples: Maytag Blue, Roquefort, Stilton, Cabrales, Gorgonzola, Danish Blue, Bleu de Bresse.

Cheeses to try:

• Rogue River Valley Creamery "Crater Lake Blue", Central Point, Oregon - Cheese maker: Ignazio "Ig" Vella.
• Westfield Farm "Hubbardstin Goat's Milk Blue", Westfield, Massachusetts - Cheese makers: Debby & Bob Stetson.

Pasta-Filata or "Spun Paste" are pulled curd cheeses. The curd is bathed in hot whey, then kneaded and stretched to it's proper elastic consistency.

• Example: Mozzarella, Provolone

Cheeses to try:

• Bubalus Bubalis "Mozzarella di Bufala", Gardena, California - Cheese maker: Renato Confalonieri.

Part 1, Artisan Cheese Primer - Food not Fuel explores hat is artisan cheese while Part 3 Storing, Serving and Matching Artisan Cheese will help you in storing and matching wine & cheese.

The copyright of the article Artisan Cheese Types in Gourmet Food is owned by Stuart Stein. Permission to republish Artisan Cheese Types in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Cheese