Cheese

Our cheese and charcuterie platters are the runaway hit of any gathering.  Designed for groups ranging from 12 to 15 guests, our platters feature a stellar variety of artisan cheese and small producer cured meats, garnished with cornichons, olives and peppers.  In addition, we can tailor your platter to suit your preferences.

Manchego (raw sheep’s milk, Spain)

Widely hailed as the best Manchego available outside of Spain, this farmstead classic is full of subtle herbal and citrusy overtones. - Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger at 67Gourmet

Full description

There are less than ten cheesemakers left in Spain making farmstead PDO Manchego artesano with a natural rind like the one we offer at Essex St. Cheese. Farmstead means the animals live at the same farm where the cheese is made. PDO Manchego artesano is the Spanish government's seal of approval saying this is the real deal, the same great cheese that Don Quixote enjoyed hundreds of years ago. A natural rind—unwaxed, not the artificial brown like most Manchegos you see—allows the cheese to breathe; the cut cheese's aroma is clean, it smells like hay and almonds.

Pre-packaged. Approx size 6oz

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger writes:  "Our most popular cheese, this French classic offers well balanced overtones of sweet grass and roasted cashews.  It pairs nicely with a wide variety of red and white wines."

Full Description:

Indulge in the exceptional flavors of the Selected Comté from Marcel Petite, carefully chosen by Essex Street Cheese based on flavor rather than age or price. This Comté reaches you at its peak ripeness, showcasing its beguiling aromas of hazelnuts, fried onions, and spring berries, complemented by hints of cut grass, wet earth, and straw. With its herbaceous and fruity profile, kissed with deep, luscious creaminess, this Comté is a cheese lover's delight. Pair it with crusty baguettes, dried fruits, and a glass of red wine for an exquisite tasting experience.

Ingredients: Raw cow’s milk, salt, cultures, animal rennet

Contains: milk

Background: Marcel Petite was an affineur (ager of cheese) who, in the 1960s, established an aging facility at a former military fort called Fort Saint Antoine. Though Marcel Petite passed away in the 1980s, his legacy and philosophy of aging has endured. Fromageries Marcel Petite specializes in slow, cool maturation of Comté, coaxing out complexity and nuance from the ripening wheels. Marcel Petite was the first person to practice this aging technique and, of the 150 fruitières in the region, the company works with 35. In their words, they are “the biggest of the little affineurs.” 7,000 tons of Comté passes through their caves each year and fruitières deliver cheese roughly twice per month, bringing in anywhere from 20 to 40 wheels at a time, depending on the size of their cooperative.

Touted by its producer, the great Dutch affineur Betty Koster, as the vanilla milkshake of the cheese, this goat’s milk aged gouda is seductively smooth and has a slight overtone of brown butter in the finish. Lean, easygoing and sweet, the cheesemaker calls this goat’s milk gouda, “the vanilla milkshake of cheeses.” We also get notes of brown butter.  Pair it with something really minerally and dry.

 - Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

Farm Notes:

Goat milk is not typically used for producing aged cheeses, or Goudas of any age.  But when the affineur is the preeminent Gouda maturer in the world, anything is possible.  Betty lets Brabander rest at temperatures higher than normal, which elicits savory notes  and a slight gaminess that are not commonly found in Gouda. The extra aging on the Black Betty wheels lend a crunchier, more butterscotchy flavor to the cheese, which sings with a perfect caramel crunch.

Is this the best cheese in the world?  This extraordinary Australian delight is made from a blend of goat and sheep's milk then marinated in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with fresh thyme and peppercorns, and it's certainly in the conversation.  

Pair with your favorite fruit forward red,  

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

The Rogue Creamery of Central Point, Oregon is world renowned for their distinctive blues, and the Rogue River Blue is their signature cheese.  A World Champion cheese, this blue is wrapped in Syrah grape leaves that have been macerated in pear brandy, thus two levels of rich sweetness balance the peppery and earthy overtones of the blue. 

- Martin Johnson Cheesemonger

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Farm Notes

As fall comes to the Rogue Valley, cooler temperatures and wet weather bring renewed growth to the pastures. This is when our cow’s milk is at its best – and it’s only during these months that we make our limited edition, seasonal Rogue River Blue – a cheese named World Champion at the 2019/20 World Cheese Awards. After 9 to 11 months of careful tending in our aging caves, our team hand-wraps each wheel in organic, biodynamic Syrah grape leaves that have soaked in pear spirits. On the Autumnal Equinox each year, we celebrate the release of the year’s new Rogue River Blue Cheese

Lean, savory and sharp, this cheese set the template for what many call Vermont Cheddar. The Shelburne comes from a farm that has diligently made top shelf cheddar for more than 100 years.  

Pair it with your favorite whiskey.

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

Buttery, herbal and deliciously subtle, this Vermont sheep cheese is widely regarded as one of the finest American artisan cheeses.  Pair with your favorite Pinot Noir.  

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

Vermont cheesemakers have better things to do with their time than imitate traditional European cheeses; instead, they innovate upon them.  Take Harbison for example, it's a classic brie, full of mushroom-ey and roasted root vegetable flavors, but it's wrapped in spruce bark, which yields a gently earthy, even smokey finish. 

Serving suggestion, let it come to room temperature and slice the top off and dive in with baguette shards, flatbreads or crudite.  If you don't finish the cheese, put the top back on and store in your fridge until next time.  Pair with your favorite Prosecco,    

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

Lush, buttery and sumptuous in the very best way, this Swiss delight offers melt on your tongue goodness. 

Fudgy, pleasantly dank, and smooth in texture, this complex Vermonter comes from Jasper Hill, the great Northeast Kingdom cheesemakers.  It's slight funk make it the perfect gateway cheese for novices new to washed rind aromas.  Pair it with your favorite Chenin Blanc or Vouvray.  

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

Buttery, salty and very sweetly fungal, this Sardinian sheep cheese is laced, intensely lacked with black truffles.  Entertain with Moliterno as a table cheese or turn any dish extraordinary (mmmm...risotto...) with it.  Pair with your favorite New World Chardonnay.

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

Sweet, buttery and smoky, this Vermont sheep cheese is infused with a bit of cow's milk and smoked over applewood.  Pair with your favorite Old World Chardonnay.  

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

Is it a cheddar or a Gruyere?  

The answer is both!  It's a cheddar highlighted by savor and sharp flavors, but this unique Vermonter is made with some Gruyere cheese culture which yields sweet, nutty overtones too.  It melts beautifully and pairs with your favorite red wines.  

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

Creamy, lush and sumptuous, this triple cream (like a brie but half again richer), this cheese is from Indiana. It pairs wonderfully with almost all sparkling wines and various dry whites. - Cheesemonger Martin Johnson, 67Gourmet

Trillium is a triple cream, mold ripened cheese inspired by the French classics — Camembert and Brie. It has a soft creamy texture, with rich smooth flavors and gentle lactic tones. It ages three to eight weeks, ripening gracefully from the outside to the center.

Tulip Tree Creamery was started in 2014 and is located on the northwest side of Indianapolis. They source all of their milk from a small farm in Seymour Indiana where the cows live at pasture and eat non-gmo hay and silage grown on site. They are epic cheese makers!

The classic table to barn experience highlighted by an aroma that will make you think that farm animals are in your lap, this cheese--beyond the aroma--offers a rich, sumptuous, savory experience that sis unmatched by any other dairy delight.  Pair it with your favorite Spatlese Riesling.  

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

An ashen pyramid of delightful goat's milk cheese from Vermont, Bonaparte is one of the signature cheeses of Lazy Lady Farms, a very Vermont operation: part wind powered, part solar powered, one woman (Lani Fondlier) and a two assistants.  She tests her goat's milk daily and makes the cheeses that are right for its characteristics.  Pair with your favorite Chablis.

Buttery, smooth and earthy, Sherry Gray is an emblem of Vermont cheesemaking ingenuity. It's a double cream Brie, ripened in ash. In other words a unique blend of two disparate French traditions: the Loire Valley meets Brie. What results is a creamy cheese with an approachable finish. Pair it with your favorite sparkling wine.

- Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger 67Gourmet

PASTEURIZED COW MILK AND CREAM | BLOOMY, ASHED RIND | DOUBLE-CREAM

The ash coating on this cheese serves a purpose beyond the aesthetically pleasing, stony complexion of its rind; it plays a part in tempering the fresh wheels’ surface pH and fosters the development of a thin, even bloom of flora. The extra cream and relatively long culturing time create an almost whipped texture, which coats the palate in buttery richness.

Betty Koster founded Fromagerie l’Amuse in 1989 with her husband Martin. Their Amsterdam shop is a destination for cheese lovers, featuring rare, small-production Dutch gems like Wilde Weide and Terschelling. Betty’s deep, long-term connections with Dutch farmers, cheesemakers and opleggers (affineurs) has given her access to an unparalleled range of cheeses. She exports a handful to America exclusively through Essex St. Cheese.

Vermont cheesemakers have better things to do with their time than imitate traditional European cheeses; instead, they innovate upon them.  Take Harbison for example, it's a classic brie, full of mushroom-ey and roasted root vegetable flavors, but it's wrapped in spruce bark, which yields a gently earthy, even smokey finish. 

Serving suggestion, let it come to room temperature and slice the top off and dive in with baguette shards, flatbreads or crudite.  If you don't finish the cheese, put the top back on and store in your fridge until next time.  Pair with your favorite Prosecco,    

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger