We’ve already covered soft, gooey cheeses<\/a> (like \u00c9poisses<\/a> and Vacherin Mont d\u2019Or<\/a>), semi-soft, fudgy cheeses<\/a> (most blues and block cheddars), semi-soft, spreadable cheeses<\/a> (fresh ch\u00e8vre<\/a>, Camembert<\/a>, and cream cheese), semi-firm, crumbly cheeses<\/a> (think ricotta salata, cotija<\/a>, and Caerphilly<\/a>), firm, toothsome cheeses<\/a> (such as Comt\u00e9<\/a>, Gruy\u00e8re<\/a>, and aged block cheddars), and hard, flaky cheeses<\/a> (e.g. gouda<\/a> and clothbound cheddar<\/a>).<\/p>\n Next up in our guide is Soft, Dollopy Cheeses.<\/strong>. This is cheese you can scoop out and, with a flick of the wrist, dollop onto something. The cheese should not be sticky, gooey, or sretchy. Dollopy cheeses may be firmer when chilled, resembling heavy cream whipped into stiff peaks; when warmed, dollopy cheeses may soften and may eventually separate. Examples include fromage blanc, ricotta<\/a>, and mascarpone<\/a>.<\/p>\n One bite of these decadent, Wisconsin-made fresh curds and any association with diet food will fly out the window. In fact, Westby Cooperative Creamery\u2019s rich cottage cheese is reason to reexamine the brown-bag lunch staple\u2014try blending the adaptable ingredient into a dip or casserole. Cow\u2019s milk for the creamy cheese is processed and delivered fresh daily from nearby dairy farm member-owners\u2014many are second-, third-, and fourth-generation milkmen. (Apparently, neighboring creameries wave white flags: Westby is the only cottage cheese producer in America\u2019s Dairyland.) Its Best of Class win at the 2015 United States Championship Cheese Contest\u2014topping other finalists with a near-perfect score\u2014echoes its gold-medal victory at the 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Cream, milk, sweet Fresh off a win at the 2015 United States Championship Cheese Contest, this sweet-sour yogurt by Hudson Valley\u2019s Old Chatham Sheepherding Company\u2014the largest sheep dairy farm in the US\u2014is pure pleasure in a cup. The rich treat is made with pasteurized, naturally homogenized milk from a flock of 2,000 East Friesians<\/a> that graze on 600 acres of organic pasture; live, active cultures; and ingredients such as vanilla bean, maple syrup, crystallized ginger, and, of course, the starring fruit, plucked from cherry orchards in upstate New York and made into jam at Vermont\u2019s Sidehill Farm<\/a>. (Not in the ingredient list? Gums, stabilizers, or artificial thickeners.)<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, the black lambs on Old Chatham\u2019s green label, also seen on the company\u2019s sheep\u2019s milk cheeses\u2014Camembert<\/a>, Ewe\u2019s Blue<\/a>, and soft-ripened Kinderhook Creek<\/a>\u2014have all but achieved celebrity status since the creamery opened in 1993.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Cream, sweet, tart, tangy It only makes sense that a fourth-generation cheesemaking family with Italian roots produces this history-making pasteurized cow\u2019s milk ricotta. At the 2014 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix Awards, Bella Casara ricotta was the first fresh cheese and the first Ontario-made cheese to clinch the Grand Champion title; it also earned a category nod in the 2015 contest. These accolades are well-deserved: The Borgo brothers, owners of Quality Cheese, have backgrounds in agricultural science (Joseph) and cheesemaking (William), and each brings a unique set of skills to the table, resulting in consistently great cheeses that outshine the competition.<\/p>\n Ricotta may seem like an easy cheese to make, but the Borgos\u2019 craftsmanship turns the ordinary sublime. They press Bella Casara ricotta into small forms and place the cheese in baskets, allowing whey to drain off. The finished product almost has the texture of wet clay, but its bright, sweet flavor is as light as a cloud.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Milk, tangy, sweet Growing up, Helen Dorresteyn loved to eat boysenberry ice cream in the summer, and today it still reminds her of sitting in a hot, sticky car returning home from the beach. This childhood treat inspired her husband, Richard, to mix boysenberries from Hawkes Bay into their lightly sweetened buffalo\u2019s milk yogurt.<\/p>\n Launched in 2014, the new variety was an instant success\u2014so much so that it took the yogurt crown in this year\u2019s New Zealand Champions of Cheese Awards. The Dorresteyns were the first New Zealanders to import water buffalo, specifically to make fresh cheeses. (Check out our Autumn 2015 photo essay on their whole operation here<\/a>!)<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people here still don\u2019t know there are buffalo in the country, so to win the top yogurt award proves it really is beautiful milk,\u201d Helen says. \u201cWe take tremendous care to make yogurt that isn\u2019t overly sweet\u2014the way it feels in your mouth is divine. It\u2019s quite light, but at the same time rich and velvety, because the buffalo milk is high in fat.\u201d<\/p>\n Cheese Awards deputy chief judge Russell Smith agrees, noting the yogurt\u2019s superb balance between acidic tang and clean fruit flavors and its deliciously thick texture.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Fruit, cream, tangy Silky-smooth like cream cheese but with a lighter mouthfeel, tangy like che\u0300vre yet tame enough to charm goat cheese doubters: Che\u0300vre Oh-la-la is a versatile fromage blanc that\u2019s ideal for cooking (whip it with a bit of sugar for frosting) or eating straight from the tub (it\u2019s also stellar at breakfast with pastries or berries).<\/p>\n Though Montchevre\u0301 moved its corporate offices to California, the company still produces goat cheeses (50 varieties and counting!) as it has since the 1980s: in Wisconsin, with milk sourced from more than 360 area dairy farms.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Cream, fresh milk, slightly sour BelGioioso founder and president Errico Auricchio immigrated to the US in 1979 with a singular goal: to produce superior Italian cheeses in his new country. To achieve this, he brought with him two master cheesemakers, Mauro Rozzi and Gianni Toffolon (both of whom still work for BelGioioso). Since then, the company\u2014now run by Auricchio\u2019s great-grandson\u2014has become one of the nation\u2019s leading producers of fresh and aged Italian cheeses. BelGioioso was the first American creamery to make mascarpone, and it remains the largest producer of the cheese in the country. Its Crema di Mascarpone is softer and sweeter than the classic variety, with a cloudlike consistency fit for baking and dessert applications. (Cupcake frosting, anyone?)<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Butter, fresh cream, slightly sweet Creamy and rich, with a delicate flavor reminiscent of sweet cream butter, this cow\u2019s milk ricotta is the \u201cultimate pride of our cheeses,\u201d according to Calabro Cheese Corp.\u2019s website. Using Grade A Vermont farm milk, cheesemakers at the 43-year-old Connecticut-based operation scoop and package fresh curds by hand in perforated metal baskets, helping earn the fluffy white cones designation as Best Ricotta at the 2015 United States Championship Cheese Contest. Though Calabro was reportedly the first Italian cheese company in the country to develop fat-free ricotta FLAVORS:<\/strong> Butter, cream, sweet Wisconsin\u2019s Hidden Springs Creamery is one of few farmstead sheep dairies in the US and where Dean and Brenda Jensen have been crafting cheese\u2014including Driftless\u2014for eight years. Initially, they didn\u2019t plan on flavoring the fresh curds, but after some inspiring trips to the farmers\u2019 market over the years, the Jensens have developed six varieties.<\/p>\n Honey Lavender Driftless is made simply, with few ingredients. Milk from the farm\u2019s East Friesian<\/a> and Lacaune<\/a> sheep mingles with \u201ca bit of culture and rennet\u201d for 24 hours, Brenda says. The curds are drained for an additional day and then she adds honey and lavender to taste.<\/p>\n \u201cWe eat a lot of cheese around here,\u201d Brenda says, laughing. The flavor of Honey Lavender Driftless is light and sweet, with depth from woodsy lavender and floral notes from the honey.<\/p>\n FLAVORS:<\/strong> Fresh-cut wood, sweet cream, honey Check out the best soft, dollopy cheeses of 2015!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":28744,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27800],"tags":[],"coauthors":[842],"class_list":["post-28737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-awards"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"westby_cottagecheese_lrg\"](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Westby_CottageCheese_lrg.jpg\")
\nWestby Cottage Cheese<\/em><\/div>\n4% Small Curd Cottage Cheese<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Top these pillow-tender curds with fresh fruit or nuts for breakfast or with tomato and cucumber slices for lunch. At dinner, ladle the cheese on a baked potato with black pepper and chives or bake it into lasagna.<\/p>\n
\nAmerican Cherry Sheep\u2019s Milk Yogurt<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Crumble toasted graham cracker on top for instant cherry cheesecake.<\/p>\n![\"oldchatham_americancherryyogurt_lrg\"](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/OldChatham_AmericanCherryYogurt_lrg.jpg\")
Old Chatham American Cherry Sheep’s Milk Yogurt<\/em><\/div>\nBella Casara Ricotta<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Simple is best when it comes to this fresh cheese\u2014top it with fresh berries, a honey drizzle, and a sprig of mint for a satisfying start to the day. For a late afternoon snack, couple the light curds with an equally effervescent glass of vinho verde.<\/p>\n
\nBuffalo Boysenberry Yogurt<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> \u201cJust rip off the top and eat it,\u201d Helen says. Or, for a more decadent breakfast, spoon it atop your muesli or granola.<\/p>\n![\"bellacasararicotta_lrg\"](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/BellaCasaraRicotta_lrg.jpg\")
\nBella Casara Ricotta<\/em><\/div>\nChe\u0300vre Oh-la-la<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Daub this cool, creamycheese on piquant dried peaches.<\/p>\n
\nCrema di Mascarpone<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Showcase this triple cream\u2019s flavor with fresh berries and a sprinkle of orange zest.<\/p>\n
\nHand-Dipped Ricotta<\/h2>\n
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\ncheese with no added salt or preservatives, this real-deal, full-fat version\u2014manufactured exclusively for gourmet specialty shops\u2014is worth the splurge.<\/p>\n
\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> A vital ingredient in Italian cuisine (lasagna, manicotti, ravioli), this cheese loves tomato sauce and fresh herbs. But serve it with freshly sliced strawberries or dark chocolate to satisfy a sweet tooth.<\/p>\n![\"hiddensprings_honeylavenderdriftless_lrg\"](\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/HiddenSprings_HoneyLavenderDriftless_lrg.jpg\")
\nHidden Springs Honey Lavendar Driftless<\/em><\/div>\nHoney Lavender Driftless<\/h2>\n
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\nPERFECT PAIRING:<\/strong> Enhance the sweetness and earthiness of these fluffy curds with crunchy Effie\u2019s Corncakes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"