The Wonderful World of Cheese

In addition to a large and diverse selection of domestic cheeses that our Hen Houses have always carried, we have,of late, focused on building an ever increasing repertoire of imported cheeses. The variety and quality continues to grow, as does our excitement, along with the public’s interest and consumption.

The US Dairy Export Council reports that “The U.S. annual cheese consumption is reaching

30 lbs per capita and growing”. This interest can be seen in upscale restaurants, many of whom have added sophisticated cheese plates/trays/courses to their menus. A highly successful restaurant in New York City, ARTISNAL, is built entirely around the concept of cheese, complete with its own temperature-controlled cellar under the restaurant to ripen each cheese to its own individual state of perfection.

Each month we highlight a particular cheese, which we will tell you about here. More importantly, we invite you to come into our stores and taste them, developing your own repertoire of favorites.

Cheese of the Month for March, 2010

SarVecchio Parmesan

Wisconsin Cheese maker Larry Streckbaur with Satori Cheese is certified in Parmesan and Romano cheese making.  This particular gift of wonderful flavor is a master piece in the category of extra aged parmesans.  SarVecchio is technically a Parmesan-Style cheese, washed with olive oil then aged at least 20 months.  SarVecchio Parmesan is outstanding in flavor, which is salty, sweet, and nutty with a crumbly texture.  It has the wonderful character that truly good parmesans have of the interspersed crystals, that give it a bit of a crunch or the Italian term "grana" or grainy.

Larry uses milk from dairies that are very near production.  So, the fresh factor of milk that does not travel far from farm to cheese maker is a big factor in the quality of this parmesan style cheese.

SarVecchio’s versatility allows for a broad range of pairing and ingredient based uses.

The nutty flavor adds depth to any dish of pasta, crusty breads, soups, sauces, salads and pizzas.  Simply grate over the top of the dish or drizzle chunks of it with honey or olive oil and serve as a snacking cheese. Because of the inherent sweetness, SarVecchio Parmesan makes an appealing dessert cheese, especially when paired with sweet and salty nuts, dried fruit or fresh figs. A favorite wine pairing would be Chianti, Presseco, or just about any Italian dry red would bring out the salty sweet nuttiness that is so wonderfully balanced in this particular cheese. It placed as the winner in the hard grating cheese category at the American Cheese Society in 2007.  It is definitely a winner to this cheese lover!  Bon Appétit.