by Jen Maiser
If you are not from San Francisco, do not continue reading this post. It is one of those annoying posts that proves the bounty of our area.
Stephanie Lucianovic is a fellow Bay Area Bites contributor and the author of The Grub Report. I read Stephanie's writing long before I ever met her, as she was the author of one of my favorite posts ever: "How not to act in a cheese shop." She also works at one of the Bay Area's finest cheese shops. This shop is known nationwide for supporting artisan cheesemakers and seeking out the best of small production cheeses.
I asked Stephanie to give us a guide to the cheeses available within 100 miles of San Francisco, and the SF Guide to Local Cheeses was born. Please continue reading for the list or click here for a pdf of the guide. All of the cheeses in the list are available at Cowgirl Creamery.
Cheesemonger's Blanket Recommendation for aged cheeses: Cold deadens the flavor of cheese, so let your cheeses sit out for at least an hour before eating in order to bring them to room temperature.
Cowgirl Creamery Crème Fraîche, Pt. Reyes Station.
Cow. If you were looking for it, this crème fraîche is a great excuse
to stop using supermarket sour cream. Tangy in taste and buttery in
color, crème fraîche can be added to soups, tossed with salads, or as a
condiment for baked potatoes and tacos.
Cowgirl Creamery Clabbered Cottage Cheese, Pt. Reyes Station.
Cow. I'm not a fan of cottage cheese at all but the enriching addition
of clabbered cream to this small curd cottage cheese has made a convert
out of me. Eat it alone, on the site of a plate of curry, or (horrors!)
with a dish of peaches.
Cowgirl Creamery Fromage Blanc, Pt. Reyes Station.
Cow. Made with whole milk, this take on "farmer's cheese" is a sublime
replacement for the usual brick of Philly cream cheese. It can be used
in many recipes -- eggs, mashed potatoes, cheesecake -- and can also be
jazzed up with garlic and herbs, transforming this spreadable fresh
cheese into a fantastic spread for bread and sandwiches.
Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam, Pt. Reyes Station.
Cow. Soft, triple-crème cheese with a white bloom rind. Luxurious and
buttery, this cheese also has lovely hints of fresh mushrooms in the
smell and taste. Edible rind.
Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk, Pt. Reyes Station.
Cow. Soft, washed rind, triple crème cheese. Quite soft and velvety
with a sticky, orange salt-water brined rind. More intense than the Mt.
Tam with a full aroma and flavor. Edible rind.
Cowgirl Creamery St. Pat, Pt. Reyes Station.
Cow. Soft, whole milk cheese wrapped in nettles. The nettles impart a
woodsy, braised artichoke flavor to the firm cheese. Edible rind.
St. George, Matos Cheese Factory, Santa Rosa.
Cow. Based on a Portuguese cheddar recipe, this semi-hard cheese is
rich and slightly tangy. It melts and grates well and is a succulent
addition to any California cheese plate.
Vella Dry Jack, Sonoma.
Cow. This semi-hard cheese is what can happen when you age classic
Monterey Jack cheese. Nutty with a delicate caramel flavor, Dry Jack
grates very well and would be an excellent substitute for
Parmigiano-Reggiano. Dry Jack? Over pasta? Sensational!
Vella Mezzo Secco, Sonoma.
Cow. Mezzo Secco is a slightly younger Dry Jack. Semi-firm with more
moisture than Dry Jack, Mezzo Secco's exterior is rubbed with olive oil
and black pepper and makes for a great fondue cheese.
Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog, McKinleyville.
Goat. This ranks up there with as one of my favorite aged (3 weeks
young!) goat cheeses. From the beautiful line of vegetable ash in the
middle of the creamy pate, to the way the cheese oozes in from the rind
the older it gets, I adore this cheese. Even if you think you don't
like goat cheese, Humboldt Fog could make you eat your words.
Cypress Grove Bermuda Triangle, McKinleyville.
Goat. A little meatier than Humboldt Fog, Bermuda Triangle's double
rind gives this soft cheese a deep, earthy texture and taste. Sliced
into thin, flat triangles and served with green grapes or strawberries,
Bermuda Triangle makes a delicious dessert.
Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper, McKinleyville.
Sheep. Sweet and silky and totally addicting, the semi-firm Lamb
Chopper is a sheep's milk Gouda. I tend to nosh on this cheese as is --
no bread, no crackers -- but I've heard tell of arugula and mandarin
orange salads made sublime by thin spears of this cheese. The rind is
wax, so don't eat it.
Cypress Grove Midnight Moon, McKinleyville.
Goat. The goat cheese twin of Lamb Chopper, Midnight Moon is an aged
goat's milk Gouda. It has a nutty, rich taste and a beautiful ivory
pate. With no barnyard taste in sight, Midnight Moon is another cheese
to give those who think they don't like goat cheese.
Redwood Hill Crottin, Sebastopol.
Goat. This little mound of semi-firm, aged goat cheese is creamy,
full-flavored and happily intense. Get 'em in three- or five-ounce
rounds.
Redwood Hill Bucheret, Sebastopol.
Goat. The pate of this semi-soft aged goat cheese is buttery and rich
and tastes best when spread thickly over a crusty hunk of sweet
baguette.
Redwood Hill Camellia, Sebastopol.
Goat. Made in the style of camembert, this soft-ripened goat cheese gets wonderfully oozy and potent with age.
Redwood Hill Chèvre, Sebastopol.
Goat. I always keep a tub of this fresh goat cheese on hand. Whether I
crumble it into salads, stir it into risotto, or just suck it off my
finger, it's creamy tanginess satisfies an eternal yen inside of me.
Point Reyes Original Blue, Point Reyes.
Cow. This cheese really does come from happy cows who spend their days
chewing succulent grasses and taking in the view of Tomales Bay. Its
ivory white pate is shot with pungent blue, and this full-flavored
California blue cheese turns plain roasted beets or brown rice salad
into a major event in my house.
