Those of you, our loyal readers, who have been on this cheese journey with The Lady and Moi since 2008, might recall we began the journey not too enamored of cheeses of the goat persuasion. That was largely the result of an aged goat cheese that took the enamel off my fangs and had The Man, The Lady and me wondering who in their right mind would eat something that tasted like a buck in heat smelled…
But Cheesemakers like Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter and Creamery, Rhonda Gothberg of Gothberg Farms, Mary Keehn of Cypress Grove and Bob Stetson of Westfield Farms changed that fear (and loathing) into a friendship that soon became a passionate love of good (and great) goat cheeses… adding to that passion is Pat Morford’s lovely cheeses she makes at Three Ring Farm and sells under her branding of River’s Edge Chevre.
When Murray’s Cheese began opening in the Pacific Northwest at Fred Meyer and QFC stores in Seattle and Portland, the local cheeses included three from River’s Edge, Silt Coos (which we have previously reviewed), Cape Foulweather and Up In Smoke. The reviews of these cheeses is long overdue but with The Lady’s travels, sometimes I get behind in my duties… what with napping and hanging out with The Man… a cat can only do so many things…
Up In Smoke is a fresh chevre that Pat has wrapped in smoked maple leaves and then spritzed with bourbon to add even more smoldering smokiness to the taste of this award-winning delicacy. All we did was slather it on 34 Degree Crackers and enjoy. What a delight; the tang of the chevre blends perfectly with the smoke and the bourbon. It’s creamy and crumbly at the same time; leaving a lingering taste on the palate. It comes in little quarter pound disks; just the right size for snacking and adding to a cheese board.
I give Up In Smoke 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got)**.
Serving Suggestions: On a cracker is a safe bet but you can go wild and add a few grapes or nuts to the mix.
Spirit Pairing: How about bourbon?
Source: Fresh, pasteurized goat milk.
The third cheese from River’s Edge we tasted is Cape Foulweather, a soft-ripened cheese sprinkled with ash to inhibit the growth of the bad bacteria and encourage the growth of the good ones of which The Lady is learning, there are many…
Cape Foulweather is a pyramid-shaped cheese whose namesake is a 500 foot outcropping on the Southern Oregon Coast; sighted and named by Captain Cook on one of his journeys before he pissed off the Natives of Hawaii… The one we tasted was young and the paste was still firm, smooth and dense with a strongish tang. As it ages it will become creamier in texture. Again, we stayed naked and just enjoyed it on crackers with nothing else to adorn it nor to detract from its luscious citrus taste.
It’s another 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got)** for Cape Foulweather.
Wine Pairing: Champagne is the perfect pairing for this cheese.
My thanks to everyone participating in my 2015 Virtual Q&A with Cheese Professionals. I hope all of you, my loyal readers, are enjoying this as much as I am…
Interviews with All Cheese Professionals: Cheesemakers and Cheese Professionals
Interviews will continue throughout 2015… sometimes, they will be “stand-alone” and sometimes they will be presented as round-table discussions with several Cheese Professionals answering the same question. Those participating includeCheesemakers, ACS CCPs™, Cheesemongers and Cheese Professionals and Experts who contribute to this Wonderful World we call “Cheese”.
List of all Interviews from 2013: Cheesemakers, Cheesemongers.
List of 2015 Cheese Professionals.
List of all Cheese Professionals Bios.
Please “Like” MarcellaTheCheesemonger Page on FaceBook.
Taking the 2015 Exam? Please see my page on Tips for Studying for the Exam. Want support? Come join our 2015 Cheese Study Group.
**And once again, for those of you who have written in about my ratings’ system; The Lady and I are here to “celebrate cheese” so you’ll rarely see us denigrate cheese (other than that first aged goat cheddar and the cryovaced Caerphilly of days long ago in our cheese journey)… now days, if it’s not a 3 or 4 Paws cheese, we just keep our thoughts to ourselves…
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