I should have known the creamy cheese at twelve o’clock would be the class favorite. Never bet against a triple-cream. This one was delightful, I agree, but I found more to love in the six aged cheeses that followed—all of them mountain cheeses from Europe, all made with raw milk and animal rennet. So much tradition and expertise represented on one plate!
From five countries, here are the seven selections that made my recent “Mountain Cheeses of Europe” class a peak experience (pardon the pun) for me. Clockwise from 12 o’clock:
Moser Screamer (Switzerland): Triple-cream cheeses are a novelty in Switzerland, but cheesemaker Ueli Moser worked in France and came to love them. Some taste like little more than whipped salted butter, but Moser’s has more personality, with aromas of mushroom and crème fraiche.
Crucolo (Italy): I had to hunt for this one but igourmet came through. Made in the Dolomites by a family that has lived in the same spot for centuries, this 30-pound cow’s milk wheel has a moist, tender, open texture, a buttery aroma and a slight bite to the finish—like a young Asiago but better. If you’re ever in this corner of Italy (near Trento), you must visit the Rifugio del Crucolo, have lunch at the charming restaurant and see the mammoth 1000-pound cheeses aging in the cellar.
Baldauf Alpkäsle (Germany): Produced in the Bavarian Alps by a 150-year-old creamery just launching in the U.S., this little guy (about two pounds) is matured for four months. It is silky, beefy perfection, a cow’s milk mini-wheel made with the family’s proprietary culture. In its more traditional 60-pound format, and cellared for eight months, the cheese just won “Best German Cheese” at the World Cheese Awards.
Ossau-Iraty (France): A Pyrenees sheep cheese that has long been a personal favorite, this particular specimen was a raw-milk farmhouse version, aged about seven months by affineur Pascal Beillevaire. It struck me as less nutty and sweet than a pasteurized-milk Ossau-Iraty, more tangy and wild.
Alp Blossom (Germany): When I first encountered this cheese, it was made in Austria from pasteurized cow’s milk. News flash: Production has shifted to Bavaria and to raw milk. The 10-pound wheel is as gorgeous as ever, with a dozen dried herbs, flowers and seasonings cloaking the rind, and it is just as satiny and savory. What aromas do you detect in the paste? I get lavender and onion above all.
Cow country: Jura mountain pasture
Comté (France): Aniata Cheese Company, the importer, helped me secure a 30-month-old wheel of this Jura Mountains classic. Dense and intense, with aromas of French onion soup, roast beef, brown butter and toasted hazelnut, it melted on the tongue.
Sbrinz (Switzerland): This ancient cow’s milk cheese has a hard time competing with Parmigiano Reggiano, its more famous relative, but you owe it a look. Matured for three to four years, the 80- to 90-pound wheels become rock hard, yet buttery, with a fruity aroma. It’s too pricy for a grating cheese, but what a tasty addition to the cheese board.