This Week's Warehouse Tasting

There's nothing wrong with eating cheese as-is, no cracker, standing in the kitchen at 2a.m. (this is something we tell ourselves, okay?) but of course the real fun is in sharing a pretty array of blues, fresh goat rounds and nutty Goudas at a party or experimenting with new cheese-laden recipes.

So thank goodness we have Nicole, aka "The Queso Queen," around the shop. This week we'll have fresh burrata in once again and Nicole made this beautiful video on how to make burrata and tomato salad for her blog entry "What is Burrata?". It's a super easy recipe, with everything fresh and light for summer, so definitely check it out.

This week, we'll also have a full stash of Carmody, the Italian table cheese from Bellwhether Farm, and one of my personal favorites, Nancy's Hudson Valley Camembert. Made with milk from a herd of East Fresian ewes, this cheese is buttery, savory and the main reason I even have friends.

While you're visiting, we also highly recommend Redwood Hill's California Crottin, made with 100% goat's milk, which measures up nicely to its French model. With age, it hardens and its flavor intensifies.

This Week's Warehouse Tasting

We're nearing peak season for Texas goat milk and happily find ourselves awash in light, lovely cheeses that are great for summer. Did anyone read "awash in cheese" and think, nacho cheese bath?

Anyways, we just picked up a big, fresh batch of the much-sought-after Pure Luck Ste. Maure, which is inspired by the French cheese of the same name. Amelia's version is a little different, though. Whereas the French version is molded around a straw and gets firmer as it ages, Pure Luck's is straw-free and softens as it ripens. It's best when it is slightly oozy near the rind and still has a firm, chalky center.

If you're still with us after "oozy near the rind," we're also sneaking in a little bit of Italian cheese with black truffles. There isn't much, so if you're interested come by early! Favorites including the Sweetgrass Dairy Green Hill and Reading Raclette will also be available. See you this weekend!

This Week's Warehouse Tasting: The Cheese Experiment edition

From the Cellars of Jasper Hill, comes the "The Conundrum Project." We hope you read that last sentence with movie announcer voice, because that's how we meant it--full of tense anticipation.

The folks at Jasper Hill are sending us some new cheeses they're making for the very first time, some named, many not, and they want our feedback. The first cheese we received to taste test is the Harbison, which you'll have a chance to sample on the plate this week. The bark around the bloomy rind lends a subtle herbal character and holds the delicate cheese in place. It has a creamy, spoonable paste and a nice balance between sweet and woodsy.

Other than the Harbison, we'll also have Marieke Gouda with cumin. If you love the plain version, you have to try this spiced version--pure snacking delight. As for Texas cheeses, we'll have the Veldhuizen Texas Gold Cheddar (typed God Cheddar at first and almost went with it!) and Baby Caprino from CKC Farm, which emulates soft-ripened goat cheeses owner Chrissy Omo found in Italy.

This Week's Warehouse Tasting

As of the summer solstice, the days have begun to get shorter but warehouse hours at the Dairymaids are only getting longer. Doors continue to be open from 10am-6:30pm on Fridays and 10am-4pm on Saturdays.

Now you have plenty of time to come snag some of Pure Luck Dairy's Del Cielo, pictured above. The stark white interior of this creamy, Camemebert-style round quickly ripens to a delectable ooze.

Another great cheese on the plate this week is the Buttermilk Blue Affinee from Roth Kase in Wisconsin. It's a rindless blue aged for over six

months to enhance its complexity and intensity. Creamy yet crumbly, it's versatile: great in a salad, great on the cheese board.

In addition, we'll also have Bellwether Pepato and Green's Creek Gruyere. We've regularly got macarons from Maisson Burdisso now, too, because this is a cheese world, but it wouldn't be nothing without a little dessert as well.