My Favorite Cheeses

Here is some info on my current list of favorite cheeses.  To build a good cheese plate, you need a good mix of hard/soft, mild/pungent, different sources (cow, sheep, goat), maybe something smoked, and I try to keep it to just a few condiments (maybe a mustard and a honey).

Every cheese plate should have a brie.  The two I highly recommend are:

http://www.murrayscheese.com/delice-de-bourgogne.html#
http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/library-of-cheese/triple-creme

The Delice de Bourgogne is an import from Burgundy France, while the cowgirl is domestic from Northern California.  Both are triple creme - mild and decadent all at the same time.

Next, you'll need a blue.  There are so many options here; hard, soft, sheep, cow, goat...

My current go-to is a domestic made from raw cow's milk -Vermont's Jasper Hill Farms Baley Hazen Blue:

http://www.cellarsatjasperhill.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59:bayley-hazen-blue-by-jasper-hill-farm&catid=30:jasper-hill&Itemid=136

It pairs extremely well with a good clover or wildflower honey.

Stilton, Gorgonzola, Roquefort are also good options.  I find danish blues, like Maytag, are much less enjoyable on a cheese plate than used in cooking or salads.

For a good hard cheese, you can always go with a classic like Manchego, Grana, Pecorino, or Parmiggiano Reggiano.  These days, I find myself gravitating towards Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands in Wisconsin.  It's won multiple awards, including the American Cheese Society's "Best Cheese in America" in 2010.  It's a raw cow's milk cheese made in the style of a Gruyere.

http://www.uplandscheese.com/cheese.html

Next, I like a good Aged Wisconson Cheddar, like this one:

http://www.widmerscheese.com/products/8-Year-Aged-Cheddar-1lb.html

And finally, here are some favorites
Pave Du Nord - a pungent, bright orange cheese from France, similar to a Gouda with much more flavor
http://www.thimbleofcheese.com/2011/03/pave-du-nord/

La Tur - a very soft, pungent cheese made from a blend of milks in the Piedmont region:
http://www.murrayscheese.com/la-tur.html

Langres - another soft, even more pungent cheese from France made of cow's milk:
http://www.murrayscheese.com/langres.html

Chevre by Capriole - actually any of their Goat cheeses from Southern Illinois are go-to cheeses.
http://www.capriolegoatcheese.com/

And - currently the best cheese available today - Midnight Moon Goat Gouda from Cypress Grove farms:
http://www.cypressgrovechevre.com/our-cheese/aged-cheeses/midnight-moon.html#.UtML1J5dW_g

It also makes an incredible omelet.