Saturday, January 30, 2010

Cheese Profile: Devil's Gulch

-Aroma that's sweet, pungent, and Brie-like. Plus it's totally super-purty.-

Pungent and earty, it affronts the nose and let’s you know that when it comes to cheese you’re in No Man's Land now.

However, the temerity of this cheese belies its soft demeanor, a tough front outside protecting a more sensitive personality. What appears to be the rough cheese, vicious and biting, is truly a sheep in wolf's clothing.

Such is Cowgirl Creamery's new cheese, Devil's Gulch. It's definitely a twisted cheese, one that's vibrant in its newness but relies on the producer's classic methods - those seen in their Pierce Pt. and St. Pat - to deliver a delightful new artisan product. The milk comes from Jersey cows and the end cheese is crusted in roasted spicy pepper flakes which mellow them out. The result it a potent and appealing bloomy rind.

-Pairs well with bread, and with apples or pears. Wine wise we enjoyed Pinot Grigio which balanced the spice.-

The inside of the cheese had two strata: its mantle is soft and squishy surrounding a thick core one might consider to be clotted cream’s crazy aunt with too much make-up and who always takes another slice of cake.

Crisp, sharp apples like Gala or even Granny Smith might be called for in order to ensure you don’t suddenly cream-keel over. Indeed, minutes after my first tasting I was buried in the fridge taking a big swig of pomegranate juice to temper the taste of the cheese. Not only will fruit help balance the cheese, but the pairing will let the flavors of the milk really reveal themselves.

Rich or not, a few hours later I went back for more. That feel good cheese seemed to beckon me for another taste. I took a small wedge, crumpled from the pressure of the knife against the giving softness, and placed in on a wide slice of pear, and let the rind tingle my lips.

-Triple creamy goodness. I suggest eating only a small portion at a time.-

11 comments:

  1. I purchased some of this at the Ferry Building in SF last weekend. Not being able to trust myself around any cheese, let alone one from the gals at Cowgirl Creamery, I told my husband to wrap up the half un-eaten wheel to enjoy at a later date. I'm really looking forward to nibbling on it this evening with the granny smith apples I have in the fridge. This stuff is freakin delicious!

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  2. That looks glorious. Utterly, utterly glorious. And we all need that extra layer of cream in Winter anyway, to keep us warm :D

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  3. Sounds phenomenal. There is nothing better than cheese with fruit and wine. God, it sounds soo good!!

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  4. Going to the Ferry Building next Saturday for our monthly run. I love Cowgirl Creamery and this is going to be a must try! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Oh no... a new Cowgirl Creamery creation. There goes my cholesterol.

    There's a Cowgirl Creamery booth at the Berkeley farmers market and they occasionally have these mystery cheeses called "batch 14" or whathaveyou. Apparently these are their works in progress. I wonder if I've tasted this cheese in its early days of development?

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  6. This is a fun cheese, a nice diversion from the purely sweet triple-creme. I also love it's Cowgirl sister, Inverness, also a little different from the normal cow's milk b/c they use a different mold than in their other cheeses. Cream does a body good : )

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  7. this makes me want to hop on a plane right now and head back to the Ferry Building to pick up some cheese!!

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  8. Wow Just wow.

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  9. Man, I love Cowgirl Creamery. And that's probably one of the top five reasons I miss living in CA. It took us a LONG time to see Mt. Tam in the Philadelphia area, and even now, it's still somewhat difficult to find. I had to beg my local Whole Foods to carry it.

    This sounds awesome, unfortunately, I don't think I'll be seeing it around here anytime soon. Makes me think a trip back to the bay area is necessary right now.

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  10. Oh that looks and sounds so good!

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  11. very intriguing cheese. makes me long for another trip west...I love your blog! i recently started blogging too, check out taganskitchen.blogspot.com

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~Garrett