Top Pick Of The Week

August 4, 2009

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Cheese Curds

A great Cheddar recipe makes great cheese curds, too. Photography courtesy of Beehive Cheese Co.

WHAT IT IS: Artisan flavored Cheddars from Utah.
WHY IT’S DIFFERENT: Creative approaches to classic cheeses.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The Utah “terroir,” the buttery flavor of the cheeses and the “buzz” we get from having such fun with these cow’s milk cheeses.
WHERE TO BUY IT: BeehiveCheese.com.
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Beehive Cheese
Page 3: Cheese Curds & More

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INDEX OF REVIEW

MORE TO DISCOVER

More Buzz From The Beehive

 

Promontory Cheddar

Promontory is an Irish-style Cheddar, named after Promontory Summit, the historic location in Utah where the United States’ first transcontinental railroad was officially completed on May 10, 1869, as the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Rail Road lines were linked. Sixty-six miles northwest of Salt Lake City, it was part of a large detour to circumvent the Great Salt Lake. Too bad there was no Promontory Cheddar at the celebration. Buttery and slightly sharp, the fruitiness here is more citrus-like than pineapple.

 

Promontory Cheese
Promontory is buttery, Irish-style Cheddar

Promontory is also made in flavored versions, including Bandaged Cajun Rubbed, Caraway, Habanero, Rosemary, and Smoked with English Walnut Shells and Apples. These are produced in limited supply; we got some of the Bandaged Cajun Rubbed, loved it, and can’t wait to try the other flavors.

Aged for a minimum of eight months, Promontory Cheddar won the 1st Place Award for Aged Cheddar at the Idaho Milk Producers Association Annual Competition in 2008 (besting Cheddars from six Western states). Bandaged Cajun Rubbed won 2nd Place, Cheese Flavored with Pepper, at the American Cheese Society Annual Competition in 2008. Promontory Cheddar—Smoked with English Walnut Shells and Apples won 3rd Place in the Smoked Cheese category at the American Cheese Society Annual Competition in 2008.

SeahiveSeahive Cheddar

The newest cheese on the shelf, Seahive represents the local flavors of  “the land of salt and honey” (Utah has plenty of both). Seahive is hand-rubbed with local wildflower honey (the bees visit fruit orchards as well as the wildflowers) and Redmond RealSalt, from an ancient sea bed near Redmond, Utah, approximately 200 miles south of Salt Lake City. At some point during the Jurassic era, a range of volcanoes erupted, sealing the sea bed. The salt that is extracted today is pure, flavorful and flecked with color that represents more than 50 natural trace minerals.

Local honey, sold at Beehive Cheese Co., and ancient sea
salt from Redmond, Utah, are rubbed onto Cheddar to make
Seahive.

Squeaky Bee Cheese Curds

One of the great offshoots of Cheddar production are cheese curds—fresh curds of Cheddar, before they have the chance to be molded into the wheels and aged into Cheddar cheese. Good cheese curds are one of our favorite snacks—plain or with a beer. The “squeakiness” of curds proves how fresh they are (although we’ve eaten curds that are a couple of days old and no longer squeak, and we’re just as happy not to have our food “talk back” to us). Depending on the moment, you may find the curds in flavors including Dill, Habanero, Ragin’ Cajun and Rosemary. Get them all—you’ll love them! (Photo above.)

Uintah Jack

Monterey Jack isn’t the only Jack cheese: Uintah Jack is here to give another sense of place to this popular cheese. Named after the town where the cheese is made, this Jack is aged for a minimum of one year. A low moisture cheese, it adds a finer touch to recipes that call for Jack cheese (cheese enchiladas, quesadillas and stuffed poblanos, for example). When it’s in stock, try the red/green jalapeño and habanero limited editions. If you’re a fan of Jack cheese, you should also check out the noteworthy Vella Dry Monterey Jack and the history of Monterey Jack—named after one David Jacks. (See photo of Uintah Jack on Page 2.)

One could have a cheese-tasting party just to celebrate the oeuvre of Beehive Cheese. One could do that on January 4, to celebrate the day that Utah was admitted as the 45th state in the Union, in 1896. But between now and then, one would be deprived of a lot of great cheese.

—Karen Hochman

BEEHIVE CHEESE CO.

Artisan Cheeses

  • Box O Cheese
    A Sampling Of Most Varieties
    $55.00
  • Party Box
    The Cheeses Plus Honey & Rusks
    $70.00
  • Other Options Available

Purchase online* at BeehiveCheese.com

Or telephone 1.801.476.0900 MT

Cheese Gift Box
Party Box.

*Prices and product availability are verified at publication but are subject to change. Shipping is additional. These items are offered by a third party and THE NIBBLE has no relationship with them. Purchase information is provided as a reader convenience.

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