Last Thursday was my ninth wedding anniversary and I knew my husband had ordered a gift for me, but I wasn’t expecting a knock on my office door at 10 a.m. that day from my office’s mailroom supervisor carrying a box marked “perishable.” The last time Jeff came by with such a package, it was full of Cypress Grove cheeses, so needless to say, I was excited, and even more so when I opened the box. My darling husband had enrolled me in Cowgirl Creamery’s Artisan Cheese Club, and this “Red, White and Blue” box was my first delivery!
The box contained three cheeses: Cowgirl’s own Buckaroo, which has a reddish washed-rind, Big Woods Blue from Shepherd’s Way Farm in Minnesota, and Rivers Edge Chèvre, made by Oregon’s Three Ring Farm. It’s a beautiful trio that spans not only “colors,” but also milks (cow, sheep and goat, respectively). I’ve had Buckaroo and Big Woods Blue before, but this was my first time tasting Rivers Edge Chèvre (like I noted a few weeks ago, it’s hard to find cheeses from small West Coast producers here in Minnesota). It will not be my last, though.
I let the cheeses set on my desk all day instead of refrigerating them (yes, my office smelled awesome), so by the time I got home, the chèvre was perfectly runny on the edges but retained a firm center. Each bite was blissful – the tang from the bloomy rind added a new dimension to the creaminess of the paste. I cut another slice and another and finally stopped by reminding myself that I had two other cheeses to try. But I have to admit, the chèvre will be long gone before the other two are.
The second-best part about this anniversary gift is that it will keep giving – I get a new box next month. Thanks, honey! And note to L, Colleen’s husband: You better step up your game. Your anniversary is only two and a half months away!
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