Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar

Winner: 2009 Feline Foodie Awards: Best Everyday Cheddar

The Lady has what she calls her “everyday cheeses”; cheeses that are superior in quality and taste and still affordable for “everyday” use..

Her “everyday” Parmesan is BelGioioso’s American Grana which is made by her friend Gaetano and sold on The Lady’s Cheese Island which is Beverly Hills’ “adjacent” to her Kiosk. Her “everyday Swiss” is Roth Kase Petite Swiss which she sells at the Kiosk. Her “everyday blue” is Black River Gorgonzola which she also sells at the Kiosk.

Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar

Her “everyday cheddar” is Tillamook’s Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar. This cheese is sold elsewhere in her store, but The Lady loves this cheese and so does this Feline Foodie.

It is the sharpest of the cheddars that Tillamook sells regularly. (The Lady bought a 3-year Tillamook cheddar a year or so ago at Costco; but it had limited-time availability…she keeps hoping it will show up again. It also was sold as a wedge whereas most Tillamook comes as a brick.) It is a bit crumbly and tastes delish.

Tillamook is made using milk that is heat-treated rather than pasteurized. You ask, what difference does it make? Well, I happen to know. By using the heat-treated process bacteria essential for producing high-quality cheddar can be retained. Tillamook also uses a vegetable rennet making it suitable for those  who worry about such things… why anyone would want to give up meat is beyond me…but what do I know…well I know that a baked potato tastes better when it sits on a plate with a ribeye steak than it does sitting on a plate with well… another baked potato…

The Lady loves Cheddar cheese and along with her life-long search for the world’s best mac n cheese, she is constantly on the hunt for that cheddar that is so sharp that it burns the roof of her mouth. As her “mouth piece”, I request that any of you that know of a Cheddar that will bring tears to her eyes, please let this feline foodie know and I’ll pass it along…

Don’t get me wrong, there are many fine Cheddars that The Lady sells and likes but as with most quests…it’s the journey and not the destination…

I give Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).

Serving Suggestions: There is absolutely nothing that this cheese does not do well. You can serve it with fruit; you can melt it on bread; you can slice it and eat it with most anything. You can grate it or shred it and add it to your favorite mac n cheese recipe. It makes the BEST grilled cheese; it makes a wonderful cheese sauce.

Wine Pairings: The Lady likes to pair this cheese with a glass of her favorite merlot.

Beer Pairings:  Pale Ale

Source: Cows’ milk

Fat Content: 45%

For more about the fine folks at Tillamook Cheese, click here.