These powerfully scented “stinky” cheeses are often much more mildly flavored than their stench would lead you to believe. Their rind is usually a muted orange color, the result of being rubbed or washed in beer, brine, brandy, wine, or a combination, which promotes the growth of flavor-enhancing molds.
A true Frenchman’s cheese, EPOISSES is a pungent and addictive cow’s milk cheese from Burgundy. It is washed with brine and finished with brandy, and we just love it. DESPEARADO is a “hooligan” cheese from Cato Corner Farm in Connecticut. It is washed with fermented pear mash and Poire Williams eau de vie; the family-run business is known for its singularly brined offerings. WINNEMERE is another semi-soft cheese from the eclectic Jasper Hill Farm; wrapped in spruce bark and washed with lambic beer, it’s only available the first six months of the year. Often compared to an Epoisses, Cowgirl Creamery’s triple-cream RED HAWK is aged six weeks to fully develop its very special flavor. VERO ARRIGONI TALEGGIO is a slightly stinky, semi-soft cow’s milk cheese from Valtaleggio in Lombardy; melt-in-your-mouth gooey with a thin stripe of blue, it’s one of Italy’s favorites.
