Enjoy National Cheese Lover's Day with some Challerhocker!

Happy National Cheese Lover's Day everyone!

I hope you all are having a great week so far. Today is an amazing day because it is in fact National Cheese Lover's Day. I wasn't behind the cheese counter today because I took a couple of days off... BUT I did cut into a lovely cheese the other day that is currently on promotion that I would love to share with you all... the Challerhocker.

Cheese: Challerhocker
Producers: Kaserei Tufertschwil/Walter Rass of Chas & Co.
Region: Tufertschwil, St.Gallen, Switzerland
Milk: Thermalized cow's milk

Rennet: Traditional (animal)

Walter Rass is known for his superb Appenzeller and has won myriad awards for said cheese. Instead of sitting on his laurels, he decided to step up his game and tweak the recipe. He changed the curd size, adjusted the cooking temperature and lengthened the aging process. "Challerhocker" literally means "sitting in the cellar" which is one of the important differences between Challerhocker and Appenzeller as it ages for a minimum of 10 months or more while the Appenzeller only ages for 8-10 months. 

The flavor of the Challerhocker is spectacular. It has a brown butter, caramel, nutty quality of which I can't get enough. It also has the tiny tyrosine amino acid "flavor crystals" throughout the wonderfully creamy paste. I am 100% going to add this cheese to my next fondue. It does have a little pungency, so if you're a little gun-shy with the stinkier cheeses, be sure to ask for a sample before taking a piece home with you.

Be sure to take advantage of this promotion while you can! This cheese is not inexpensive, so now would be the time to stock up. Swing by your local NorCal Whole Foods Cheese counter and check it out! Until next time, eat, drink and be happy!