My travels take me all over the country and I constantly find new cheeses which I bring home for The Man and me to taste and hopefully enjoy. Recently in Nashville, I came across Sonoma Creamery’s 4 Year Raw Milk White Cheddar. I know Sonoma Jack and its flavor variations but I had never come across their “Estate Selections”… Cheddar being a favorite around The Manse I bought a couple of mini-loaves and brought them back to the Pacific Northwest… just an aside… have you noticed that every time you fill your checked baggage with cheese… it gets checked… by the TSA? Happens to me every time… but none is ever missing and I’ve never found any teeth marks…
Sonoma Creamery has been making cheese in Northern California since 1931. In addition to Sonoma Jack, the cheese that put the creamery on the map, and its many flavors, SC makes a line of Estate Selections, small batch cheddars including the 4 Year made with raw milk that is featured here. They also make a small batch USDA Certified Organic Cheddar that is aged 5 years.
As cheddar ages, it becomes more assertive and develops a complex profile: creamy, yet crumbly; sweet, yet tart; nutty with a fruity finish. This Sonoma Creamery cheddar had all those notes making it perfect for an array of uses:
First we simply snacked on it with 34 Degree Natural Crisps and Food by Bob’s Kadota Fig Spread.
As most of you know, one of my life long journeys is my search for the perfect pimento cheese spread… one step closer… I mixed two parts of the Sonoma Creamery 4 Year with one part Tillamook Medium Cheddar; added a dollop of mayo and a small jar of chopped pimentos (I always include the pimento brine). I blended it all and voila… another great pimento cheese.
Finally, I used the last mini-loaf to make cheese toast and
sprinkled some on Palmetto Farms stone ground grits, also topped with chopped fried chicken.
Obviously, The Man and I like this cheese, otherwise we wouldn’t have incorporated it into so many dishes and meals. When paired with the fig spread the tartness of the cheese balanced the honied figs perfectly. The robust 4 Year Cheddar and the Medium Tillamook Cheddar blended well to make another tasty pimento spread. Shredded atop bread, started the day well and finally on top of the grits with fried chicken, made a comforting dinner.
I give the Sonoma Creamery 4 Year Raw Milk White Cheddar 3 Paws.
Wine Pairing: A Sonoma Merlot.
Beer Pairing: An IPA
Source: Raw Cow’s Milk
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