Washed Rinds!

Personal Note: There was a meeting in my area about the future of the historic Brown Dairy, which is going to be a working farm once more, and folks were wondering if there was anyone around wanting to get into dairy. My name came up, and while it's so out of bounds for what I want or can do right now, it is really nice to be thought of. I'm always coming up with different versions of my future, and how dairy will play a role in it. I don't know where I'll end up, but I know I'll be eating really good cheese at least!

Speaking of really good cheese... (flawless segue) how about one of my favorite kinds of cheese; washed rinds! Yum. A washed rind cheese is anything that is bathed with a salty and/or boozy liquid while it ages. These cheeses tend to start out semi-firm in texture and get softer and often gooey as they age. The washing keeps the surface of the cheese moist and sealed up so they don't dry out. I think washing started as a way to keep cheeses from drying out, or maybe I made that up.

Washed rinds have a pink/orange tacky surface, lower acidity and, woah man, a funky aroma. These traits are all thanks to brevibacterium linens or b. linens which thrive in the moist salty environment created on the rind and are encouraged to grow. Powdered culture is sometimes added to the wash mixture to make sure the b. linens out compete any nasty bacteria.

Here's some cool stuff the internet taught me: b. linens actually release the same aromatic molecules as bacteria on your feet! So that powerful smell isn't just like sweaty socks, it's truly the same (and both are a proven mosquito attractant - boo!).

A sub category of washed rinds are smear ripened cheeses. These are the ones with culture added to the wash or, better yet, made by rubbing old developed cheeses on younger cheeses to share that sticky b. linens goodness.

Here's some notes on the washed rind cheeses I've had recently:

Dorset, raw cow's milk
   Consider Bardwell Farm, Pawlet, Vermont

This guy has a creamy yellow color, I'm thinking Jersey milk (which is probably the yellowist of the yellow milks). It's got a pink-tinged paste-y rind. Looks to be from about an 8x2" wheel. Aromatic! Soft, buttery texture that cuts cleanly. Pungent and slightly acidic flavor, with an approachable level of old sock (which I love).





Grayson, raw cow's milk
   Meadow Creek Dairy, Galax, Virginia

Yellow, yellow, yellow! Many irregular shaped, small holes throughout. From a square wheel (is that an oxy-moron?) Pastey orange rind. Thick and slightly tongue-coating texture. Floral and a little sharp background flavor. Crispy, crystal filled rind. Even funkiness throughout. Heavy duty creamy, is this more than just whole milk? This is too easy to eat. A little ammonia aftertaste, which might be a sign of mishandling, but I almost like it.





Ardrahan, pastuerized cow's milk
   Ardrahan Farmhouse, County Cork, Ireland

Woah soft & stinky. Almost melty at room temperature. Pale tan/yellow in color, maybe from a 9x1" wheel. Holy crap! That is a potent cheese, like stinky socks in a brand new shoe. It's too much for me. I'm thinking this poor cheese is not at its best. I'll have to get a better representation later. Yikes.

Fontina Val D'Aosta, raw cow's milk
  Aosta Valley, Italy

This is one of those classic cheeses that is no longer the name of just one specific cheese but has come to represent a controlled, regional variety of cheese. In this case Fontina, which is a pretty common 'type' of cheese. The Fontina Val D'Aosta (Fontina of the Aosta valley, in the alps) is only applied to the original type fontina, with its Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). So it's the real deal. It has a creamy tan color interior and brown, dusty-white rind. From about a 4.5x2.5" wheel. Soft but sturdy texture. Good level of stink, a balanced pungency. A very balanced cheese on all accounts.

Tomme du Berger, raw sheep's and goat's milk
   France/Italy  (produced in Sardenia, aged in Provence, Herve Mons Affineur)

Here is another one of those convoluted cheese production situations that make categorizing and learning about cheese systematically really difficult. Often in cheese making it is the aging process, not the 'making' that has the most to do with a final product. The aging of cheeses is a craft called affinage, and some people (affineurs) only age cheeses. This has been happening for so long that some famous cheeses (this included) must be aged in a specific cave, by a specific affineur to be the cheese we know them to be, despite being 'made' in the same place, by the same people. Confused yet? Let's just say, for some cheeses, its a two step process that needs to be the same on both ends to get the expected result. This little cheese has to cross country lines if it wants to be Tomme du Beger! Whew.
The result is a 4x1.5" wheel with a nice ribbed pattern from the draining basket and a bright orange rind. It has a pale interior and sweet aroma. What a lovely sweet sheep-y flavor! Very fresh tasting and quite salty. Flavors of fresh cut grass.Smooth but firm with a lovely flavor through the rind. I think my piece might be a hair on the young side.



Dono Mariano, raw goat's milk
   Extremadura, Spain

Goat-white interior, medium tan to pink/orange rind. Semi-firm cheese with a smooth, drier texture. It's got that fresh goat flavor that I love! Piquant, but not overwhelmingly pungent. A bit too salty for me. Really delicious full flavored, with a spring freshness and light acidity. I'm such a goat lover, I can't help but love a cheese like this.









Cabra Raiano, pasteurized goat's milk
   Casa Lusa, Alentejo, Portugal

Wow, melty power! A wonderful little cheese. Firm, solid golden rind, supporting a melty gooey center (goat white of course). It leaks out of the rind in a really appetizing way. Probably the kind of cheese you would cut the top rind off to make an open bowl with the spoonable interior exposed.
Here is a little bit of heaven. Not too salty, a little bitter earth tone, yet fresh and clean. Strong but not offensive aroma. It's got a perfect light acidity. Background flavors of fresh hay and citrus. From a stout little 4x3" wheel. This is the kind of cheese that makes me slap the table and say 'damn!' literally. Back, front, middle, it's all good.