Cheese of the Week No. 7

Grüezi mitenand! German East meets French West on our brief cheese tour of Switzerland today.

Gruyere: raw cow's milk, Fribourg Canton, Switzerland. From the same wonderful animals that produce the double cream of Gruyere comes this full flavored cheese out of the French speaking hills of Fribourg. The town of Les Gruyeres is like a fairy tale, complete with a castle and picture-perfect green mountain landscape dotted with cows and edelweiss. The cheese comes from a big 80 pound wheel and has a terrific nutty flavor that intensifies as it melts. This is the cheese of fondues, gratins and onion soup. Don't underestimate its snackability, though. Try it with crackers, or use it in your next grilled cheese with caramelized onions on rye bread.

Glarner Schabziger (or Sapsago): cow's milk, Glarus Canton, Switzerland. This cheese is as unusual as the German spoken by the Swiss in Glarus. To make this novelty, fresh whole milk is skimmed and then heated and allowed to sour naturally, forming curds of cheese. These curds are pressed, dried and ground. The unusual color and flavor comes from blue fenugreek, known also as blue melilot. This special type of clover is added along with salt, and the powder is pressed into molds to form the trademark truncated cone. This is used primarily as a grating cheese or as an addition to spreads and butter; on its own it is simply too strong. It has a truly unique flavor and aroma, something akin to sage and honey crossed with hops and parmesan. Watch this space for Adventures in Schabziger.