What better way to start the party off than with one of my favorites (the cheese…. AND the selfie)!? So, hey yoooooo! My name is Izzy, and I am resident cheesemonger at a co-op in Nebraska. I majored in French and International Studies, studied abroad- and THEN really fell in love with cheese a couple of years later (great timing, right? Oh- we also lived in France when I was a kid, and my sister and I couldn’t stand going into the cheese shop because we thought it smelled fuuuuuunky. Who could have foreseen my love affair with fromage!? Certainly not the lovely fromagere, who always tried to lure us in with sample pieces of aged Mimolette! But I digress…). So, here I am today! Years down the line, and even years into my life as a cheesemonger (what!? I’ve been a college graduate for HOW long!? Don’t even mention high school!).
So, to kick this blog off- this is me! With one of my favorite cheeses, from one of my favorite US producers- Cypress Grove’s Humboldt Fog! Cypress Grove really has a knack for producing beauty- whether it’s the cheese (Humboldt Fog!), the flavor combinations (Purple Haze- chevre with lavender and fennel), or the label design (Midnight Moon! Don’t worry, she’s sure to guest star soon). So, let’s talk about Humboldt Fog:
Milk type- goat’s! and pasteurized
Rennet- microbial! (vegetarian friendly!)
Award winning- 25 awards. TWENTY FIVE! But just look at it- it’s a beautiful addition to any and every cheese plate ever
This beautiful baby is a mold ripened goat cheese with a line of edible vegetable ash down the middle (a la Morbier style). Younger wheels are pretty crumbly, and as it ages, the outside bits, right by the bloomy rind get runny which is awesome. In my humble opinion, the best way to eat this deliciousness is to slap it on a piece of warm, delicious fresh baked French style bread, and drizzle it with orange blossom honey. Or lavender honey. Or rosemary honey. You get the picture. Another idea? Prosciutto, Humboldt Fog and arugula pesto grilled cheese. IPAs are a good choice for this cheese, but I’m a pretty big fan of wheat beers, and think that the signature tang of goat cheeses + Boulevard Wheat is drool worthy!
Goat cheese tends to disappear most quickly in my fridge, and I bet that this one wouldn’t last too long in yours either so…. I recommend getting yourself to your nearest specialty cheese counter and once you’re there- treat yo’self!