Cheese Handout 1/15/09
Cheese Tasting on 1/15/08
Hosted by
The Grilled Cheese Club
Pecorino Toscano, young – IL Forteto, Tuscany
Pecorino Toscano is a young 100% sheep’s milk cheese, only about 40 days old when it arrives on our shores. Because it is a young cheese, it is somewhat discreet; almost shy. As the cheese first hits your tongue, you detect a hint of Tuscan herbs, grass and wildflowers. Lactic, milky, toasty, tangy; it’s not strong or sharp but it’s delicious. The aftertaste it leaves on your palate is a wonderfully complex flavor that is hard to describe, but easy to enjoy. Authentic Pecorino Toscano is name-controlled by the Italian Government, meaning that in order for a cheese to bear the name, it must be made to exact specifications and only in defined locales.
Dry Jack, Aged – Willow’s Maid by Rumiano Cheese Company
Jack Cheese is one of the few, truly American, cheeses. The cheese originated in California in the mid-1800s and is made with cows’ milk. It can be sold young, with a high moisture content making it a semisoft cheese or as an aged cheese, with low moisture content making it a hard grating cheese. As with most semisoft cheeses young jack melts very well. It has a fruity aroma but can also have a bit of a tang. The young version often comes in a range of flavors including hot peppers, pesto, onion, garlic or dill. The aged version, called Dry Jack becomes golden after about one year and tastes nutty, with the hint of fruit and the bite of salt. Vella Cheese Company produces the finest dry jack so keep an eye out for it in your local grocery store.
