CHEESE OF THE WEEK: Kuh Heublumenkäse

February 26, 2009 at 11:37 am · Filed under Cheese Of The Week, Cheese-Yogurt-Dairy

Kuh Heublumenkäse from iGourmet.

This week’s cheese recommendation is from guest blogger Dana Romero, proprietor of La Fromagerie D’Acadiana in Lafayette, Louisiana.

A semi-hard cheese (or Schnittkäse), Kuh Heublumenkäse comes from Bavaria, the largest state in Germany. Bavaria contains the city of Munich, and according to GermanFoods.org, 75% of German cheeses are produced there. This cheese is made from cow’s milk, with floral and herb ingredients that include safflower, blue mallow, peony and marigold, with rosemary, oregano and a dash of unrefined rock salt.

To achieve Kuh Heublumenkäse’s strong floral character, the cheese-makers first coat the cheese wheels with herbs and flowers and then seal it with transparent wax. It’s then allowed to ripen for six months, during which time the combined essences seep into the cheese’s paste. By the time it’s ready to eat, this innovative cheese is bursting with aroma and flavor. The creamy cow’s milk balances perfectly with the herb and flower flavors. In addition, consumers buy the cheese with the coating still intact, so diners get to not only smell and taste the floral notes, but also see the colorful flowers entrenched in the wax. Consider this cheese for your next tasting party or as a hostess gift—its lovely presentation will be the highlight of the cheese plate.

So, as you wait out the arrival of spring in the bloomin’ cold, have a taste of a fresh flowering meadow. I encourage you to ask for this cheese from your local cheese monger and pair it with a Pinot Grigio. Or, for an authentic German experience, pair it with a dark German-style beer such as Gordon Biersch Dunkelweizen.

You can learn more about German cheese (and other foods) at GermanFoods.org. If you’re looking for German cheese in your local shops, keep an eye out for any names that end with the suffix käse—German for “cheese.”