The Wedge Report: Part Two: Willapa Hills Farmstead Cheese

Willapa Blues

The Lady and The Man brought home two slices of cheese from this small, Washington Farmstead cheesemaker and a small tub of yogurt cheese.

Located on the banks of the Chehalis River outside Doty, Washington, Willapa Hills Farmstead Cheese is making some fabulous cheeses from cow and sheep milk. There are three generations of family involved in the day-to-day cheesemaking and dairy farming.

The first cheese was Savory Herb Baw Faw Peak Yoghurt Cheese. It is soft, creamy and very spreadable on my favorite crackers, 34° Sesame Crispbread. It is made from cow milk with cultures, enzymes and natural flavors. Very yummy. The Lady suggested it might be good on pasta as well.

I give Baw Faw Peak Yoghurt Cheese 3 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).

Serving Suggestions: We’ve pretty much covered this; but I’d like to add this cheese spread would also be terrific with a plate of crudités.

Wine Pairing: The Lady had a glass of Hogue Late Harvest White Riesling and thought the combination was quite pleasing.

Beer Pairing: The Man enjoyed a Panzer Imperial Pilsner with this yoghurt spread.

Source: Moo juice

 

Next up was The Man’s favorite of the three cheeses we sampled from Willapa Hills: Little Boy Blue.  This mild, semi-soft blue cheese is made from cow milk and aged over sixty days. It has a “Wild Aged” natural rind with blue and white mold. It melts on your tongue and has a nice lingering after taste. Again, we enjoyed this cheese with 34° Sesame Crispbread crackers.

I give Little Boy Blue 3 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).

Serving Suggestions: On a cheese plate or in a salad; but I think it would be terrific in a grilled cheese sandwich.

Wine Pairing: Pinot Noir is always a great bet with blue cheese.

Beer Pairing: Pair with a Porter for a terrific taste experience.

Source: Cow Milk.

 

The third cheese was The lady’s favorite: Two-Faced Blue which uses a combination of cow and sheep milk. This cheese has a stronger blue taste than Little Boy Blue and The Lady fell in love with this cheese. She has hopes to offer it at her kiosk soon along with other offerings from Willapa Hills.

The Lady was rather selfish when it came to sharing this cheese with your humble feline foodie and also with The Man.

She savored the taste; let it melt on her palate and then let us enjoy the crumbs… humans can be so annoying, even The Lady (there are those who probably say…especially the Lady… but I digress…)

Even those I only got a few measly morsels,, I give Two-Faced Blue 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).

Serving Suggestions: In addition to crackers, this cheese goes well with pears and grapes. It would be a terrific base for a pasta sauce. So many things to do with this cheese, had I had a few more morsels to enjoy.

Wine Pairing: Again, Pinot Noir or a nice Port goes well with this cheese.

Beer Pairings: Again, pair this blue with your favorite Porter or Stout.

Source: Cow and Sheep Milk.

The Lady’s parents are coming next week and one of their stops will be Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in Seattle and rumor has it you can buy Willapa Hills Cheese there. The Lady has promised to bring more home for me to enjoy with a nice slice of rare Haliaeetus Leucocephalus.

Up next: Estrella Family Creamery which was featured on this blog when The Lady’s friend, Randy, spent a week working on their farm.

Bellwether Farms’ Carmody

Carmody

Vegetarian Suitable

The Lady has become online friends with the Bellwether Farms’ Folks. She was able to get their Carmody Farmstead cheese into her kiosk and brought a wedge home for me to sample and review.

WOW!! This is a delectable cheese and one I hope graces the cheese table at the manse often…

Before I review this special cheese, let me tell you about Bellwether Farms and Liam and Cindy Callahan. Back in her day, Cindy wanted to find a way to keep the pasture grasses under control…I guess she was opposed to mowing…so she bought some sheep. That simple act started the (cheese) wheel rolling that put the Callahans and Bellwether Farms at the forefront of the revival of artisan cheesemaking in America.

Cindy began milking the sheep and in 1986 founded Bellwether Farms. Liam, her son, was finishing up a Political Economy Degree at Bezerkley and decided to join his mom at the farm. To this day, Liam has made every wheel of cheese produced on the farm. In 1996, Liam married Diana and she joined the family and the family business.

The sheep are a Northern European breed, East Friesian, known for being among the best milk producing sheep in the world. The cows are Jersey and their milk is richer with higher fat and protein which makes its superior to milk from Holsteins and other breeds used in cheese making. All-in-all, the Callahans have really got it going on when it comes to great milk…which translates into great cheese…

This year alone their cheeses have won seven awards including two 1^st Place Awards at the American Cheese Society.

Now, let’s get down to the reason for this party…Carmody…this unpressed Farmstead Cheese made from 100% Jersey Cow milk is firm and creamy with a golden color and a slight, pleasant hint of earthiness…all the makings of one fine cheese. It is so buttery that it simply melts on the palate and finishes slightly sweet.

The Lady served the cheese to The Man and me with 34° Sesame Crispbread Crackers and freshly picked Grape and Cherry Tomatoes from The Man’s Deck Garden (I skipped the tomatoes).

This Feline Foodie gives Bellwether Carmody 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got). If I had more I would give more to this cheese which has quickly been added to my short list of favorite cheeses.

Serving Suggestions: On the Bellwether Farms’ website there is a recipe for “Fundido”, a Mexican Fondue. The Lady has printed the recipe and plans to make it later today while she watches The Barclay, the first of the Fedex Cup Playoffs…you know The Lady and her PGA Golf. ..She’s so addicted, she requested the weekend off from the cheesemines…a place she prefers to work on weekends, being an action-junky and all that goes with that… Their website also has recipes for Carmody and Potato Au Gratin, which makes perfect sense considering how creamy this cheese is…it must be very meltable…

Wine Pairing: The Lady loves to go with the terroir theme and therefore likes to pair cheeses which wines from the same region. Because Bellwether Farms is located in Sonoma County, there are so many wines to consider. After much fretting, The Lady and I decided to go with a 2007 Windsor Vineyards Chardonnay, Private Reserve.

Beer Pairings: Ditto on that terroir thing that The Lady so believes…Russian River Redemption Blonde Ale.

Source: Pasteurized Jersey Cow’s Milk

Awards: Many, including the 2009 Silver Medal, Unpressed Cheese, North American Jersey Cheese Awards and the 2006 Bronze Medal, Semi-hard Cheese, World Cheese Awards, London

And a last note…I hope The Lady brings home more Bellwether farms Cheeses for me to sample and review…

2009 Feline Foodie Cheese Awards

2009 Feline Foodie Awards®

Portland, Oregon

For Immediate Release

 

Spaulding Gray, Portland’s Favorite Feline Foodie and CF(eline)O of the Feline Foodie Awards®, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2009 Feline Foodie Awards®.

When interviewed, Mr. Gray admitted it had been a grueling and tough job, “But someone had to do it, choosing the “Best of the Best” in cheeses from the Pacific Northwest, Wisconsin, the United States and beyond.”

 Mr. Gray personally sampled and reviewed each winner and added how impressed he was with the high quality of entries.

 

Best of Show (tie)

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese – No Woman

“Beecher’s No Woman is the cheese that started it all,” stated Mr. Gray, “the first cheese The Lady brought home that I fell in love with. I found that it was a perfect pairing with 34° Sesame Crispbread Crackers and peromyscus leucopus pate.”

BelGioioso – Burrata

Per Spaulding Gray, “The first time I tasted this divine little pocket of yummy cream and mozzarella, I thought I had died and gone to cheese heaven. When The Lady visited the BelGioioso Bellevue Plant where Burrata is made, I was so overcome I lost one of my lives…”

 Best Northwest Farmstead Cheese

Willamette Valley Cheese Company Brindisi

“The Willamette Valley Cheese Company, in addition to making a superior Fontina-style cheese (Brindisi), this local cheesemaker is to be commended as a sustainable Jersey Cow dairy farm that is 100% certified organic.” Spaulding added when naming this cheese his favorite farmstead cheese.

 

Best Bait Cheese

Roth Kase – Petite Swiss

According to Portland’s Favorite Feline Foodie, “Roth Kase Petite Swiss is preferred 10 to 1 by mus musculus living in the Salmon Creek area of SW Washington State.” Now that’s quite a ringing endorsement.

 

Best Pub Cheese

Clawson Creamery – Cotswold

“I must admit I gravitate to flavored cheeses and Cotswold with its onion and chive taste is right up there as one of the best,” states Mr. Gray.

 Best Flavored Cheese Curds

Golden Age Cheese Company Jalapeno Cheese Curds

“These little squeekers make a terrific snack!!” Spaulding Gray

 

 

 Best Everyday Cheeses

“ ‘Everyday’ means the cheese is high quality and yet still affordable for everyday use. Tillamook delivers on so many wonderful cheeses but this is their best.”

 

Cheddar

Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar

Swiss

Roth Kase Petite Swiss

Blue/Gorgonzola

Black River Gorgonzola

Parmesan

BelGioioso American Grana

Gouda

Beemster Vlaskaas

 

   Best Licensed Cheesemaker and Favorite,

Former All-around Party Guy

Roth Kase’s Bob, Wisconsin Licensed Cheesemaker

“Although I was prohibited from accompanying The Lady the day she made cheese with Bob at the Roth Kase Cheese facility, I chose Bob based on how much The Lady liked him…and the fact that he was very patient with her and her other Cheese Stewards who were making cheese that day”. Spaulding Gray added that he trusts The Lady’s instincts as though they were his own.

 

 

 

Cheese Banned From French Public Transportation

Berthaut Epoisses

At room temperature, this cheese is pungent enough to set off the neighbors and have them calling the EPA to report the possibility of a toxic leak. “But, without compare, this is the tastiest Camembert that this Feline Foodie has tasted. I would give at least one of my lives to always have Epoisses at the manse. Ooh, la, la…I love this cheese,” Spaulding Gray exclaimed enthusiastically.

 Special Award:

Sustainable Farming: Turning Sh*t Literally into Shinola

Wisconsin’s Crave Brothers

When The Lady went to Wisconsin to make cheese, one of the cheesemakers her group visited was the Crave Brothers of Waterloo. This farmstead cheesemaker makes the best Mascarpone I have ever tasted.

But above and beyond their superior cheeses, the four brothers literally turn sh*t into shinola, using their  Holstein herd’s processed manure to power their entire plant and up to 120 houses in the surrounding neighborhood.

“These guys are amazing and deserve this special award and it is bestowed on The Crave Brothers with pride,” Mr. Gray enthusiastically exclaims.

 

Spaulding Gray was a stray, gray striped tomcat who adopted The Lady and The Man when they lived in Southern California before migrating to the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Gray reviews the cheeses The Lady sells, observes humankinds and generally acts obnoxious whenever he wishes.

American Cheese Society Awards 2009

American Cheese Society Hands out 2009 Awards:

Northwest Cheese Wins Best of Show: Rogue Creamery (Oregon) Rogue River Blue*

Second Place went to Cowgirl Creamery (California) Red Hawk

Third Place Tie between

Carr Valley (Wisconsin) Aged Mellage

Consider Bardwell Farm (Vermont) Rupert.

Other Northwest winners include:

American Originals:

Monterey Jack – Cow’s Milk:

Second Place – Tillamook County Creamery Association (Oregon): Monterey Jack

Cheddars:

Second Place – Beecher’s Handmade Cheese (Washington): Flagship*

Cheddars with Sweet Flavorings, Fruits, Seasonings, Herbs, Spices, Alcohol/Spirits:

Second Place – Rogue Creamery (Oregon) Chocolate Stout Cheddar

Third Place – Rogue Creamery (Oregon) Lavender Cheddar

Cheddars Flavored with Sweet, Savory, Jalapeno, Chipotle, Red, Green Peppers; Black, White, Green Peppercorns; Garlic; Onions:

Second Place: Beecher’s Handmade Cheese (Washington) Marco Polo Reserve

Cheddars from Cow’s Milk aged less than Twelve Months:

Second Place: Tillamook County Creamery Association (Oregon) White Cheddar Medium

Mature Cheddars (aged between 25 and 48 months):

First Place: Beecher’s Handmade Cheese (Washington) Flagship Four Year Aged

Third Place: Tillamook County Creamery Association (Oregon) White Cheddar Extra Sharp

Blue Mold Cheeses:

First Place: Rogue Creamery (Oregon) Rogue River Blue*

Second Place: Rogue Creamery (Oregon) Mini Rogue River Blue

Feta Made From Sheep’s Milk:

Third Place: Black Sheep Creamery (Washington) Feta

Flavored Cheeses:

Cheeses Flavored with Peppers – All Milks

Second Place: Beecher’s Handmade Cheese (Washington) No Woman* (This Feline Foodie’s Most Favored Cheese… in my humble and constitutionally-protected opinion…should have taken First Place…with all due respect to the winner…yeah, right…)

Cheeses Flavored with Crushed of Whole Peppercorns or Savory spices – All Milks:

Second Place: Tumalo Farms (Oregon) Antigo

Third Place: Tumalo Farms (Oregon) Capricorns

Open Category: Made from Goat’s Milk:

Second Place: Tumalo Farms (Oregon) Fenacho

Flavor Added Havarti: Spices, Herbs, Seasonings, Fruits:

Second Place: Willamette Valley Cheese Company (Oregon) Herb de Provence Havarti

Smoked Cheeses:

Smoked Italian Styles:

First Place: Estrella Family Creamery (Washington) Weebles

Smoked Cheddars:

Third Place: Beecher’s Handmade Cheese (Washington) Smoked Flagship

Farmstead Cheeses:

Open Category: Cow’s Milk Cheeses aged More Than Sixty Days:

Third Place: Willamette Valley Cheese Company (Oregon) Boerenkaas

Open Category: Goat’s Milk Cheeses Aged More than Sixty Days:

First Place: Tumalo Farms (Oregon) Classico

Second Place: Rivers Edge Chevre (Oregon) Rivers Edge Chevre Astraca

Open Category: Sheep’s Milk and Mixed Milk Cheeses aged More Than Sixty Days:

First Place: Willamette Valley Cheese (Oregon) Perrydale

Second Place: Ancient Heritage Dairy (Oregon) Scio Heritage

Open Category for All Cheese with Flavorings Added – All Milks

Second Place: Tumalo Farms (Oregon) Pondhopper

Cheese Spreads:

Cream Cheese & Other Natural Cheese Spreads – Flavor Added – All Milks – Maximum Moisture 60%

First Place: Rising Sun Farms (Oregon) Gorgonzola Cheese Torte

Third Place: Rising Sun Farms (Oregon) Chili Lime Cilantro Cheese Torte

 

Winning Cheeses outside the Northwest that The Lady sells either on her Kiosk or her Island:

*Roth Kase Petite Swiss – Second Place – Class

*Roth Kase GranQueso – First Place – Class

*Mozzarella Fresca Fresh Mozzarella 8oz Vacuum Pack Ball Smoked – Third Place – Class

*Montchevre Mini Log with Sweet Peppadew – Third Place – Class

*Vermont Butter and Cheese Company Fromage Blanc – Second Place – Class

*Vermont Butter and Cheese Company Cultured Butter – First Place – Class

*Vermont Butter and Cheese Company Cultured Butter – Second Place – Class

*DCI Cheese Company Black Diamond Extra Sharp Cold Pack Cheese Food – Third Place – Class

Congratulations to all the winners!! Congratulations as well to Steve Jones (Steve’s Cheese – Portland) and Tom Van Voorhees (Rogue Creamery) on winning the First ever Cheesemonger’s Presentation Award. Read more here.

*Indicates a Cheese Sold at The Lady’s Kiosk and/or Island.

Please note Rogue River Blue (Best of Show Winner) is a seasonal cheese and will be available late fall.

Vegetarian Suitable Cheese & Raw Milk Cheese Chart

The Lady gets a lot of requests for cheeses that meet specific dietary needs. After goat cheese (ych…) the next two most requested cheese categories are “Vegetarian Suitable” and cheeses made from raw milk for those following the raw food lifestyle.

The Lady decided to build a chart to help these two lifestyle enthusiasts enjoy cheese more.

CHEESE	VEGETARIANSUITABLE	RAW/PASTEURIZED	SOURCE
Applewood Ilchester	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Asiago		Pasteurized	Cow
Beechers Flagship	No	Pasteurized	Cow
Beechers Flagship Reserve	No	Pasteurized	Cow
Beechers Marco Polo	No	Pasteurized	Cow
Beemster Mustard	No	Pasteurized	Cow
Beemster Vlaskaas	No	Pasteurized	Cow
Beemster Xo	No	Pasteurized	Cow
Berthaut Epoisses		Pasteurized
Black RiverGorgonzola	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Bleu d’Auvergne		Pasteurized	Cow
BlueShropshire		Pasteurized	Cow
BlueberryStilton	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Brescianella Aged
CabecousFeuilles		Pasteurized	Goat
Cablanca Goat Gouda	Yes	Pasteurized	Goat
Caerphilly Somerdale	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Cahill’s IrishPorter	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Cambozola	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Cantalet	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Castello Blue			Cow
Capretta
Champignon	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Chaumes	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Comte	Yes	Raw	Cow
CranberryWensleydale	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Cremier deChaumes
Crottin			Goat
Delice deBourgogne		Pasteurized	Cow
Denhay FarmhouseCheddar		Pasteurized	Cow
Double GloucesterSomerdale	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Emmenthaler	Yes	Raw	Cow
Explorateur		Pasteurized	Cow
Florette		Pasteurized	Goat
Fol Epi	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Fontina d’Aosta		Raw	Cow
Fourgerus		Pasteurized	Cow
Forme d’Ambert		Raw	Cow
Fresh Mozzarella curd		Pasteurized	Cow
Fromager d’Affinois		Pasteurized	Cow
Gaperon Garmy		Pasteurized	Cow
Gorgonzola Dolce		Pasteurized	Cow
Gorgonzola Mountain Aged		Pasteurized	Cow
Grana Padano		Raw	Cow
Greens of Glastonbury	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Gruyere	Yes	Raw	Cow
Humboldt Fog	Yes	Pasteurized	Goat
Iberico		Pasteurized	Cow, Sheep, Goat
Idiazabal		Raw	Sheep
Jarlsberg		Pasteurized	Cow
Kerrygold Blue		Pasteurized	Cow
Le Chatalain		Pasteurized	Cow
Livorot			Cow
Mahon		Raw	Cow (may have up to 5% sheep)
Manchego		Pasteurized	Sheep
Maytag Blue	Yes	Raw	Cow
Mimolette		Pasteurized	Cow
Morbier		Raw	Cow
Muenster Fleur de Sur
Ossau-Iraty		Pasteurized	Sheep
Parmigano-Reggiano		Raw	Cow
Parrano	No	Pasteurized	Cow
Pecorino Romano		Raw	Sheep
Pecorino Toscano		Pasteurized	Pecorino
Piave Vecchio		Raw	Cow
Pierre Robert		Pasteurized	Cow
Pont l’Eveque		Pasteurized	Cow
Provolone (Hanging)			Cow
P’tit Basque		Raw	Sheep
Quicke’s Bad Ass Goat Cheddar		Pasteurized	Goat, really nasty goat
Raclette	Yes	Raw	Cow
Red LeicesterSomerdale	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Rembrandt Aged Gouda	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Ricotta Salata		Raw	Sheep
Robiola Di Rocc		Pasteurized	Goat
Robiola 2 Milk		Pasteurized	Goat & Sheep
Robiola 3 Milk		Pasteurized	Goat, Sheep, Cow
Rogue Crater Lake	Yes	Raw	Cow
Rogue Echo Mtn.	Yes	Raw	Cow
Rogue Grape Leaf	Yes	Raw	Cow
Rogue Oregon Blue	Yes	Raw	Cow
Oregon Smoked Blue	Yes	Raw	Cow
Roquefort Societe		Raw	Sheep
Roth Kase Grand Cru Gruyere	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Roth Kase Grand Queso	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Roth Kase Petit Swiss	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Rozaire Brie de Nangis	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Saint Agur		Pasteurized	Cow
Saint Albray	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Saint Andre	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Soignon Chevrion Buche	Yes	Pasteurized	Goat
St. Marcellin
St. Maure		Raw	Goat
Stilton Blue	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Taleggio		Pasteurized	Cow
Tomme de Savoie	Yes	Pasteurized	Cow
Valdeon		Pasteurized	Goat & Sheep
Valencay		Raw	Goat
W.V. Brindisi	Yes	Raw	Jersey Cow
W.V. Perrydale	Yes	Raw	Jersey Cow
Winey Goat		Pasteurized	Goat

 

This list is comprised primarily of the cheeses The Lady sells in her kiosk and while not yet complete (it will be updated as more information is found), it’s a start to help all those cheeselovers who are vegetarians and/or raw foodies…

Denhay Farmhouse Cheddar

 A new cheese arrived this week at The Lady’s Kiosk: Denhay Farmhouse Cheddar from the Marshwood Vale in the West Country of England.

This award-winning cheese has been made on the Denhay Farm since 1959 using traditional skills and techniques that have been used for generations and results in a consistently high-quality cheddar.

The Lady brought a small wedge home for her favorite feline foodie(that would be me!!) to sample and review and I gotta tell you, this is one happy feline foodie…It is bandage-wrapped and that adds to its distinctive nutty yet mellow flavor. It has a smooth texture, with just a bit of the crumbliness of a cheddar. It is a mature cheddar that is aged in wooden boxes for up to a year. That year fully develops the flavor. You won’t be disappointed in this cheddar.

A little bit about the farm. At Denhay every one of the 1000 Holstein cows have their own mattress. The five herds were selected for the high protein quality of their milk. The welfare of the cows is audited independently by the RSPCA’s Freedom Foods scheme. In the summer the cows graze the grass and the farm has cow-friendly tracks for the cows to get to the fields. Surplus grass to the grazing is made into silage for storage as winter feed. The silage naturally ferments and is easily digested by the cows. In addition, the farm also grows corn and wheat for cow feed. In the winter when it is too cold and wet for the cows to go outside, they are kept inside and fed the grass, wheat and corn silage. They add wheat and soya cereal for supplements to their winter diet. All of the milk produced by the 1000 cows is used on the farm to produce the cheese and butters.

Simon Hill, the Farm Director, is the one person responsible for everything from breeding to feeding to the welfare of the cows. My hat (if I had one) would go off to Denhay for their responsible care of their herds.

This feline foodie gives Denhay Farmhouse Cheddar 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got) and because I think the farm is totally cool when it comes to the welfare of its animals, I’m adding a little tail-wagging as well.

Serving Suggestions: this cheddar goes quite well with grilled Marmota vancouverensis; however, The Lady has warned me that this tasty tidbit is on the endangered species list and I should take it off my “wish list”…sheesh…This cheddar also goes well with apples, pears, walnuts and Marcona Almonds (of course, Marcona Almonds go with anything…after all, they are fried…what’s not to like). You can melt it on toast; you can shred it and use it in mac n cheese or any other dish that calls for cheddar. It makes a mighty fine grilled cheese.

Wine Pairings: Meritage, Shiraz, Zinfandel.

Beer Pairings: Pale Ale

Source: Holstein Cows

Awards: 2008 – no less than 25 awards around the world