It’s summertime and the livin’ is easy and delicious. Especially when the season’s freshest flavors are combined with Wisconsin cheeses, such as Deer Creek® The Fawn, Odyssey® Traditional Crumbled Feta and La Bottega di BelGioioso® Crescenza-Stracchino™. We reached out to the cheesemakers who carefully craft these summer stunners for their favorite pairings of the season.
Deer Creek® Cheese
A Gold Winner at both the International and World Cheese Awards, The Fawn by Deer Creek® Cheese is a sublime choice for summer. This young cheddar is an ideal pick for the season, because it’s delicate, yet full of nuttiness and complex flavors that pair beautifully with summer fruits.
In this pairing, sweet-tart cherries bring out the best of The Fawn, while candied pecans add crunch and multigrain baguette provides another nutty note. A light-bodied, fruity pinot noir matches the delicacy of this handcrafted cheese, as well as accentuates the flavor of the fresh cherries.
“The Fawn has a subtle elegance to it. If you rush while tasting it, you’ll miss the reacceleration of flavors that happens just before the finish. That is where The Fawn shows its true depth of beauty.”
-Chris Gentine, founder of Deer Creek
This tasty pairing is one Chris and his wife Julie personally enjoy. “When we get together with family and friends, we typically put together a cheese board,” says Julie. “We like to use fruits that are in season, as well as artisan crackers, breads, jams, nuts and charcuterie. We pour some wine and just celebrate being together.”
La Bottega Di BelGioioso®
BelGioioso® Cheese has been making exceptional Italian cheeses in the U.S. for over 40 years. From using homegrown starter cultures to crafting cheeses with traditional methods passed down through generations, their commitment to excellence has earned them over 200 awards!
BelGioioso crafts a full line of quality cheeses ranging in flavors and textures from extra-aged, rich nutty and hard to delicate, fresh and spreadable. “Summer is a great time to experience some of our fresh cheeses, like Crescenza-Stracchino™. I like it spread on a fresh, crusty baguette topped with heirloom tomatoes and arugula,” says Francesca Auricchio Elfner, BelGioioso Vice President.
Fresh summer fruits like peaches, grilled to heighten their sweetness, also complements BelGioioso's Crescenza-Stracchino™. Made in small batches with whole milk, this artisan cheese is creamy and soft with a milky and pleasant tangy flavor. Add savory steak and pair with a white wine like pinot grigio, and it’s an elegant bite meant to be relished on a sizzling summer night.
Odyssey®
Popular Odyssey® Traditional Feta cheese is crafted by the Klondike Cheese Company, a fourth-generation, family-owned business founded in 1925. Today, the company is home to six Master Cheesemakers, which include four members of the Buholzer family, and utilizes state-of-the-art equipment coupled time-honored cheesemaking traditions, special recipes and a sustainable water program.
Available in a variety of flavors—Traditional, Mediterranean Herb, Sweet Heat and more—this authentic feta cheese is available nationally and is a great summertime staple. It’s also an award winner having won First Place at both the World Champion Cheese Contest and the United States Cheese Championship.
In the seasonal pairing above, the sweetness of ripe honeydew melon is enhanced with crumbles of Odyssey® Traditional salty, fresh feta cheese and a light drizzle of agave syrup. Grate fresh orange zest to brighten the bite with citrus notes. Pour a margarita on the rocks to go with this sweet and savory combination and summer is served.
