We covered our hard, flaky cheeses<\/a> like gouda and clothbound cheddar last month, so let’s to move on to Semi-Soft, Fudgy Cheeses<\/strong>. Fudgy cheeses are easily mashed to a paste. They will not bounce back when pressed, but will collapse under pressure; however, they are too firm to spread without damage to a cracker. At room temperature the cheese will maintain its shape but may release drops of moisture. Examples of semi-soft, fudgy cheeses include young block cheddars, most blue-veined cheeses, and Colby Jack.<\/p>\n Westfield Farm has been turning out these aged che\u0300vre nuggets for more than three decades. During this time, the farm has changed hands and increased total cheese production to 2,000 pounds per week, and Bluebonnet<\/a> has picked up several awards, including a 1996 Best of Show and a 2015 first-place ribbon at the American Cheese Society Judging & Competition.<\/p>\n While the paste of most blue cheeses is pierced with Penicillium roqueforti<\/i>, Bluebonnet is inoculated with the mold and left to age\u2014resulting in a velvety, slate-blue rind with fluffy, bone-white paste free of veins. In fact, it\u2019s made following the same process as Westfield Farm\u2019s Classic Blue Log<\/a>, just on a smaller scale. Bluebonnet\u2019s petite proportion yields a higher rind-to-paste ratio, which produces a sharper flavor\u2014an added bonus.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Lemon, earth, minerals \u201cIt dissolves on the tongue like chocolate,\u201d says Glengarry Fine Cheese owner Margaret Peters-Morris of her Celtic Blue Reserve, a creamy blue cow\u2019s milk cheese that nabbed Best of Show at the American Cheese Society Judging & Competition this summer. Reserve is a spin on Celtic Blue, a cheese that Peters-Morris and head cheesemaker Wilma Klein-Swormink have been making since 2008. Enriched with cream, Celtic Blue Reserve has a smooth paste and a shorter aging period (two and a half months) than the original, which is more crumbly after aging between three and six months.<\/p>\n The recipe, says Peters-Morris, comes from her time in France and England, where she studied cheesemaking and was particularly taken by blue cheeses like Stilton and Roquefort. Celtic Blue Reserve is a happy medium between those heavyweights.<\/p>\n It\u2019s \u201cnot too soft, not too hard,\u201d and mellow with a nice balance of salt and milk, Peters-Morris says. \u201cIt\u2019s quite complex\u2014but everything comes in layers.\u201d<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Cherries, hazelnuts, brown butter One of the West Coast\u2019s preeminent cheese, butter, and ice cream factories debuted more than 100 years ago as the Tillamook County Creamery Association. Sourcing its milk from cows that munch lush coastal grass at nearly 100 dairy farms located on Oregon\u2019s Northern Coast, the company retains its co-op roots. Tillamook\u2019s triumphant marbled Colby Jack<\/a> is a hybrid of the Midwest\u2019s beloved Colby and California\u2019s native Monterey Jack\u2014washing the curds reduces acidity, producing a cheese that\u2019s compact, milky, and ideal for snacking and melting.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Butter, slightly tart \u201cI like to lay out a cheese board without telling anyone what the cheeses are,\u201d says Elaine Foran, one half of cheese producer Alex James Presents. \u201cWe knew Goddess was a winner as it was always the first to go.\u201d<\/p>\n A queen at this year\u2019s British Cheese Awards, Goddess\u2014made by White Lake Cheese for Alex James Presents\u2014took home Best Washed Rind and the number two spot overall as Reserve Supreme Champion. But celebrity for this cheese is par for the course considering its pedigree: Foran\u2019s partner-in-cheese is Alex James, bassist for Britpop band Blur, while the cider brandy used to wash this Guernsey-milk treat is sourced from Julian Temperley, father of British fashion designer Alice Temperley.<\/p>\n Guernsey milk, renowned for its high cream content, supplies Goddess with its yellow cast FLAVORS:<\/strong> Butter, cream, citrus In 2007, cheesemaker Barry Charlton made a bold move. He\u2019d been producing soft, bloomy-rind cheeses for a large manufacturer for 17 years and yearned to branch out on his own. So he decided to specialize in blue cheese\u2014even though he\u2019d never made the style before. The gamble paid off: Today, Berrys Creek Gourmet Cheese is recognized as one of Australia’s best blue makers.<\/p>\n Charlton crafts and ages half a dozen different blues on his farm in Gippsland; in early 2012, after perfecting several cow\u2019s milk versions, he added the goat\u2019s milk Rowefords Blue to the line. It clinched the Champion Goat\u2019s or Sheep\u2019s Milk Cheese title at the Australian Grand Dairy Awards (AGDA) in both 2014 and 2015.<\/p>\n Rowefords Blue retains some of the chalkiness of a young goat\u2019s milk cheese after about 12 weeks of aging, but at peak maturity of four months its texture softens and a slightly sweet finish balances spicy flavors.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a blue cheese, it\u2019s relatively mild,\u201d says AGDA deputy chief judge Russell Smith. \u201cBut it\u2019s beautifully balanced with complex nuances of flavor that dance across the tongue.\u201d<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Salty, spicy, savory Crafted with raw cow\u2019s milk and wrapped meticulously in local fig leaves soaked in Chattanooga whiskey<\/a>, Shakerag Blue<\/a> \u201charnesses the essence of Tennessee valley,\u201d says Sequatchie Cove Creamery co-owner and cheesemaker Padgett Arnold. What\u2019s more, its production is a community effort: Supporters help harvest leaves near the fertile Shakerag Hollow, \u201cmany trading their goods for cheese,\u201d says Arnold, who opened the dairy at Sequatchie Cove Farm in 2010 with her husband, Nathan.<\/p>\n Available in late-summer through winter, four- to five-pound wheels of the Southern belle are aged 100 days or more, allowing the creamy yet semi-crumbly paste to develop a spicy tang that finishes sweet with a subtle botanical fragrance. The farmstead cheese claimed a Best of Class at the 2015 United States Championship Cheese Contest and a 2015 Good Food Award\u2014not bad for a boozer born in Prohibition-era moonshine territory.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Coconut, root beer, chocolate![\"Westfield_Bluebonnet_lrg\"](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Westfield_Bluebonnet_lrg.jpg\")
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\nWestfield Farm Bluebonnet<\/a><\/em><\/center><\/p>\nBluebonnet<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Smear slices of Bluebonnet on Simple & Crisp Dried Pear Crisps for a revelatory mouthful that balances sweetness and tang.<\/p>\n
\nCeltic Blue Reserve<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Spread Celtic Blue Reserve on sourdough toast or do as Peters-Morris does and crumble it over a plain burger\u2014but don\u2019t let ketchup and mustard interfere.<\/p>\n![\"Tillamook_ColbyJack_lrg1\"](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Tillamook_ColbyJack_lrg1.jpg\")
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\nTillamook Colby Jack<\/a><\/em><\/center><\/p>\nColby Jack<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Granny Smith apple slices balance the creamy, butterfat-rich cheese and cleanse the palate\u2014put fruit and curds between pieces of rustic walnut pain au levain for a serious grilled cheese.<\/p>\n
\nGoddess<\/h2>\n
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\nand buttery texture; Foran likens the cheese to a French Chaumes. Alex James Presents has been in the cheesemaking business for five years and offers a curated selection of five artisan cheeses: Goddess; two goat\u2019s milk cheeses (also made by White Lake); the cow\u2019s milk Blue Monday; and sheep\u2019s milk Good Queen Maude.<\/p>\n
\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Goddess finds harmony with pear jelly and is truly divine baked and eaten with
\nbreadsticks and celery. Wash it down with Ruinart, Nyetimber, or another dry sparkling wine.<\/p>\n
\nRowefords Blue<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> On a hot day, Charlton likes a chunk of Rowefords Blue with a frosty glass of Natural Blonde from nearby craft brewery Grand Ridge\u2014but any citrus-tinged Belgian-style wheat beer will do.<\/p>\n![\"Glengarry_CelticBlueReserve_lrg\"](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Glengarry_CelticBlueReserve_lrg.jpg\")
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\nGlengarry Celtic Blue Reserve<\/em><\/center><\/p>\nShakerag Blue<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Shakerag Blue\u2019s coconut aroma and spiked sweetness pair well with dried fruits, including raisins and cherries\u2014or, sprinkle it over salads or black-pepper-crusted steak. Sip fine Chattanooga whiskey, barley wine, or root beer.<\/p>\n
\nSmooth Blue<\/h2>\n