The 5 Best Fancy Cheeses For A Fancy Pants Party Time

On my way to school today, I got to thinking about cheese.  This could be because I was hungry or because of the cheesy smelling air blowing through my sad cars air vents.

This is what comes up when you google for "cheese car."

I've been exploring a lot of different cheeses lately, as I mentioned in an earlier post because I can't eat bread anymore, I need another food addiction.  Cheese stepped right up and said, "Eat me."

Terrifying

In Portland, we're lucky to have access to so many different foods and I've been taking advantage of that.  The produce is beautiful and fresh, the asian markets are stocked to the brim with more dried skrimps then a girl could eat, and nearly every grocery store has a fancy cheese section.

Be still my heart

So I thought I'd add on to my last post about the best summer wines with some cheeses that would go well with them.  So without further ado:

5. Beechers Raw Milk Flagship

Beechers is a cheese shop started right next to Pike's Place Market in Seattle that offers a wide range of tasty cheese bites and a glimpse into the whole cheese making process.  While you wait in an excessively long line, you can watch the workers operate huge machines, separating curds from whey and other cheese-like tasks.  I love this particular cheese for the qualities that the raw milk impart, a nutty, creamy texture with just a touch of sharpness.  Try it on potato gratin or in a grilled cheese.

4.  Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog Grande

Humboldt Fog is a delicious goat cheese known for it's herbal, floral and citrus flavors with a distinct line of vegetable ash down the center.  It's an American original, coming from the Cypress Grove Creamery and pairs well with granny smith apples, cured meats, fatty roasted almonds and honeycomb.

3. St. Angel Triple Cream

This decadent, triple cream cheese is just one step away from butter.  It has a thin, edible rind that barely conceals its oozing, velvety smooth innards. It has a hint of mushroomy earthiness that is balanced with the flavor of sweet cream.  It pairs well with sweet berries and a sparkling rose.

2. Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue 

This is another raw milk cheese, native to Oregon.  This is the blue cheese that has gotten me to like blue cheese.  The creamery cold smokes this blue over Oregon hazelnuts, which enhances the creamy sharpness with a caramel, nutty flavor.  Try it with fresh Oregon marionberries, sugar roasted hazelnuts and a balsamic reduction.

1. Bucherondin de Chevre

Bucherondin de Chevre is a French goats cheese with a thin edible bloom of a rind, a thick ring of melting pate and a soft, but semi firm inner ring.  It's easily my favorite cheese, it has a minerality most cheeses lack with funky nutty flavors softened by the citrus crumble of the center ring.  Try it with wine plumped cherries, lemon thyme and toasted walnuts.