by Melissa Reiss, Purchasing Assistant
It’s March, which means it’s time for the 6th Annual Willy Street Co-op Cheese Challenge!
Kicking off on March 19, 16 hand-selected Wisconsin cheeses will vie for the position of Willy Street Co-op Cheese Champion during taste tests at all three stores. Each day, Thursday the 19 through Sunday the 22, and again the following Thursday, March 26 through Sunday, March 29, stop in to sample cheese and vote on which one you think deserves to win (for more on cheese tasting and how to vote, check out Patrick Schroeder’s article on page 9 of this issue of the Reader). Follow along with us on social media, on our website, or watch for postings in-store for exact sampling times and to see how our bracket progresses.
Fill out a bracket (found on page 10 of this Reader or in-store) and submit it to any Willy Street Co-op location by March 18 to be entered to win eight pounds of Wisconsin cheese! The closest submission to the final bracket wins.
To keep things fresh year after year, we switch up which cheeses will compete. Here, I’ve highlighted a few of the perhaps lesser-known cheeses that are competing so you can get to know them a bit better before they face off against one another!
Hidden Springs Timber Coulee
Hidden Springs is a sheep farm and creamery nestled in the rolling hills of the Driftless area. Their flock of East Friesan and Lacaune sheep are some of the best milk-producing sheep breeds in the world. Husband and wife team Brenda and Dean Jensen learned to make their Timber Coulee cheese from a French Master Cheesemaker in 2011 who visited their farm and trained them to make this in the Ossau Iraty style. It’s placed second two years in a row in the American Cheese Society’s Sheep’s Milk Cheese Aged Over 60 Days category. It has a complex, deep flavor—nutty with a buttery finish.
Carr Valley Airco
This is an American original—a blend of sheep, goat, and cow milk. Lightly smoked, its hickory flavor perfectly balances this semi-soft cheese. Carr Valley is run by Master Cheesemaker Sid Cook, and this cheese has won quite an impressive list of awards, including first place in both the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in 2011, and the World Championship Cheese Contest in 2010. Pair with porter beer or drizzled in honey.
Renard’s Terrific trio
Another blend of three cheeses, but in this case three styles of cow’s milk: cheddar, Parmesan, and Gouda. Shave atop pasta or vegetables.
Marieke Smoked Gouda
From last year’s winning cheesemaker Marieke, we have selected their smoked Gouda to compete this year. Marieke’s 6-9 Month Aged Gouda won the title of Cheese Champion last year. How far will their smoked Gouda get?
Hook’s Blue Paradise
Hook’s Cheese Company’s Triple Play Extra Innings cheese won the Cheese Challenge in both 2017 and 2018. Competing this year is their Blue Paradise—a rich, double cream blue. Aged three to six months, it’s on the mild side of the blue cheeses, with a long, balanced finish.
Renard’s Salsa Spread
A creamy, zesty spreadable cheese. Great paired with crackers, or spread onto a platter, and topped with lettuce, chopped tomatoes, olives and shredded cheddar cheese for a unique taco dip!
Roth Private Reserve
Made with raw cow’s milk and aged for at least six months, this cheese is light and crumbly with a medium, tangy flavor, with notes of butterscotch and honey. Try this recipe—perfect for asparagus season—from our recipe archive on our website, which I adapted for Roth’s Private Reserve.
Asparagus Risotto
5 c. vegetable broth
1 lb. asparagus, cut up
1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
2 Tbs. shallots, minced
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 c. arborio rice
1 lemon, zested
1 c. basil, chopped
1/2 c. Roth Private Reserve, grated
2 Tbs. watercress, cut
1/3 c. walnuts, chopped
Directions: Heat broth in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Sauté asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and shallots in olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan for 2-3 minutes. Add rice and stir well to coat with oil; sauté for about 1-2 minutes. Add broth to rice, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until the rice has absorbed the broth. Keep at a simmer and stir fairly constantly until the rice is tender, but still slightly firm, about 20-25 minutes.
Remove from heat and add lemon zest, fresh basil, cheese, watercress, and walnuts and gently fold in to incorporate. Serve warm.
Also competing
Also competing are Sartori’s Bellavitano Gold (their MontAmoré won the Championship in 2016), Uplands Pleasant Ridge Reserve, Salemville’s Amish Blue, Farmer John’s Asiago, Roth’s Prairie Sunset, Cesar’s Sharp Yellow Cheddar, Red Barn Family Farm’s 5-Year Cheddar, and Wollersheim Prairie Fume Cheddar spread. Check out the map on page 10 to see where in Wisconsin these cheeses are made.
Have fun voting and tasting!
