Well if you haven’t heard by now, cheese loving friends, August is National Goat Cheese Month, and we intend to celebrate to the fullest with some of the remaining goats-milk cheeses on the list. (Can’t 
wait? Check out the goats we’ve loved thus far.) But first, a blue cheese from Spain that has a bit of goat, the esteemed Valdeon.
Valdeon is a mixed-milk blue, made from goat and cows milk, hailing from Northern Spain. The cheese is wrapped in sycamore leaves and aged for 2-3 months; the leaves impart an herbal complexity in both the smell and flavor. The cheese is dense, sweet and creamy and full-flavored, but less sharp than other blues. It’s a perfect dessert cheese and/or well suited for pairing with fresh summer fruit. I enjoyed it with the sweet-tart flavor of my sister-in-law’s homemade strawberry rhubarb jam. I could also see it matched with some in season fresh figs. You’ll definitely want to go with a sweeter wine pairing, such as port.
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I actually just picked up a wedge of Valdeon. There is this great looking Spanish Lentil Salad I want to try, from Jose Andres Made in Spain show/book. It looks like someone posted the recipe here: http://www.twohelmets.com/2009/07/lentil-salad-with-blue-valdeon-cheese.html
Yum! Since we’re big Jose fans, we’ll definitely have to try it. Thanks for the link, Luke!
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