The Joy of Cheese: Good Cheese for Hard Times

Last night Marie Fromage and I went to another tasting for the Joy of Cheese at Ten Degrees – this time focused on inexpensive cheeses for the rest of us. The depressing packaged cheese section at Trader Joe’s notwithstanding, just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you have to forgo good cheese. Our host and fromagier extraordinaire Martin Johnson, who now also teaches at the 92nd Street Y, brought out a few of the best. “There are lots of great cheeses for $25 a pound or less,” he told the group of about 15 at the tasting. Plus, as he pointed out, cheese, bread, some sort of charcuterie and a salad can make a great summer dinner.

• Camembert Mons. This was one of our favorites – silky, slightly funky, vegetal and mushroomy. A pasteurized Camembert, yes, but it’s produced by acclaimed affineur Herve Mons. You can’t go wrong with cheeses by this guy. Available at Whole Foods Fromagerie (on the Bowery) and the Bedford Cheese Shop.
• Pecorino Rosellino. The Italians are known for thowing all sorts of things into their wine, and it turns out the same thing is true with Italian sheep’s milk cheese. In what was originally a controversial move, cheesemakers started rubbing classic Italian pecorino with tomatoes – doubly blasphemous because tomatoes actually originate from the New World. But the result is an excellent pecorino, with a softer, fruitier, more complex edge. Available at the Bedford Cheese Shop.
• Pantaleo. This inexpensive goat’s milk cheese mimics the flavor of the more expensive and very popular Caprotto cheese. It has an even, soft finish with the citrusy notes of goat’s milk. And indeed, it tastes much more expensive than it is. Available at Formaggio Essex.
• Tomme Crayeuse. Though most of the innovation going on in the cheese world is thought to be happening in the States, Tomme Crayeuse proves that the French are getting in on the action too. This new cheese, a softer, creamier version of the popular Tomme de Savoie, is bloomy, fragrant, and citrusy – an excellent soft cheese. Available at The Barnyard, Whole Foods Fromagerie, and the Bedford Cheese Shop.
• Rustico Peperoncino. This “mystery cheese” turned out to be another version of the sheep’s milk Pecorino Rossalino – this time with red peppers thrown in, not tomatoes. Think of it as an upscale version of monterey jack with peppers. Available at Formaggio Essex.
• Saenkanter. If you’re on a budget, you can’t go wrong with aged gouda, one of the most reliable picks for good, inexpensive cheese. This one from Holland has notes of butterscotch, toffee, vanilla, and an interesting crystalization going on with the texture, like salted candy. Another favorite. Available at the Bedford Cheese Shop.
• Pleasant Ridge Reserve. This cheese has been raking in the awards recently and is considered one of the best Alpine cheeses in America. It really does have a nutty flavor, and that signature slightly chalky Alpine texture. It would be a good melting cheese. Gourmet grilled cheese, anyone? Available at Saxelby Cheese.
• Fougerous. This creamy relative of brie had a distinct ammonia, uriney taste at the finish that turned me off, but if you can handle that, this is a good soft cheese for you. Available at Dean & DeLuca.
• Tarentaise. This next “mystery” cheese was most similar to the Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Like that cheese, it’s an Alpine-American. Available at the Bedford Cheese Shop, Saxelby Cheese, and Whole Foods Fromagerie.
• Isle of Mull Cheddar. It’s hard to resist the olde-time appeal of anything named “Isle of Mull.” This Scottish cheese is made on peaty land right near a Scotch distillery, and it shows in the flavor, which pairs well with spirits. Available at the Bedford Cheese Shop.
• Grayson. An excellent American washed rind cheese, Grayson has a peanut buttery texture and definite barnyard notes in the flavor. Surprisingly, it was made in Virginia. Available at Saxelby Cheese, Bedford Cheese Shop, The Barnyard, Murray’s Cheese, and Dean & DeLuca.
• Cashel Blue. This blue from County Cork is a good bet for an inexpensive blue, and it’s pretty widely available. Available at Dean & DeLuca, the Beford Cheese Shop, and Murray’s.

If you missed this cheese tasting, there are so many good cheeses for under $25 a pound that Martin is planning more tastings on the subject at Ten Degrees in July and August. Check the Joy of Cheese website for updates or email thejoyofcheese @ gmail.com to get on the mailing list. The cheeses you learn about here may seem obscure, but as distribution widens across the States, more and more of them are appearing in unexpected places like fancy delis or suburban supermarkets – so you’ll always be prepared for an impromptu wine and cheese tasting of your own.