Cheesemonger's Choice: National Cheese Day Picks

Happy National Cheese Day! Yes, another day where we're only too happy to celebrate the miracle of cheese, from maker to monger and beyond. In a sea of “National [Food] Days” that feel like they were chosen with a blindfold and a dartboard—who asked for National Banana Cream Pie Day?—National Cheese Day makes total sense. Cheese is a multinational sensation with no one defining flavor or texture, meaning there’s a cheese for everyone. With that in mind, Head Cheesemonger Emilia D’Albero is back at it again with five of her favorite cheeses. 

Marieke Smoked Gouda

This creamy smoked gouda is made from raw milk from her herd of pampered Holstein and Brown Swiss cows, and aged for 2-4 months and gently smoked over hickory. Made by Marieke Penterman on her family farm in Wisconsin.

Bijou

A Vermont original inspired by a classic French recipe. Bijou is a hand-shaped button of goat's milk cheese with a silky creamline, a dense center and a wrinkled Geotrichum rind. At this size, it's perfect for picnics, with just enough flavor without intimidating less cheese-inclined friends and family. 

Shelburne Clothbound Cheddar

Shelburne Farms is located in Vermont and uses their food and farming practices to educate consumers about sustainable agriculture and responsible consumption of food. Based on some of Vermont’s most beautiful land, Shelburne Farms produces Humane-Certified farmstead cheddars from the milk of their herd of Brown Swiss cows. This wheel of their seasonal Clothbound Cheddar boasts more of a traditional English flavor profile - tart and buttery lemon notes, horseradish, and earth. 

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper is a soft, washed rind cheese unlike others, made with a blend of cow and sheep milk. Made by Old Chatham Creamery in upstate NY, it's washed in a funky unfiltered Graft cider, and is aged beneath the streets of Brooklyn in Crown Finish Caves in Crown Heights. 

Mt. Tam

Mt Tam, Cowgirl Creamery's signature cheese, is a smooth, creamy, elegant triple-cream encased in a snowy-white bloomy rind. Made with organic milk from the Straus Family Dairy, Mt Tam is dense yet buttery with a mellow, earthy flavor reminiscent of white mushrooms.