Friday Fromage 🧀
It's Beginning to look a lot like Cheese-mas
It’s the busiest week of the year at the shop.
We’re doing 4-5 times our normal business every day. My back is feeling it. Other than writing this newsletter, all I’m doing today is doing laundry, watching Christmas videos on YouTube, and wrapping a few last minute impulse gifts for The Man.
Despite my aching bones, the holiday season is still my favorite time of year.
I hope you enjoy your Friday before Christmas cheese pics, and welcome to all of my new subscribers! Halfway to 100, who can believe it! Thank you for going on this adventure with me.
I’m so excited to establish a little cheese community here at Curd Culture ❤️🧀❤️
Last week — in the middle of my kickass list of Holiday Safety Cheeses — I confessed to you my favorite cheese — so I thought I would show it to you in the paste.
My precious, Jasper Hill Farm’s Alpha Tolman.
This Alpine-style cheese from Vermont is absurdly delicious. It’s like French Onion soup became cheese. Jasper Hill gets a lot of hype, but the hype is real.
I order this cheese by the quarter wheel — mostly due to the volume we sell. A whole wheel is 20 pounds — and would likely last us a year.1
I don’t mind breaking down big wheels of cheese. It’s kind of fun.
I’ve broken down several 20 pound wheels of cheese in my Tiny Cheese Corner.
But it’s difficult for me to maneuver back there and I’m only 5’3.
Just call me the Cheese Pixie.
Check out how cool the box is.
I also buy Beemster XO Gouda by the quarter wheel.2
Recently, I had a cheese wire break while I was cutting a hard cheese3, and it almost hit me in the eye.4 Beemster XO warps cheese wires like no other, so a quarter wheel it is.
I don’t want to be a One-Eyed Cheese Pixie. I guess I could wear an eye patch and be a Cheese Pirate.
I told you that paste was bright orange!
Y’all, I have sold an entire wheel of Hook’s Blue Paradise since Saturday.5
Yes, it’s Christmastime and people are buying more cheese than usual, but putting it out at the tasting really worked.
Apparently people will try something they’re not sure about if it’s relatively risk free. Or just free.
60% milkfat helps, too.
So many “I don’t normally like blue cheese, but…”
If you can find it, get some.
Last Saturday’s Board of Magical Cheeses also contained my favorite “mini-brie” — Jasper Hill’s Little Hosmer.
A quarter pound of creamy, pillowy delight — Little Hosmer is perfect for Christmas movies and chill.
It’s more of a traditional brie-style cheese, not an uber-rich double or triple creme. Thick and pasty, but not buttery spreadable. Little Hosmer also has delicate flavors of button mushroom.
Look how pretty on the board!
I cut each little wheel into 16 pieces with a cheese wire and put half on either end of the board.
Because Little Hosmer has a lower fat content than a double or triple creme cheese, it’s easier to serve in small pieces like this — because it doesn’t get as sticky or gooey.
Throw it on a board, pop some bubbles with your sweetie, and celebrate the season!
Because I was waxing poetic about bloomy rind cheeses last week, I thought I would share this interesting video on how Brie de Meaux — the great grandaddy of all bloomy rind cheeses — is made.
Brie de Meaux’s history goes back to Charlemagne, who was reportedly a fan.
In 1815, Napoleon’s chief diplomat, Talleyrand, declared Brie de Meaux “king of cheeses” at the Congress of Vienna.
It has been a designated AOC6 — controlled designation of origin — since 1980.
Meaning that Brie de Meaux must come from the area of Meaux and be produced following certain criteria.
Similar to how true Champagne must come from — Champagne.
And what edition of Curd Culture would be complete without your adorable Mr. Kitty pic?
All curled up and looking precious with his little Christmas ornament toy.
Until he wakes up and decides to be a hellion.
We found this little turd by the dumpster in November of 2021. Three years into the good life!
Help a stray animal if you can this holiday season.
Curd Culture is a reader supported publication. Thank you for supporting my dream of using my cheese experience to make a difference on two issues I care about: sustainable family farming and animal welfare.
These cheeses were meant to last a peasant family through the winter months, hence their large format.
Also cited in my Fabulous List of Holiday Safety Cheeses.
As cheese is aged, moisture evaporates. The longer a cheese is aged, the harder it is. This bad boy is aged for 26 months.
Thank god I was wearing my glasses. Who knew you needed protective eyewear to cut cheese?
Why it’s on the aforementioned killer list of Holiday Safety Cheeses.
Appellation d'origine contrôlée