There aren’t many silver linings to this pandemic but here’s one: it spurred the development of a new fresh sheep cheese from Bellwether Farms. With restaurant sales of its aged cheeses plummeting—from 300 wheels a week to five—the California creamery ramped up its plan to launch a sheep’s milk version of fresh chèvre. Just a few days old when released, this dreamy toast-ready cheese is what pandemic-weary consumers want now, says Callahan. I’m loving it on crostini with carrots and dukkah.

“Last year highlighted the vulnerabilities of having a really expensive product that caters to the needs of restaurants,” says Bellwether owner Liam Callahan, whose flagship aged sheep cheeses—San Andreas and Pepato—can retail for $40 a pound. “I understand sticker shock, and fine cheeses in general do substitute for one another. You can get wonderful cheese made in the U.S. from cow’s milk for $20 to $25 a pound. In the sheep-cheese industry, we are always fighting that battle.”

Bellwether’s new fresh sheep log is a lactic-set cheese, which means it relies on a long, slow fermentation (almost 24 hours) to develop acidity and flavor. Lactic-set cheeses need minimal rennet, so the resulting curd is as soft as silken tofu. The curd is scooped into bags to drain for a day, with some gentle pressure. Then it’s salted, chilled and packaged as 3-ounce vacuum-sealed logs.

I like the ease of scooping fresh cheese out of a tub, but Callahan says tubs greatly reduce the shelf life. Retailers are understandably reluctant to stock super-perishable cheese, so a vacuum package makes business sense. Fortunately, the logs release neatly from their pull-apart plastic envelope—a great leap forward in packaging technology. I’ve struggled with fresh goat cheese packages in the past; half the cheese ends up stuck to the wrap.

Be sure to let this cheese come to room temperature, which should take only half an hour. It’s brittle when cold, like chilled butter, but luscious and spreadable if you’re patient. The texture is light, the flavor clean, lemony and tangy. Put it in an oiled ramekin and warm it in a moderate oven until it just starts to quiver if you want an elevated experience.

Use Bellwether Farms fresh sheep cheese anywhere you would use fresh chèvre. If you don’t eat it all in one sitting, put the remainder in a lidded container and finish it over the next few days. Callahan says that the success of his company’s sheep yogurt made him think that an audience existed for a sheep’s milk alternative to chèvre. The cheese’s retail price, about $5.99, translates to over $30 a pound, but that’s just the bottom-line reality of sheep’s milk.

The product’s availability across the country will grow in the coming weeks. You should be able to find it now or soon in Northern California at some Whole Foods, Nugget Markets and Raley’s, plus Berkeley Bowl, Oliver’s Markets (Santa Rosa area), Pacific Markets (Sonoma County) and Petaluma Market; in the Seattle area at Metropolitan Markets and PCC Community Markets; and in Texas at Central Markets.

Crostini with Garden Carrots, Fresh Cheese and Dukkah

Cakebread Cellars chef Brian Streeter provided this recipe for my latest cookbook, Gather: Casual Cooking from Wine Country Gardens. Dukkah, an Egyptian nut-and-spice blend, is the captivating seasoning that keeps you coming back for just one more toast. You will have leftover dukkah, but that’s no problem. Store it in an airtight container and enjoy it later in the classic way, as a dip for bread with extra virgin olive oil. Good spice shops carry it if you don’t want to make your own. On another occasion, substitute sliced roasted beets or butternut squash for the sautéed carrots.
Serves 6

Dukkah:

• ¼ cup chopped pecans or raw pistachios

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds

• 1-1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 12 baguette slices, cut ¼-inch thick on the diagonal

• Extra virgin olive oil

• ¼ pound small carrots, preferably mixed colors, scrubbed but not peeled

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• ¾ cup (about 6 ounces) Bellwether Farms fresh sheep cheese, at room temperature

• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives

• Honey, warmed enough to drizzle

Make the dukkah: Put the pecans or pistachios in a pie tin and bake until lightly toasted, 5 to 10 minutes. Roughly chop the pistachios, if using. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over high heat, stirring constantly, until lightly colored and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool. Add the coriander and cumin seeds to the skillet and toast, stirring, until fragrant and starting to darken. With a mortar and pestle, pound the coriander and cumin seeds coarsely. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the pecans or pistachios, sesame seeds, salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Brush the baguette slices lightly on both sides with olive oil. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Slice the carrots in 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the 1 tablespoon olive oil and the carrots and season with salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring, until the carrots are tender and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, mash the cheese and chives with the back of a spoon until smooth and spreadable.

To assemble the crostini, spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese on each toast and arrange on a platter. Top each toast with a few rounds of carrots, using a mix of colors on each, and a generous pinch of dukkah. Drizzle the toasts with honey, using about 2 teaspoons.
Serve immediately.