The time has arrived for spring celebrations, grilling, and other outdoor gatherings. Celebrate the season by exploring new cheeses, whether it’s baked into a dish, sampled on a cheese board, or added to a salad. Below are just a few of the tasty cheeses you can find at Seward Co-op’s cheese counters with ideas for how to use them in cooking and how to serve them on a cheese board.
Blue Earth is a soft, Brie-style cheese from Community Foods producer, Alemar Cheese Company. Their cheeses are small-batch from pasture-fed cows, with a sweet grassiness that comes through this buttery cheese. It is rich and heady, deliciously fatty, and perfect smeared on a cracker or in addition to fresh figs or fig spread. Make sure to bring Blue Earth up to room temperature before enjoying so all of the flavors and aromas have a chance to bloom. If you want to get extra-fancy with this decadent cheese, you could bake it and dip slices of baguette into its runny interior.
Amber Valley Stilton BlueBlue cheeses tend to be a little daunting. They have thick veins of mold that imparts them with so much flavor, and Amber Valley’s Stilton is no exception. This creamy cow’s milk cheese from England is strong, salty, and has a deep funk that when paired with the right accoutrements, can lead to a well-balanced bite. Because Stilton has robust and complex flavors, it pairs equally well with other intense foods. Stilton plays especially well in salads with walnuts and dried fruit (the oily bitterness of walnuts are a perfect balance), on a cracker drizzled with honey or smeared with lemon curd, or with a pour of some jammy wine. Start small. This is a pungent cheese, and finding the right balance of cheese to pairing will make all of the difference in your enjoyment!
Deer Creek The Robin ColbyNot all hard cheeses are created equal, and Deer Creek exemplifies this with some of Wisconsin’s most highly-awarded cheeses and unique cheddars. Cheddars are aged and can range from mild to very sharp flavor. Many consider colby cheeses to be cheddar’s younger, milder sibling. The Robin is sweet, slightly salty, and a little buttery. This versatile cheese is wonderful with a humble summer sausage, with apple slices, or paired with grainy mustard on a grilled cheese. It’s also a go-to snacker all on its own.
Rochdale Farms Baby SwissRochdale Farms Cooperative uses cow’s milk from hundreds of farm families throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin to create delicious artisanal cheeses and hand-rolled butters. Rochdale’s baby Swiss is creamy, nutty, and extra melty. Did someone say brunch or potluck? It is as wonderful cubed on a cheese board or in a salad as it is baked into a delicious spring asparagus quiche. If you’re feeling extra fancy, it’s especially good in a velvety fondue.
No matter how you slice it, Seward Co-op’s Cheese counters have many options to suit your cheese needs. Don’t forget to look for the cheese sample basket on your next visit. Cheese staff members are happy to share a sample and pairing suggestions.
