This Week's Tasting Plate: Cheese-pocalypse

Ladies and gents, I am sad to report that the cheese-pocalypse is nigh upon us. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a teensy bit (so not like me). But really, Houston Dairymaids headquarters (HDM HQ) will be undergoing a renovation next week. As such, we'll be closing for five days. Five withering, excruciating, devastating days without cheese. I am actually worried about my health and well-being given that cheese is one of my main food groups.

I guess all this means for us cheese-lovers out there is that we have to stock up. And oh, will I stock up! Because we here at HDM HQ decided that if we have to leave you temporarily, we're gonna go out with a bang. This week we're featuring our "Greatest Hits" if you will. We're starting off the plate with a much beloved classic, the Bonne Bouche. Creamy and fudgy, this aged goat cheese from Vermont is a reigning favorite. Next up is a 100% raw sheep's milk cheese from Bellwether Farms in California called San Andreas. Try melting it for an added bonus in dishes. The Marieke Gouda, a creamy Dutch style Gouda, gives off sweet notes of carmelization that just beg to be tasted again. Let's not forget Challerhocker, a cheese that made us break our streak of domestic-only offerings. Aged for 10 months, it's studded with crystals that light up your taste buds. Add that to the fact that it's washed in wine and spices, and you've got a true winner. Finally, we turn to the Dunbarton Blue, an amalgamation of two distinct cheese varieties, cheddar and blue. Dunbarton truly embodies the adage, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

So somehow, dear friends, we must make it through our seemingly endless desert of cheese. But until then, let us feast!