Suburban Tasteland

The Cheese More People Choose

A recent business trip took me to a small town in Wisconsin this past weekend. When I think of Wisconsin, two things come to mind: 1. It’s cold there this time of year. And 2. Supposedly they make good cheese.

Both were true. We landed in a Madison to a winter wonderland of snow and cold. Also, there were signs and stores boasting delicious cheeses everywhere. Everywhere.

But after two days of meetings and seminars, it seemed time escaped us much too quickly. There was simply no time to explore the wintry environs of the Wisconsin Dells and take in the local culture and food (save for all the meat you can eat there).

But our sadness at a lost opportuity faded when we saw an enormous billboard on the way back to the airport boasting great Wisconsin cheese and sausages. We exited at the required location and pulled up to Ehlenbach's Cheese Chalet, a purveyor of local food and the requisite Wisconsin gifts (think overpriced plastic cheeseheads and sausages shaped and packaged like bottles of Milwaukee’s Best). The best thing about this chalet, which bears the appearance of a Bavarian shack, was that it welcomes visitors with an enormous fiberglass dairy cow outside the shop. We like that kind of stuff.

From experience, I’ve learned these types of places usually have great homegrown goods in addition to whatever their signature item is. In this case, many varieties of homemade jams were on sale, as well as some Door County (known for its cherries) favorites, such as cherry salsa, which is made with the county's best sour and sweet cherries, onions, peppers, and other savories. I picked up a small jar of spicy pickled garlic, also a product of Door County. Whole cloves of garlic are married with jalapenos, red peppers, and vinegar. I was told this should be eaten straight, but I hope to find some way to work it into a salad dressing or a pasta dish.

On to the cheese: The variety was almost too much to handle. You know how deciding on one or two things from a Chinese restaurant menu can be completely daunting? I had the same problem here. There were so much to choose from. You had the basic cheeses—cheddar, havarti, aged homegrown varieties. Then there were fruity and chocolate cheeses, and others with various flavores and added elements. I wanted to go for something simple so I could truly enjoy the creaminess and flavor of the cheese. I went for a half pound of the Wisconsin havarti. Adjacent to the cheese counter was an ample selection of cured meats, and in this case it was their award-winning peppery hard salami that caught my eye. I got a half pound.

AC’s facial expression alone told me I had made the right choices. The sausage was indeed hard, but peppery and chewy. And the cheese was unbelievably fresh and creamy. Though havarti is a mild cheese, it had enough flavor and punch to marry nicely with the spicy sausage.

If you’re in the Madison, Wisc. area, check out Ehlenbach’s at:

4879 County Road V
Junction V & I-90-94 (Exit 126)
DeForest, WI 53532
(608) 846-4791

Or order it online at:
www.ehlenbachscheese.com

—AKC

Triple Cream Dream

The DC food media love to hype up new restaurants to the point of extreme oversaturation. And when that happens, our inclination is avoid the subjects of such abundance praise.

Of course, there are exceptions.

While AC scoffed at the notion of trying out the new outpost of California-based Cowgirl Creamery after weeks of incessant hype, I was intrigued and went there with a friend.

I love cheese, and because I know very little about all the varieties, I went into this shopping excursion with an extremely open mind and pretty much ready to buy anything the proprietors said I might like.

Upon walking in, I was already intrigued by a few wrapped wedges of cheese, jarred preserves and jams, and lovely varieties of crackers, olive oil, and other cheese companions placed near the front counter.

But the real action was taking place in the back, where a couple of women, dressed in their chef gear, were offering tastes of just about anything, and ringing things up like mad. At one counter, one of the cheesemongers enthusiastically offered, “would you like to try our homemade cottage cheese?!”

Normally, I would make the throw-up pantomime when the words “cottage cheese” are uttered. Thanks to a few college friends who would pile a generous scoop of it on top of canned peaches or Jell-O as part at the dining hall, my opinion of cottage cheese has always been rather low. Plus I never liked the texture and tanginess of it. But again, with an open mind, I tried it, and it was insanely creamy and only had a slight bit of tang. This stuff would KILL in a lasagna.

Interest piqued, I moved over to where several customers were hovering over massive wedges and wheels of cheese. I decided that I didn’t want something so novel that I wouldn't be able to eat it in large quantities. I enjoy the bries and the camemberts and the blues indiscriminately, so I wanted something accessible like my favorites, but also something with a different flavor or texture. I explained my needs to the cheesemonger, and she replied, “Oh, you’ll want our Mt. Tam; it’s our signature cheese, and it’s a triple cream.” Well, I am down for anything that is “signature.” To me, that means “nothing tastes quite like it because we make it right here.” I tried some, and after it instantaneously melted in my mouth (think brie without the pungent taste and way way creamier—just a clean, fresh, cheese), I picked up a wedge. Even the once-skeptical AC said it was the best cheese he'd ever tasted, and he reserves such superlatives for very special situations.

I also wanted something made with raw cow’s milk. Why? I don’t know, it just sounded like a good idea at the time, so I bought some Constant Bliss purely on the nice lady's recommendation. Constant Bliss, which is from a farm in the Pacific Northwest somewhere, is a bit firmer than the Mt. Tan, tastes a tiny bit sharp, but was also very creamy and fresh. Both cheeses paired nicely with the Mitica Fig Jam I picked up.

Check out Cowgirl Creamery:

919 F Street NW
Washington, DC
(202) 393-6880