Upland’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve
June 3, 2010
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While in Wisconsin, The Lady made a nuisance of herself by constantly telling Robert, the tour guide, that she really wanted to buy a wedge of Upland Cheese’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve, the only cheese to twice win the American Cheese Society’s Best of Show (2001 and 2005). The first day they stopped at Woodman’s, which didn’t sell Pleasant Ridge. Finally on the last morning they stopped in Waterloo at Jim’s Cheese Pantry, which proudly claims it has more cheese carvings than any other Wisconsin cheese shop, and there tucked in a corner with other specialty cheeses were two wedges of Pleasant Ridge. The Lady bought one and Amy, her BCFF, bought the other.
PRR is an artisanal cheese made from raw milk of a single herd of pasture-fed cows. This cheese is made using Old World practices that produce a mountain-style cheese similar to those from the alpine regions of France and Switzerland. It might be compared to Gruyere and Comte, always favorites around the manse.
Mike Gingrich is the cheesemaker and PRR is the only cheese he makes and only in the summer or maybe into the fall if the rain continues and the pastures hold up for grazing. The cheese is aged in “caves” for six months to two years… and is worth the wait.
PRR is a hand-washed cheese using brine and microbes that enhance the flavor and inhibit growth of bad stuff. As it ages, those wonderful little flavor crystals start to grow that add more layers of flavor including a beefy taste combined with a tropical fruitiness. This is one great cheese.
You can probably do a lot of things with this cheese; but not around the manse – we simply eat it.
I give Upland’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).
Serving Suggestions: On a plate. You don’t need to add a thing but if you want, you can add a few grapes and slices of pears.
Wine Pairing: Syrah
Beer Pairing: Hard Cider
Awards: Many, including twice Best of Show by the American Cheese Society
Source: Raw Cow Milk
Watch the video of Mike Gingrich telling us how he makes Pleasant Ridge Reserve:
It’s too late to change the name of this blog; but using the rules set forth in Gordon’s book for becoming a real life cheesemonger…The Lady hasn’t earned the title yet. According to a guy named Tommy that Gordon met at the 1999 American Cheese Society Conference, “You can’t call yourself a cheesemonger unless you’ve killed a rat in the walk-in cooler, kicked a sales rep out of your store, and bled from a cheese wound.” The Lady has seen a dead rat in a trap outside the door to her walk-in cooler; she has fussed at customers for sticking their fingers in the samples (they had to reach over the toothpick holder to do that); and she has a hump on the top of her right foot from dropping a 32-pound Rembrandt wheel on it… close, but evidently no cheesemonger…
There is one criterion that qualifies The Lady: she has a cheese name; actually she has three; “Cheese Wiz” was the first bestowed on her by Ernie, the Wine Steward who occupied the real estate next door to her first cheese kiosk; “Duchess of Cheese” given her by Amy, “The Queen of Cheese” and her BCFF; and “The Big Cheese” that her friend Rebecca, the Engineer and self-proclaimed socialist, put on The Lady’s name tag at the store where she now works.
The Lady’s copy of Gordon’s book is a mess; she has marked pages and broken the binding at least three times. She loves this book and so do I. Many nights were spent beside the fireplace with her reading aloud her favorite parts to The Man and the Feline Foodie (that would be me).
Loving this book says something about The Lady… she and Gordon are about as far apart politically as any two cheesemongers (or should I say one cheesemonger and a wannabe) could be… well that might be a stretch; The Lady is a conservative-leaning libertarian and Gordon is… well, Gordon is a leftie who pretty much traces everything he doesn’t like about America back to the Reagan Administration.
Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge is a no nonsense book about cheese; making it; selling it and loving it.
Gordon has a passion for the dairy farmers who are struggling to make cheese in small batches and selling it while literally trying to save their farms. It is a pleasure to read his adventures visiting small farms; each chapter discusses issues or facets of cheese that will interest even the most-casual cheese lover (is there such an animal “casual cheese lover”?… not around here…) including rennet, raw milk, salt, grass-fed, terroir. These parts of the book educate the reader. At the end of each chapter, he also includes descriptions of cheeses that reflect the discussion in that particular chapter.
For The Lady, her favorite parts were reading about customers at the Rainbow Grocery who have separated-at-birth siblings that often show up in The Lady’s store as well: The customer who thinks that just because she visited France, she is now an expert on French Cheese…The Lady lived in Detroit but she can’t build a car… come to think about it neither can GM… but I digress; or the customer that berated The Lady because she didn’t have a list of raw milk cheeses (she does now) – that customer’s sister advised Gordon that Raw Foodists were going to take over the world… of course, San Francisco and Portland aren’t that far apart politically… maybe they just travel up and down Interstate 5 bedeviling cheesemongers and wannabes…
Surprising to The Lady, she also shares a cheese moment with Gordon: his “Love of cheese” moment came when he cracked open a wheel of Antique Gruyere. The Lady had a similar moment with Gruyere which I wrote about back in 2008 and titled it, “The Traveling Gruyere Wheel”.
If you like cheese… and most people do… and want to know more about the culture of cheese and the politics of a punk rocker turned cheesemonger, you’ll love this book. If you love cheese and work anywhere in the cheese industry, regardless of your politics, you’ll really, really love this book.
You can (and should) buy Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge by clicking here.
The Lady met Beth, Sales Manager for Carr Valley Cheese, at the Madison Cheese Trade Show she attended during the WMMB Cheese Tour last month. Beth sent out a generous box of cheeses that Carr Valley makes for The Lady, The Chef, Amy (The Lady’s BCFF) from DPI and most importantly, your favorite Feline Foodie (that would be me) to sample and review.
Before I begin my reviews, I’d like to tell you a little bit about Carr Valley.
Carr Valley Cheesemakers hold the distinction of being honored with the most Cheese Awards of any cheesemakers in the world with over 200 awards. In the past 3 years, Carr Valley has won more than 60 top awards in U.S. and International competitions. Carr Valley is led by 4th-generation owner, Sid Cook, who is one of only 51 Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers ( a rigorous 15-year advanced training and education program – the only one in the U.S.). Sid has quite and imagination when it comes to cheesemaking and he has created many one-of-a-kind artisan cheeses that you won’t find anywhere else. (Over the next couple of weeks, I will be sampling and reviewing many of them.)
Carr Valley makes cheeses made from cow, sheep and goat milks and combines them for some really far-out, terrific cheeses.
Last night The Lady prepared a cheese plate made from four Cow Milk cheeses:
The first we sampled was Monastery Cheese, a washed-rind artisan cheese that is cellar-cured for twelve weeks to create a soft, mellow and slightly pungent aroma and taste. This cheese was The Man’s favorite of the four we tasted. The Lady and I were also quite taken with it.
The aroma was just a bit pungent, in a good way. The cheese is a semi-soft cheese, similar to a Muenster cheese, and melts on the palate with a sweet, mellow taste. This is a terrific cheese. We had it on the new La Panzanella Mini Croccantini Crackers (The Lady chose the Original flavor to keep the tasting clean). She added a few grapes and slices of pears to the plate, which was a perfect pairing for The Man and the Feline Foodie.
I give Carr Valley Monastery Cheese 3 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).
Serving Suggestions: On a cheese plate, natch. With a few fruits and nuts and some crackers. I could also see this being added to a mac and cheese combo to make a nice little punch to your favorite recipe.
Wine Pairing: Pinot Noir
Beer Pairing: Bock
Awards: You Betcha
Source: Cow Milk
Second, we tasted the Wildflower Cheddar Cheese and this was The Lady’s favorite. This cheese is made from the milk of cows that graze on the lush spring and summer wildflower pastures of Wisconsin. This intensely yellow cheese was mild and creamy with that fresh taste from cows that are grass-grazed. The Lady swore she could taste the beta carotene and the wildflowers. The Man and I tasted another fine cheese from Carr Valley. Again, the cheese just melts away and leaves such a satisfying aftertaste.
I give Carr Valley Wildflower Cheddar 3 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).
Serving Suggestions: This is a versatile cheese that stands out on a cheese plate and can also be used in cooking. Personally, I don’t think there is anything you can’t do with this cheese.
Wine Pairing: Pinot Gris
Beer Pairing: Cider and/or Pale Ale
Awards: Many
Source: Cow Milk
Next up was Carr Valley’s Aged Gouda, always a fave around the manse by all three of the inhabitants: two humankinds and one superior feline alien (The Lady asked, “Feline alien isn’t that being redundant?” She thinks she’s so very cute sometimes… sheesh…)
Carr Valley has another winner with their Aged Gouda. Made with pasteurized milk and then aged to perfection and coated in black wax, this cheese delightfully melts on the palate as its creaminess captures your taste buds. The Lady offered a couple of slices of Boar’s Head prosciutto with this cheese and to no one’s surprise, The Man swooned…
If you are only going to buy on Carr Valley Cheese, this is one you should consider.
I give Carr Valley Aged Gouda 3 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).
Serving Suggestions: Again, this is a versatile cheese that works well on a cheese plate, but also would be bring a new and nice touch to any au gratin dish.
Wine Pairing: The Lady sipped a glass of her favorite 14 Hand Merlot with this cheese… surprise!!
Beer Pairing: The Man recommends a Brown Ale.
Awards: Yes
Source: Cow’s Milk
And as you might suspect, I saved the “best” for last: Carr Valley Jenny Eye Reserve. This cheese is an Emmenthal-style cheese created by Master Cheesemaker, Tom Jenny and it knocked my socks off. I don’t say this often, but this cheese rivals the great Cave-Aged Emmenthals from Switzerland. It is sweet and nutty with a full, robust flavor that lingers long after the cheese has been eaten. The Lady sells several Swiss cheeses and knows that this one may be too robust for some palates but this is one great cheese for those who love full-flavored cheeses.
I give Carr Valley Jenny Eye Reserve 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).
Serving Suggestions: You might want to use this cheese in a Quiche and your favorite fondue. But we enjoyed it last night with grapes and crackers and it was oh, so satisfying.
Wine Pairing: You want a robust Cabernet to stand up to this cheese.
Beer Pairing: Weiss Beer would go well with this cheese.
Awards: My guess, plenty.
Source: Cow Milk
As for this fine cheese plate from Carr Valley, I must give it 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got); I hope all of these cheeses will become regulars at the manse.
Recipe Bonus: Carr Valley Mac n Cheese: The Lady took the four leftover pieces of the cheese today and made a stove-top mac n cheese which we had for lunch. She added a couple Zenner’s Bratwurst links and a few frozen peas. It was a success.
FTC Full Disclosure – The cheesemaker/manufacturer sent me their product, hoping I would review the product/cheese.
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The Man and I caught a lucky break; The Lady brought home a wedge of Sartori Foods’ SarVecchio. She tasted it when she visited the Sartori Foods’ Plymouth headquarters on our recent Wisconsin trip (one more time I was left on the bus…). When it appeared at the manse, The Man and I were quite pleased.
SarVecchio is aged at least twenty months and is mellow with caramel and nutty flavors and has lots of those crunchy crystals that drive The Man and the Feline Foodie (that would be me) to distraction.
This is amazing Parmesan. This cheese is made under the supervision of Master Cheesemaker, Larry Steckbauer; cheese hats off to Mr. Steckbauer!!
I’m pretty sure the fine cheesemakers of Parma have this cheese on their radar and are more than just a bit worried. They are probably annoyed that an American cheese company would have the nerve to make Parmesan of such high quality.
Trust me; Parmesan doesn’t get any better than this.
The Lady has only one disappointment regarding SarVecchio and that is that she doesn’t currently sell it at her cheese kiosk – it would be such a distinguished, Wisconsin-made and American-Icon cheese to sell. Perhaps that will change in the near future. It certainly has the vote from The Man and the Feline Foodie.
I give Sartori Reserve SarVecchio 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got – but I am willing to grow an extra paw for this cheese…)
Serving Suggestions: We enjoyed it with grapes and Dare Vinta Crackers on our cheese plate. This cheese would pair well with walnuts and dark chocolate as well. The Lady plans to use the remainder (if The Man and I don’t raid the fridge before she gets the chance) in a couple of pasta dishes she has planned on her next days off… stay tuned…
Wine Pairing: A nice Northern Italian red such as Barolo or Barbera.
Beer Pairings: Dark Ale or Sweet Cider.
Awards: No less than 25 over the past few years making it the most decorated Parmesan made in the United States.
Source: Pasteurized Cow Milk
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