Breakfast Cheese is an American cheese hailing from California, where it's produced by Marin French Cheese Company. The cheese is made from pasteurized cow's milk and it's usually sold at a very young age of 3 days. The texture is firm and dense, slightly clay-like, and ivory white in color.
The aroma is fresh while the flavors are tangy, salty, buttery, mild, creamy, and citrusy. It's recommended to serve it with bagels and fruit as a tasty snack. This cheese was originally sold in saloons where it was served as an alternative to pickled eggs, hence the name Breakfast Cheese.
Pepper Jack is an American cheese produced in Monterey, California. This popular variety of Monterey Jack cheese is flavored with jalapeño peppers for a spicy kick. It's made from cow's milk and has a natural rind that hides a creamy, smooth, and open texture.
The aromas are herbal, while the flavors are sharp, spicy, and buttery. The cheese has a high moisture content and melts easily. Pepper Jack is often used to add flavor to sandwiches, pizza, omelets, and casseroles. It's also recommended to use it in Mexican-style dishes such as quesadillas, enchiladas, and nachos.
Mt Tam is an American cheese hailing from California, where it's produced by Cowgirl Creamery. This soft triple-cream cheese is made from organic cow's milk with the addition of cream. It has a bloomy rind and the texture is firm, smooth, dense, and creamy.
The flavors are rich and buttery with earthy, mushroomy, and grassy hints. Mt Tam is named after the majestic Mt. Tamalpais in Northern California. It's recommended to pair the cheese with a glass of Sancerre.
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Point Reyes Original Blue is an American blue cheese produced in California by Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company. The cheese is made from raw cow's milk and has a natural rind. The texture is creamy and buttery and the aromas are milky, fresh, and intense.
The flavors range from milky, sweet, and creamy to strong. It's recommended to serve it with pasta dishes, red meat, grilled vegetables, or fresh salads. Pair the cheese with a glass of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, or sparkling wine.
Monterey Jack is an American cheese made from cow's milk. It originates from Monterey in California, where it was first made by Spanish missionaries under the name queso blanco pais, but it was later taken from them by David Jack, who bought nearly all of Monterey in 1859 and renamed the cheese to Jack's Cheese, soon to be called Monterey Jack's Cheese.
Historical shenanigans aside, this semi-hard cheese has a firm, open, supple, and compact texture and a natural rind. It is pale yellow in color, while the flavors are mild and buttery. Monterey Jack also melts exceptionally well. It has a few subvarieties, such as Dry Jack and Pepper Jack.
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VARIATIONS OF Monterey Jack
Point Reyes Bay Blue is an American cheese hailing from California. The cheese is made from pasteurized cow's milk and it's left to age for 90 days. Underneath its natural rind, the texture is crumbly and creamy with blue-green veining running throughout the paste.
The aromas are strong and earthy, while the flavors are creamy, sweet, mushroomy, salty, and buttery, with hints of caramel at the finish. It's recommended to pair Point Reyes Bay Blue with toasted nuts or grilled peaches. The cheese also melts well, so it's often used in risottos and pasta dishes or on steaks and burgers.
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