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<country-region><place>America</place></country-region>:  The New Alpine Nation<p></p>

 

 

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            In contrast to Miss Teen South Carolina, I learned a thing or two about geography in school, and when it came to the <place>Alps</place>, I was taught that they were a mountain range that stretched across several European nations including <country-region><place>Switzerland</place></country-region>, <country-region><place>Italy</place></country-region> and France, three of the most important cheesemaking countries in the world.  A few decades later, when I stumbled into employment in the New York City high end cheese world, I found those lessons reinforced by the flavor of cheeses like Gruyere, Comte, Fontina Val D’Aosta and others made from the milk of animals grazing on mountain grass.  <p></p>

            Lately, I’m wondering if my globe is out of date. <p></p>

            Alpine cheeses are turning up from the strangest places like <state><place>Vermont</place></state>, <state><place>Wisconsin</place></state>, <country-region><place>Georgia</place></country-region> and even <state><place>Michigan</place></state>.  The mountains didn’t move but the cheesemaking techniques that have created some of <place>Europe</place>’s finest cheeses are being mastered and refined by cheesemakers in many diverse regions of the <country-region><place>United States</place></country-region>, and it’s the latest chapter in the rapid growth of hand-made cheese in <country-region><place>America</place></country-region>.   Many American-made cheeses are now equal to if not superior to their European counterparts.<p></p>

            How do I know this?  I’m on the frontlines of the cheese world on a regular basis.  Three days a week I work at The Bedford Cheese Shop, one of <state><place>New York</place></state>’s best cheese shops, and I run a business called The Joy of Cheese which has two phases.  I go to people’s homes and hold cheese tastings and I hold tastings at 10 Degrees, a wine bar in my lower <city><place>Manhattan</place></city> neighborhood.  I’ve been into cheese since Madonna was just a dance pop starlet, how?  That’s a long story, but after 23 years usually with at least a part time job if not an all consuming obsession in the cheeseworld I’ve learned a lot.<p></p>

            And none of it until recently suggested that the <place>Alps</place> were anywhere other than <place>Europe</place>.<p></p>

            Location is pretty crucial in starting a business and typically it’s the dominant element in making cheese. And by the way, let’s just clarify something here, when I say cheese I almost always mean small producer, hand made cheese.  There are some good factory made and collective made cheeses but they are the exception not the rule.  The best cheese is done old school style, made by hand at small creameries.  Anyway, a cheese is a product of its environment.  The milk it’s made from will be a reflection of the grasses grown on the farm, and some of the flavors a cheese has are absorbed from the air during the ageing process.  It’s all there.  That’s why so many of the great cheeses of the world are named for their land of origin.<p></p>

            Of course <country-region><place>America</place></country-region> has some hilly lands too.  In fact almost every state has some region of hilly terrain.  Put some dairy farmers in those areas and if they are enterprising they will probably research what types of cheese work best with the sort of milk they are getting from their animals.  It’s that process that has resulted in an explosion of great Alpine style cheeses being made in <country-region><place>America</place></country-region>.<p></p>

            My favorite of the bunch is called Pleasant Ridge Reserve and it’s made at the Uplands Creamery in Dodgeville <state><place>Wisconsin</place></state> by two couples who envisioned dairy farming as a retirement endeavor; instead it’s become a big business. Their cheese has a firm but not crumbly texture and a flavor that is rich in overtones of roasted almonds.<p></p>

 Another fave of mine is Tarentaise, a cheese made at the Thistle Hill farm in <place>North Pomfret</place><state><place>Vermont</place></state>.  Tarentaise follows the recipe of the French classic Tomme D’Abondance all the way down to the copper vat, which they had to commission (you look for copper vats on ebay and get back to me).  Tarentaise--in part as a result of the vat--has a distinct, minerality to its flavor reminds me of cashews.  <p></p>

You don’t think of <country-region><place>Georgia</place></country-region> as a great cheesemaking state, but the Sweet Grass Creamery is out to change your mind with their Myrtlewood, a cheese with a strong note of roasted hazelnuts and a delicate finish.<p></p>

And lastly the prestigious American Cheese Society annual judging was held in August and Leelanau Aged Raclette from <state><place>Michigan</place></state> won first place.  It’s a hotly contested award and each of the aforementioned cheese has won several ACS ribbons.<p></p>

            Why are these cheeses catching on?  To me, it’s the nuts.  In contrast to many cheese flavors, nuttiness is an easy flavor for a novice to accept.  Most of us are familiar with nuts (some of us have probably dated a few), so in a brave new world full of exotic flavors, these cheeses stand out for their accessibility.  Also, they are versatile cheeses that complement many varieties of red wine and most dry whites with equal ease.  Lastly as my foodblogger pal Mary Connolly reminds us, that her family while sophisticated was generally dependent on the supermarket for their cheese so Jarlsberg and Swiss Emmenthal were the de facto gold standard.  “Variations of the Swiss theme allow them to broaden their palates while still staying in the safe and non-threatening familiar food category`” she told me.

            Another factor may be that these cheeses while delicious on their own are natural for melting either into fondues or into macaroni and cheeses. The flavors blend well with other foods to create culinary delights.  One of my favorite snacks is grilled cheese sandwiches made with Tarentaise and topped with caramelized onions.    

So where do you buy these cheeses?  Places retailing these cheeses are popping up almost as fast as <country-region><place>America</place></country-region> is rising in stature in the cheese world.  I am partial toward Bedford Cheese but there are several fine retailers in the Northeast like Artisanal, Murray’s, Formaggio Kitchen, and Saxelby Cheesemongers.  But it’s a nationwide phenomenon. There’s Steve’s Cheese in <city><place>Portland</place></city>; the new Cowgirl Creamery shop in D.C. and many  Whole Foods nationwide has a good selection of specialty cheese.  And even if you don’t live close to any of these retailers, cheeses in general and these cheeses in particular ship well and often cheaply since they are durable and can withstand a day or two without refrigeration.  It’s all part of the new character of American made cheese.

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