The Petaluma cheeses you need to try

From soft and fresh, to wrapped in a buttery dough crust|

Comedian Jim Gaffigan is well known for food bits, from bacon to Hot Pockets. He revealed during an interview that the one food he could not go without is cheese.

If asked, that would not have been my first response, but upon reflection, especially when considering all the various styles and uses, I came to realize my “diet” would border on boring without cheese. Since hearing that interview, I pay more attention when visiting the cheese section at my local grocer or farmers market. And as we embark on the holiday season, several local cheesemakers are offering selections that are prefect for any holiday party appetizer tray, or simply to nibble while wrapping gifts.

Let’s begin with a new product from Marin French Cheese - baked brie en croute. For those who aren’t familiar, Marin French is the oldest continuously operated cheesemaker in the US. It was also the first non-French brie to beat France at their own game, taking home top honors for its brie back at the 2005 Crowned World Cheese Awards.

Wrapping Marin French’s legendary brie in croissant pastry dough from La Boulangerie de San Francisco, the baked brie en croute is simple yet decadent. A mere 25 minutes in the oven and this pre-made cheese dish is ready to serve. Your average host will usually surround their normal brie with crackers or small slices of hard bread, giving the impression that it’s somehow inappropriate to eat brie straight from the wheel. It also means fumbling with a small cheese knife while trying to top the ever-breaking crackers. In this alternative, by wrapping the brie in buttery, flakey dough, guests can simply cut themselves a wedge and be on their merry way. Because it also comes beautifully boxed, this cheesy dish makes a great house-warming gift.

Laura Chenel, Marin French’s sister company, creates an extensive line of goat cheeses, all of which will wow even the most ardent anti-goat-cheeser. From medallions to flavored logs to buchettes and goat brie, Laura Chenel’s collections are crowd pleasers. We recently discovered their cabecou, which are mini-pails filled with discs of dense goat cheese, marinated in oils and herbs. So far, we have only tried their black truffle cabecou. We devoured the tiny bucket in one sitting, and look forward to trying their herb cabecou and spicy cabecou.

Cottage Cheese

Cowgirl Creamery has also added to the holiday cheese options with a variety of soft cheeses, including the reintroduction of their famed clabbered cottage cheese.

Simply put, cheese is coagulated milk. Most cheese is drained and pressed, removing the whey, which is the liquid that puddles after the milk has curdled. Cottage cheese is a mild-flavored fresh cheese that is drained, but not pressed. It is not aged or colored, and because some of the whey remain, the curds come out loose and tender. Dieters tend to like it because it is low in fat and calories, and athletes like it because it is high in casein proteins. Interestingly, casein is responsible for releasing opiates during digestion called casomorphins, which recent scientific studies have shown to affect dopamine receptors, much like heroin or morphine. So, you may be bona fide in calling it a cheese “addiction.”

“Clabbered”

“Clabbered” is an old-fashion word for “cultured.” Cottage cheese that is mixed with cultured cream is referred to as “clabbered cottage cheese,” and is more velvety in texture and tangy in flavor than basic cottage cheese. Being more rich and creamy than average cottage cheese makes it hard to resist, whether mixed with sweet flavors, like fruit or honey, or savory flavors, like salt and pepper or granola.

Although it was a customer favorite dating back to 1998, due to limited production space Cowgirl Creamery discontinued its clabbered cottage cheese a while back, much to customers’ dismay. However, with the increased capacity of the new Petaluma facility, their clabbered cottage cheese is back on the shelves at most local grocers, and at Cowgirl’s San Frnacisco Ferry Building and Point Reyes Station shops.

Barbecue Chip Dip

I heard through the grapevine that Sue Conley, one of my food idols and Cowgirl’s co-founder, prefers consuming Cowgirl’s clabbered cottage cheese by scooping it up with barbecue chips. I am not normally a fan of cottage cheese, but Cowgirl’s is on a whole different level of deliciousness. Once barbecue chips were on the menu, I had to give the mix a try. Sue’s combo adds another layer of flavors and textures to an already excellent snack. We tried several brands of chips and found that the saltier options better complimented Cowgirl’s clabbered cottage cheese.

Fromage Blanc

Two other fresh cheese favorites from Cowgirl are their fromage blanc and crème fraiche. According to their label, fromage blanc is “cream cheese’s rich, cultured cousin.” Made with fresh whole milk instead of cream, fromage blanc is similar to cream cheese, but with less fat. It is great as a base for herb dips and Cowgirl even supplies recipe cards such as the roasted garlic and herb fromage blanc spread. With the addition of fruit, it is also served as a less-sweet dessert, like yogurt.

Crème Fraiche

A little tangier and thicker than whipped cream, crème fraiche is most similar to sour cream. Although, unlike sour creams, which usually contain thickening agents, crème fraiche relies on bacterial cultures, which makes it more fluid and definitely more sweet, although still on the tangy side. Because of its high fat content, it does not easily curdle, and so is often used in hot and savory French sauces. It is also used cold as the base for many desserts. Cowgirl Creamery’s Crème Fraiche is good enough to eat with a spoon, and it too went well with barbecue chips.

Marin French and Cowgirl Creamery offers gift packs, both in stores and online. Whether you want a pre-made gift basket, which can include local salamis, crackers, jams and a cheese board; or want to build your own cheese tasting, both offer an abundance of options for delightful gifts.

More Local Cheeses

For generations, the LaFranchis have harvested milk directly from their own certified-organic cows to make Nicasio Valley Cheeses. Favorites include Foggy Morning, Nicasio Reserve and San Geronimo, which is on par with Cowgirl’s Wagon Wheel and Point Reyes’s Toma when a recipe calls for a great melting cheese. Speaking of Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, the California-style blue cheeses are legendary and have convinced many a hater to give blue another try. For goat cheese, our local favorites include Achadinha Cheese Co., which makes an incredible feta, among other award-winning cheeses; and Bleating Heart, makers of Fat Bottom Girl. And one should never overlook the traditional cheese being offered by Petaluma Creamery, including organic Jersey milk cheese. Its cheddar is one of the best you will find on the West Coast.

Where to Shop

For the quintessential California cheese guide, nothing can touch Vivien Straus’ website and printed guide, both of which are free. Vivien is part of the Straus family, which was at the forefront of the Marin Agriculture Land Trust, and is the same family that operates Straus Family Creamery. Petaluma, Penngrove and Marin have over a dozen cheesemakers, all of whom are highlighted on Cheese Trails, with all the pertinent information, from hours to tours to the farms’ history.

Cheesemakers often offer special products at area farmers markets, where they can deliver their fresh cheeses directly to consumers both faster and cheaper than a traditional grocer.

For a variety of cheesemakers in one spot, Marie Schmittroth’s cheese section at Petaluma Market is pretty hard to beat. Marie has all the best local and imported cheese, but also personally knows our legendary local cheesemakers, and is always happy to let you try a new cheese upon request. More specialty cheeses can be found downtown at Thistle Meats and midtown at Whole Foods.

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