1. Jacquin Chèvre with Passionfruit Basil-Seed Curd (p. 48)
2. Casatica di Bufala with Coconut Macaroons (p. 50)
3. Pleasant Ridge Reserve with Herb-Butter Poached Potatoes (p. 52)
4. MitiBleu with Smoky Pickled Okra (p. 54)
Most cheeses in North America and Europe are made from the milk of cows, goats, or sheep. Therefore, these are the types of cheeses discussed most often in this book. Only a small amount of cheese is made from the milk of the water buffalo, but it can be so good that we insisted on including it, too. Yaks, camels, whales, cats, and other mammals (and the people who love them): please don’t be offended by your exclusion.
Cow’s Milk
Cow’s milk is naturally high in fat, which makes it great for producing cream, butter, and cheese. It is the most common milk used in cheese making because there are more cows and they produce more milk than other dairy animals. The average cow produces six and a half gallons (about fifty-six pounds) of milk per day, but dairy cows, bred for high-volume production, can produce quite a bit more.
In addition to being bred to produce more milk, some cows have been bred to produce milk that is higher in fat and protein, which is better for cheese making.
Cow’s-milk cheeses tend to be yellow-orange in color because the milk contains beta-carotene. (The milk from grass-fed cows has much more beta-carotene than the milk from corn-fed cows.) The milk looks white in spite of the beta-carotene because so much liquid is diluting it, but once the whey is removed the orange tint is more concentrated in the solids and thus more visible.
Classic cow’s-milk cheeses include Cheddar, Emmentaler, Stilton, Comté, Brie, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Sheep’s Milk
Sheep’s-milk cheeses are less common because sheep produce less milk than cows and take up a lot of space compared to goats. Even though sheep’s milk yields a high percentage of cheese due to its high fat content, less milk means less cheese. This makes sheep’s-milk cheeses expensive to produce, leading to lower supply and higher prices. But sheep’s milk has more fat content than cow’s milk, which makes it delicious. The cheeses can be creamy, rich, nutty, and sometimes a little gamy. The best sheep’s-milk cheeses have layers of complexity that are rare in other cheeses.
There are a lot more sheep (and better dairy-producing breeds) in Europe than in the United States, so there are a lot more sheep’s-milk cheeses from Europe than from the United States. Roquefort, pecorino, Ossau-Iraty, and Manchego are well-known classics.
Goat’s Milk
Goats are popular among hobbyists and new cheese makers because they take up very little space and produce a decent amount of milk—six to twelve pounds a day. Plus, nothing against cows or sheep, but goats are curious, mischievous, hilarious, and fun. If you’ve ever seen anything cuter than a five-day-old goat, please let us know.
Goat’s-milk cheeses, at their best, are brightly acidic, clean, and delicate on the palate. The small fat molecules in goat’s milk make for easier digestion than cow’s milk. If you think you don’t like goat cheese, it may be that you’ve tasted only bad goat’s-milk cheeses. We love goat’s-milk cheeses of all kinds, but occasionally goat cheese smells like, well, goats, and that can be off-putting to some people. This can happen when the milking does (females) are kept too close to, or downwind from, the bucks (males), who are known for their strong, musky odor. Milk is a sponge for aromas, so one can usually tell if the cheese has been made or stored too close to those stinky billy goats. We suggest that you go to a first-rate cheese counter and ask the monger to give you tastes of some high-quality, clean goat’s-milk cheeses. You may find that you do like them after all.
Goat’s-milk cheeses come in all shapes and sizes. There are goat’s-milk Cheddars, fetas, blues, and Goudas. In addition to fresh chèvre, other classics include crottin de Chavignol, Valençay, Selles-sur-Cher, Bûcheron, and Humboldt Fog (page 77).
Buffalo’s Milk
Due to its high fat content, milk from water buffaloes produces the creamiest, cleanest, most delicious cheeses imaginable. That’s why buffalo mozzarella is considered such a delicacy. Water buffalo are common in Italy and Asia, but because they produce less milk than cows and can be harder to manage, cultivating them has not really taken off in North America. A few dairies are trying, but as of this writing North American buffalo’s-milk cheeses are very hard to find.