Cheese of the Week No. 4

I'm going to have to slow my cheese of the week offerings down a little bit. There are only a couple dozen cheeses that I really love from my rather modest selection at the cheese counter. I'll have to do some more exploring (cheating?) at other cheese counters around the city to give you options like these:

Schlosskranz: raw cow's milk, California. A washed rind, raw milk cheese from the good ol' USA? And it stinks, too? Great! Give me half a wheel, please. Or rather, half a wreath (Schlosskranz is "castle wreath" in German, and the wheel is a flat donut.) The rind is orange-brown, crusty and pungent, the inside is a maize colored paste that oozes just slightly at room temperature, and the taste is earthy, nutty, and downright musty. If you make this a first date cheese, and there ends up being a second date, hold on to what you've got, because that is one very special relationship.

Hoch Ybrig: raw cow's milk, Switzerland. Again a washed rind cheese, this time a much larger example from the fun folks that brought us Swatchguards and neutrality. This cheese is anything but neutral, though. It's big, meaty, sweet and spicy, bigger than Gruyere, something more like Appenzeller (a cheese for another day). It would make a luxurious addition to a fondue, but it might be better served at room temperature sliced thinly with fruit and a crisp wine or champagne.