Run Date: July 1, 2009
By Stacey Adams-Zier
David Gremmels and Cary Bryant, cheesemakers at Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Oregon, had no cheesemaking experience when they first started in 2002. A year later, they created Rogue River Blue, an intriguing cheese that won first place in the blue category at the World Cheese Awards and in 2004 won the blue category at the American Cheese Society conference. Today, they continue to mesmerize us with new, groundbreaking blue cheeses and are the first cheesemakers in the United Sates to be granted an exportation license for a raw milk cheese.
This pair certainly worked their wonders when they produced Rogue River Blue, their most expensive blue and one that I consider to be the most distinctive blue cheese made in America. The original mold strain developed by Tom Vella in 1957 is still introduced into the curds.
Handmade in the style of Roquefort using milk of grass-fed Jersey and Holstein cows from the local Umpqua Dairy, the wheels are aged in the cave for 8 to 12 months. The cheese’s moisture is preserved by hand-wrapping the wheels in grape leaves soaked in pear brandy.
It hits every one of my sensory receptors: its creamy texture collides with buttery and salty flavors and as I approach the rind the aroma from the pear brandy-macerated leaves makes my head begin to swoon.
If you’re enjoying the cheese alone, pair it with a refined dessert wine, such as a Sauternes or botrytised [boh-TRY-tihsd] Sauvignon Blanc (this is a description of wines that have a sweet, uniquely aromatic, honeyed characteristic in both flavor and fragrance. This trait is caused by grapes that have been infected with a mold known as BOTRYTIS CINEREA.)
If you’d like to make the ultimate Fourth of July Burger, stuff some Rogue River Blue in the center of a plump, juicy burger grilled to perfection. Top it with a juicy grilled tomato and sweet Maui onion and there you’ll have the ultimate burger.
Red, White and Blue Burgers
Makes 4 burgers:
1 pound lean ground beef (preferably 80-85% fat)
6 ounces Rogue River Blue Cheese, divided
Kosher Salt and Pepper, to taste
4 Thick slices fresh beefsteak tomatoes
1 large Sweet Onion (preferably Maui onion), thickly sliced
Extra virgin olive oil (for grilling)
Wet your hands and divide the beef into 4 even portions. For each portion, flatten into a patty, make an indention in the middle and fill with Rogue River Blue cheese. Mold the beef around the cheese to completely encase it. Season with salt and pepper.
Put the sliced tomatoes on oiled (extra virgin olive oil preferred) foil or in a foil pie tin.
Place the stuffed burgers on a prepared, hot grill and cook until done to your liking, about 5-8 minutes per side. Place tomatoes on the hot grill and heat.
To serve, top the burgers with tomatoes and onions and serve immediately.
Wabash Cannonball, a small ball-shaped goat cheese is produced by Master cheesemaker, Judy Schad of Capriole Farms in Greenville, Indiana. Capriole is one of the first artisan producers of aged, raw milk goat cheeses in the U.S. and one of its greatest advocates.
“We believe cheeses achieve their ultimate complexity and depth of flavor when they reflect the natural biodiversity of animals and place. We make our fresh, ripened, and aged chèvres by hand, right here, using only the milk of our own herd.”
Each 3-ounce ball or “boulet” (which translates to “cannonball”) is dusted with a light coating of ash and P. candidum mold which will, over the next 10 to 21 days, produce a semi-soft paste with a gentle, creamy, slightly acidic flavor.
It’s definitely denser, creamier, and mellower than your average fresh goat cheese and when right out of the aging room resembles more a snowball than a cannonball. But, with a little age it will start to wrinkle and harden, revealing the dark ash below the snowy white rind and look more like a small rock or cannonball.
Pair the Wabash Cannonball with whites such as Champagne (Blanc de Noirs), California Sauvignon Blanc, and Grűner Veltliner or reds such as California Zinfandel.
Chèvres are wonderful in summer salads especially when paired with fresh berries. Why not dress up your Fourth of July Celebration with my All-American Salad with Chèvre, Mint and Fresh Berries.
All-American Salad with Chèvre, Mint and Fresh Berries
Serves 4
1 Tablespoon strawberry preserves
2 Tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
½ cup light olive oil
3 small heads of Boston lettuce, washed and patted dry
½ cup fresh mint washed, dried, & torn by hand (to prevent the leaves from turning black)
½ pint strawberries, rinsed & topped, & sliced lengthwise
½ pint fresh blueberries, rinsed, stems removed
3 Wabash Cannonballs (you can substitute other fresh Chèvre)
In a small bowl, whisk together the strawberry preserves, balsamic vinegar and oil. Place the lettuce in a large mixing bowl and gently toss with the vinaigrette. Arrange the lettuce leaves in overlapping layers on a platter or individual salad plates. Sprinkle the sliced strawberries, blueberries and mint leaves on top and arrange wedges of Wabash Cannonballs on top the salad.
By Line: Stacey Adams-Zier is the Chef/Owner and Fromager of Tastings Gourmet Market and Artisanal Cheese Center located in Clock Tower Place, Annapolis, Md. She can be reached at 410.263.1324 or by visiting their website at http://www.TastingsGourmetMarket.com
