Oser Communications Group

34 The Cheese Guide FEATURED PRODUCTS Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Coopera- tive's Dante Lamb is a 100 percent sheep milk American-made Manchego-style cheese. High quality sheep milk is produced on the small family farms of the mem- bers of the only dairy cooperative in the country dedicated to the production of sheep milk. Little brother of the coopera- tive's award winning Dante, Dante Lamb is produced in 40-pound blocks and aged six months or longer, developing a smooth firm texture and nutty flavor that's great for cooking or table use. Dante Lamb is the perfect intro- duction to sheep milk cheeses. Dante Lamb is available year around in 40-pound or five-pound blocks and eight- ounce random weight pieces. Dante Lamb is part of a large selec- tion of 100 percent sheep milk cheeses produced by Wis- consin Sheep Dairy Cooperative, including Cheddar, Parmesan and Asiago available in 40- and five-pound blocks or 10- pound wheels. Roquefort-style Blue is offered in six-pound wheels, and Mon- terey Jack is of- fered in plain or flavors: pepper, onion & chive and garlic & herb. Also available is a re- duced-fat moz- zarella and sheep milk butter. Wisconsin Sheep Dairy Cooperative 715.353.2575 www.sheepmilk.biz American-Made, Manchego-Style: Dante Lamb Legend holds that the first blue cheese was born in the natural caves of France, where ideal hu- midity and temperature conditions allowed native blue-green molds to flourish. Since 1936, that tradi- tion has lived on at the historic sandstone Caves of Faribault, the home of America's first blue cheese. The historic sandstone Caves of Faribault, located on a tall sandstone bluff overlooking the Straight River in the small town of Faribault, Minnesota, are home to three premium blue-veined cheeses available under the Am- aBlu ® , AmaGorg ® and St. Pete's Select ® product labels. The cheeses share similar pedi- grees but each varies slightly in physical attributes, flavor profile and degree of affinage, the art of cave-aging cheese. The cheese makers vary the types of starter cultures, process- ing conditions and aging temperatures to attain the desired profile, care- fully crafting cheeses by hand in traditional open vats. Each of these natural cheese wheels is pro- duced by hand from whole milk, hand salted, then cured and aged to its full po- tential. Every hand- made batch of the award winning Am- aBlu family of blue cheeses is cured and aged exclu- sively in the sand- stone Caves of Faribault. Swiss Valley Farms 563.468.6600 www.swissvalley.com www.cavesoffaribault.com The Historic Caves of Faribault and the AmaBlu Family of Cheeses Brick cheese is an American orig- inal and is among the first washed rind cheeses produced in the U.S. It was developed in 1877 by John Jossi, a Swiss born cheesemaker. As Jossi did, Joe Wid- mer uses real brick to press his cheese, the same bricks his grandfather used in 1922. After pressing, the cheese is placed in a salt brine for 11 hours, then moved to a warm, humid curing room where it is washed and turned daily for seven days. It is then packed in parchment paper and foil. It reaches peak fla- vor at four to five months. This semi-soft cheese has a pleasant, earthy flavor that in- tensifies with age. Widmer's Aged Brick is also avail- able with caraway seeds. Suggested retail price is $12.99 to $15.99/pound. Widmer's Cheese Cellars 888.878.1107 www.widmerscheese.com Widmer's Aged Brick Cheese Citrus Ginger BellaVitano ® is a de- lightful cheese that is hand rubbed with a unique and exotic blend of spices including ginger and citrus. The flavors work well with the slightly fruity, creamy, tangy notes of the BellaVitano cheese. The rind is meant to be eaten and part of the tasting experience. Sartori Cheese 612.356.4726 tmulterer@sartoricheese.com www.sartoricheese.com Citrus Ginger BellaVitano KC's KickAss Beer Cheese has brought a cultural phenomenon in Kentucky outside the state's borders to intro- duce beer cheese to the retail market in three delectable flavors – Original (Mild), KickAss Hot, Buffalo White. The secret to this delectable snack food lies in the cold processing, methodically adding the finest in- gredients at the perfect time and temperature for just the right amount of "kick!" At 90 calories per 2-tablespoon serving com- bined with premium Wisconsin sharp cheddar cheeses, custom blended spices and a splash of beer ensures a scrumptious guilt-free snack food. Served as a cold dip, it pro- motes healthy snacking with celery sticks, apples and carrots. Warmed up, it's a flavorful spread for ham- burgers, hot dogs and pretzels. Sold in 7-ounce containers with a sug- gested retail price of $4.99, you can rest assured it won't utilize its 180-day shelf life guarantee. KC's KickAss Beer Cheese 859.621.5911 www.kickassbeercheese.com A Snacking Favorite from Kentucky

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