Cheese

Set includes:

• Comte -A classic French Cheese from the Pre-Alps, region of Franche Comte.  Made from 100% cow's milk, aged to a seductive smoothness, with distinctive overtones of roasted cashews and almonds.  Combines in your mouth beautifully with reds, whites or bubbly. 
• Sherry Gray -  a super buttery ash ripened double cream from Vermont, this rich, sumptuous round 
• Le Pico - a creamy, gently herbal soft-ripened goat’s milk cheese from France.
• Plus a box of wafer crackers.

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.

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

In the words of the folks at Twig Farm: Tomme is a pure expression of our goat’s milk as it changes from March to December. Aged a minimum of 90 days, this semi-firm raw-milk cheese is delicately flavored with notes of roasted almond and lemon peel. Incredibly versatile for pairing: Loire Valley Chenin, off-dry cider, a mid-weight stout or a light red wine would make excellent partners for a little wedge of this goodness!

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.

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

Buttery, herbal and smooth, this sheep's milk Aged Gouda hails from the caves of master affineur Betty Koster, and it brims with supple delight on the palate.  Pair with your favorite Northern Italian red wine.

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

A soft, tangy, Northern Italian cow's milk cheese, this wonder from master producer Luigi Guffanti is covered in Acquavite soaked bran to give it a more fruit forward finish.  Pair it with your favorite Nebbiolo.

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

For those with a more intimate gathering, Rush Creek Reserve brings the Vacherin magic but at a smaller denomination, roughly 12 ounces. This Wisconsin delight is from Uplands, the makers of our popular Alpine Cheese, Pleasant Ridge Reserve. It has all of the dense textures and savory autumn flavors of a Fall Classic. 

- Cheesemonger Martin Johnson

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Produced only in the fall, as the diet of our cows begins to change from summer pasture to the winter’s dry hay.  This rich milk is perfect for a cheese like Rush Creek, so soft and decadent that it’s often referred to as savory custard.  Each cheese is wrapped in spruce bark, which gives shape to the cheese and imparts a subtle woodsy flavor.

Before serving Rush Creek, bring the cheese to room temp or warm it gently in an oven.  When using an oven, remove the paper wrapping and either wrap the cheese in tin foil or cover it in a ceramic crock.  Place the cheese in a 250-degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until the entire cheese becomes soft and warm.

Use a knife to cut around the perimeter of the cheese, just above the bark.  Lift off the rind and scoop out the soft interior with a spoon.  The rich, savory flavors are deep but delicate, and pair nicely with cured meats, roasted root vegetables and off-dry white wines.

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

The most unique cheese that we carry and one of the most unusual cheeses in the world, this Portuguese sheep cheese is coagulated with a thistle based rennet.  What results is a cheese that starts out goopy and buttery and then in an abrupt change of direction, it finishes tart, lean and sour.  Pair with your favorite Vouvray or New World Chardonnay.

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger

raw cow’s milk, Wisconsin

Grassy and at the start with deep overtones of toasted hazelnuts at the finish, this Alpine cheese from Wisconsin is one of the most frequently awarded American cheeses.  Pair it with your favorite Pinot Noir.

- Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger | 67 Gourmet

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.

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.

Pasteurized cow’s milk | France

Sumptuous and very, very rich, this French triple crème is aged by the masterful Rodolphe Le Munier.

- Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger | 67 Gourmet

If you look for light, fresh cheese for whole family, from tolders to Grand'Ma then Cremeux des Citeaux is for you. Nature of together with jam, marmelade or salt and pepper, Cremeux means Creamy. Here you get the full taste of what a fresh artisanal cheese made from selected milk can give: Silky and light, simply very smooth cheese.

Cremeux des Citeaux can be used as a layer to top you finger food: Cremeux + Smoked Salmon or Cremeux with Dried ham or else you like to use as finger food!

Is this the best Camembert available on this side of the ocean?  That's what our legion of French customers say, and who are we to disagree?  It's dense fungal overtones are followed by distinctive reminiscences of roasted root vegetables and a robust, endive-like finish.  Put another way, it's savory cheese bliss.  Pair with a Sancerre or a Pinot Noir.  

Martin Johnson, Cheesemonger