Yesterday afternoon, I went into the fabulous little cheese shop, Cavaniola's, in Sag Harbor to pick up some yummy cheesy goodies for the weekend and had the pleasure of sampling a morsel of extra aged Midnight Moon.
For those of you who aren't familiar -- Midnight Moon's is Cypress Grove's answer to a goat Gouda. Nutty and butterscotch-y with a citrus-y grassy tang. Traditionally aged for six months or more.
Image courtesy of www.cypressgrovechevre.com
The sliver of Midnight Moon I tried yesterday had been aged for sixteen months and it had developed into a completely distinct cheese from the younger versions of Midnight Moon that tend to have a nice sweet tang. Our sixteen month-er had an unparalleled depth of flavor -- crumbly and granular on the tongue, full of walnut-y nuances, caramelly butterscotch-y moments with a grassy, citrus finish to lighten up the weight of the aged cheese. It got me thinking about aged cheeses and how certain cheeses just simply are better with age, like certain wines.
Aging a cheese allows for a deepening of flavor profile and broadening of nuances in taste. But that surely doesn't mean all cheeses are meant to be aged...Think of the soft luscious goat's milk cheeses and the bloomy rind unctuous creamy cheeses, those sorts of cheeses definitely pass their prime if they are aged for more than a few weeks to a few months. Whereas take some Cheddars, Parmesans, Goudas and more than can blossom and develop with a significant amount of time in their cheese caves.
Just like with a nice Burgundy from the right vintage with some age on it, yesterday's Midnight Moon had a depth that opened up and blossomed with age.
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