10 Specialty Cheeses to Try Now
By Julia Heffelfinger
Buttery, bloomy, sharp or funky—whatever your persuasion, it’s a good time to be obsessed with cheese. Artisans across the country are experimenting with intense flavors, new milks and different textures, meaning that you should be putting cheese on everything! From gooey double creams to robust blues, here are 10 specialty cheeses we can’t stop eating.
Jasper Hill Harbison; Vermont
Photo © Courtesy of Jasper Hill
When young, this cheese is wrapped in spruce bark and left to ripen to a spoonable creaminess. The luscious texture is matched perfectly by the equally luscious, lemony taste. To serve, just slice off the top of the rind, with the bark still holding the soft cheese in place—it’s literally that creamy! $25; mouth.com.
Chaseholm Farm Moonlight Chaource; New York
Photo © Chaseholm Farm Creamery
Not to be confused with its French namesake, this New York state Chaource is one of the most delicious cheeses I’ve ever had. It’s shaped like a log, with a light vegetable-ash coating and a bloomy rind. It’s a farmstead cheese, meaning that the milk used came directly from the farm where it’s made. Rich and almost double-cream creamy with a mild tang, this cheese tastes like it’s made from the best milk on earth. $10; chaseholmfarmcreamery.com.
Shy Brothers Farm Cloumage; Massachusetts
Photo © Courtesy of Shy Brothers Farm
A new chefs’ darling, we’ll be seeing this Massachusetts cheese on more and more menus in the near future as it’s so delicious and versatile. Cloumage is a fresh cheese, creamy and rich tasting, with a characteristic tang and a deeper flavor than any fresh cheese I’ve ever had. Lighter and much more interesting than sour cream, you can do almost anything with it: Eat it right out of the container on crackers or use it to enrich a sauce, as it doesn’t break. From $12; shybrothersfarm.com.
Maplebrook Farm Burrata and Burratini; Vermont
Photo © Viktor Budnik
A super milky, sweet burrata filled, as it always is, with finely shredded mozzarella (stracciatella) and cream. The thing that’s so great about the burratini is that it’s perfect for one serving, since slicing burrata is always a bit dicey because the center spills out. $14/8 oz.; maplebrookvt.com. Available at Whole Foods, Murray’s Cheese and Good Eggs Brooklyn.
Big Picture Farm Sonnet and Haiku; Vermont
Photo © Louisa Conrad
These cave-aged, earthy tommes are the newest additions at Big Picture. The farm, known for its tangy goat milk caramels, is now making small batches of cheese with the abundance of fresh milk. While the wheels of goat cheese are aging, they are washed with Boyden Valley white wine for added flavor. Enjoy on a slab of homemade bread, or sub for other hard cheeses in gratins, pasta or gougères. $30 to $90; bigpicturefarm.com.
Taylor Farm Farmstead Gouda; Vermont
Photo © Taylor Cheese
The perfect breakfast cheese, this Vermont farmstead Gouda is young and mild, but very richly flavored. It also makes a killer grilled cheese sandwich and is great in mac and cheese. $8/8 oz.; taylorfarmvermont.com.
Consider Bardwell Farm Dorset; Vermont
Photo © Craig Jordan
Another artisanal Vermont cheese, this one named for the town of Dorset. Soft ripened and on the stronger, more pungent side, it’s made from the buttery milk of Jersey cows. $29/lb.; murrayscheese.com.
Point Reyes Farmstead Blue Cheese Dip; California
Photo © Eric Wolfinger
A 2014 Specialty Food award winner, this silky dip is made with the famously popular Point Reyes Original Blue cheese. Spread it on crostini and top with roasted grapes, or dollop the Bacon & Caramelized Onion version on a baked potato—this stuff is good on everything. $6; pointreyescheese.com.
Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese Ted Cheese; Kentucky
Photo © Ashley Stinson
It’s not just the name that I love here! This big and handsome Kentucky farmstead cave-aged cheese has a deep, deep cheddar flavor that gets even richer as you get close to the natural rind. $7/8 oz.; kennyscheese.com.
Plymouth Cheese Big Blue; Vermont
Photo © Courtesy of Plymouth Artisan Cheese
This dense, creamy blue has a bold taste that deepens as it ages. Try it in a soufflé or simply drizzled with a floral honey. $22/lb.; plymouthartisancheese.com.
Related Links:
Mozzarella and Burrata Cheese Recipes
Best Grilled Cheese in the U.S.
America’s Best Food Artisans
Gifts for Artisanal Types
10 New American Artisans We Love
