Wisconsin Cheese: A Cookbook And Guide To The Cheeses Of Wisconsin

275 Pages·2008·9.84 MB·English

by  Martin Hintz

HINTZ
B ’
RING HOME THE FLAVORS OF AMERICA S DAIRYLAND & PERCY

Wisconsin, with its verdant hills and limestone-fi ltered waters,
was made for making cheese. For more than 160 years, cheese-
makers and dairy farmers have been working together to create
unparalleled Cheddar, mozzarella, artisan, and other delicious
cheeses—more than 600 varieties, types, and styles in all.
Wisconsin wins more national and international cheese awards
than any other state or country, and you can be sure that its
residents have invented just as many ways of enjoying that
cheese. With more than 100 recipes—from farmhouse favorites

to sophisticated cuisine from top chefs—and packed with cheese W C
ISCONSIN HEESE
trivia, profi les of cheesemakers, and cheese tips, Wisconsin
Cheese is the ultimate cheese lover’s resource and a fi tting

homage to Wisconsin’s rich cheesemaking history. A COOKBOOK AND GUIDE TO THE CHEESES OF WISCONSIN
Martin Hintz and Pam Percy are devoted cheese fans and all-around foodies.
Along with Thelma and Louise, their two Saanen dairy goats, they live on fi ve
acres in suburban Milwaukee, where they raise vegetables, chicken, and quail
in addition to writing for numerous newspapers and magazines.
C W C R S A :
ELEBRATE ISCONSIN HEESE WITH ECIPES UCH S
Blueberry Ricotta Coffee Cake
Wisconsin Three-Cheese Soup with Parmesan Croutons
Wisconsin Buttermilk Blue and Asian Pear Salad • Santa’s Wisconsin Cheese Delight
Asiago Cheese Puffs • Wisconsin Cheddar Scones with Smoked Turkey
Hook’s Blue Cheese Cake • Cherry Cheddar Crusted Pork Tenderloin
Wisconsin Gruyère Fondue • Fontiago Polenta with Tomato Basil Concassée
Goat Cheese Fudge • Milk Chocolate Cheesecake
Cover design by Paul Beatrice US $16.95
Front and back photos: CAN $21.75
© Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
Th e Globe Pequot Press
Guilford, Connecticut
www.GlobePequot.com
MARTIN HINTZ AND PAM PERCY
Th reeForks® is an imprint
of Th e Globe Pequot Press
WISCONSIN CHEESE
A Cookbook and Guide to the Cheeses of Wisconsin
Martin Hintz and Pam Percy
™
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Copyright © 2008 by Morris Book Publishing, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the publisher. Requests for
permission should addressed to The Globe Pequot Press, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department,
P.O. Box 480, Guilford, CT 06437.
ThreeForks is a trademark of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.
Text design: M.A. Dubé
Unless otherwise credited, spot art © ClipArt.com.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
ISBN: 978-0-7627-4489-3
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To the cheesemakers of Wisconsin, for their brilliant, award-winning cheeses.
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Contents
1. Acknowledgments .........................................................................vii
1. Preface by James Robson ................................................................ix
1. An Introduction to Wisconsin Cheese ............................................1
2. Artisan and Farmstead Cheeses ....................................................13
3. Cheddar and Colby Cheeses ..........................................................51
4. Swiss Cheese ..................................................................................67
5. Blue and Gorgonzola Cheeses .......................................................87
6. Goat and Sheep Cheeses .............................................................109
7. Italian Cheeses .............................................................................137
8. French Cheeses ............................................................................169
9. Hispanic Cheeses .........................................................................191
10. More Wisconsin Cheeses ............................................................209
1. Glossary........................................................................................240
1. Appendix A: Sample Wheel of Wisconsin
Cheese Companies.................................................................242
1. Appendix B: For More Reading ..................................................251
1. Recipe Index ................................................................................252
1. Index .............................................................................................255
1. About the Authors .......................................................................260
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the staff of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and
representatives from the state’s various cheese and livestock breeder associations, as
well as Wisconsin’s dairy farmers, chefs, restaurateurs, and retailers who provide this
marvelous product and ensure
that it gets to the public in many
delightful forms, flavors, and
presentations. Their suggestions,
insights, support, advice, encour-
agement, tips, and leads were
invaluable.
A nod also goes to the many
fabulous cookbook writers,
authors, agriculture specialists,
educators, and other cheese
experts whose works were
inspiring, informative, and
thought-provoking.
Special thanks also to our
numerous friends and relatives—
especially our foodie friends
Curious Brown Swiss cattle stand
Joan Hummert and Vicki Nelson—who helped test and taste dozens of recipes over
ready for milking. The breed is
glasses of refreshing beverages and endless hours of delightful conversation, serious
a high producer praised for its
comparison of notes, and much hilarity to arrive at the selections included in this ruggedness and noted for the
cookbook. protein count of its milk. Brown
Swiss are among the oldest of all
Plus we’d like to offer a scratch behind the ears to the state’s dairy cattle, goats,
dairy cattle, with origins dating
and sheep. Without them, Wisconsin cheese would not be, well, as udderly delicious
back several thousand years.
as it is.
Photo by Martin Hintz
vii
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Preface: Say Cheese!
Wisconsin was made for making cheese. America’s Dairyland has been solidifying its destiny for
more than 160 years, building its reputation for unparalleled Cheddars and an expansive repertoire
that now boasts more than 600 varieties, types, and styles.
Wisconsin’s rolling hills, limestone-filtered waters, and rich soils have created the perfect
terroir for producing cheeses second to none. The state’s pastures nurture flavorful alfalfa,
grasses, and clover, encouraged by clear northern light and pure rural air. The cows that
graze these pastures produce milk that makes richly colored cheeses with herbaceous flavors,
reflecting the changing seasons and harvests.
Cheesemakers around the world have long recognized this ideal location, and Wisconsin
has welcomed waves of immigrant artisans throughout the years—first from European
countries such as Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, and more recently from
locales including Italy, France, and Mexico. The result is a bounty of cheeses as different and
distinctive as their roots.
But even in a place that’s long been synonymous with cheese, change is in the air.
Wisconsin is experiencing a renaissance in historic, artisanal techniques, and the result is
unbounded creativity and excellence. Wisconsin cheesemakers are still winning awards for
their historic versions of Swiss, Muenster, Colby, and Cheddars, but the list now includes
French and Italian styles (mascarpone, Asiago, blue, and Gruyère among them) and distinctive
twenty-first-century Wisconsin originals, such as Pleasant Ridge Reserve and Gran Canaria,
both of which have captured prestigious Best of Show awards
from the American Cheese Society. In fact, Wisconsin wins
more national and international cheese awards than any other
state or country. This book explores the Wisconsin cheese
landscape, from everyday family favorites to sophisticated
specialty and artisan choices appearing on cheese courses
in some of the finest restaurants in the country.
Many of these cheeses are made by craftsmen
who’ve been certified by the three-year Wisconsin
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