Italian

The ancient Italian cheese, Montasio, dates back to the 13th century. Born in the beautiful Carnic Alps of northeastern Italy, Montasio was first known as “Carnia” (the name of Friuli’s culture-colliding, mountainous region found between Austria – to the north, and Slovenia – to the east). The herb-saturated alpine pastures on which the cattle graze account for the high-butterfat content milk that forms Montasio’s unmistakable richness and slightly sweet, grassy flavor. After 2 months of controlled aging, Montasio is sold as fresco, Italian for “fresh”. It is the youngest variety of this renowned semi-hard, cooked cheese. Montasio fresco has a white, dense paste dotted with holes, a smooth texture, and a nutty, tangy, yet delicately mild taste within its soft rind that bears the official Montasio Protection Consortium stamp and identification numbers.

A soft, blue cheese made with uncooked cow’s whole milk . Its name is that of a small town in Lombardy near Milan, where it is said to have been born in the twelfth century in order to retrieve a forgotten curd of the day before. Gorgonzola Dolce is a soft cheese, with a homogeneous distribution of its mainly blue coloured veins.

This naturally sweet, yet surprisingly light, soft cheese is made from the freshest pasteurized cream. The ultimate dessert cheese, it compliments chocolates, coffee, fruits, liqueurs and is used to make tiramisu. Excellent on pasta, or as a delicious spread (with just half the calories of butter.) Kosher approved.
Easy Serving Ideas

Combine BelGioioso Mascarpone with a sweet liqueur. Place alternating layers of fresh fruit and the Mascarpone mixture into parfait glasses. Serve with a sweet wine or champagne for an elegant dessert.
Mix BelGioioso Mascarpone with pure maple syrup and spread onto piping hot French toast and garnish with fresh berries for an elegant Sunday brunch entrée.
Serve BelGioioso Mascarpone with radishes and a fruity ale beer for an interesting party appetizer.
For a succulent side dish, combine BelGioioso Mascarpone with fresh herbs or vegetables such as basil, spinach, red or yellow peppers or sun-dried tomatoes. Mix with hot pasta or rice and serve.
Mix BelGioioso Mascarpone with BelGioioso CreamyGorg®. Thinly spread mixture onto slices of prosciutto. Roll onto breadsticks, pear or apple slices, or zucchini, cucumber and celery sticks.

Brigante by Pinna is a young sheep’s milk cheese hailing from the beautiful island of Sardinia. Aged for 20-30 days, this delicate, mild cheese is formed in basket weave molds, an ancient technique that has been used by shepherds who made pecorinos by pressing curds directly into woven baskets. Pinna then adds fresh saffron and black peppercorn during the cheesemaking process, resulting in a cheese with a rounded herbal quality and inviting bite. This lovely cheese has a delicate milky aroma and springy interior. Perfect for any cheese board with charcuterie and olives. Enjoy the Brigante with a mild, fruity red or crispy white wine.

A semi-cooked cheese with an intense aroma, flavorsome and a typical product of the Sardinian cheese-making tradition. The rind is smooth, dark-yellow in color, surface-treated with olive oil; the texture is compact, more or less firm depending on the length of maturation, and pale-yellow in color. The unique characteristics of this cheese were officially recognized in 1996, by the award of the “Protected Designation of Origin” label, which has helped safeguard production technique, protecting the original flavor and increasing its presence on the market.

Some may mispronounce this deliciously rich, fresh, Italian cheese as “Mar-sca-pone,” when in fact, the luscious sounding “Mas-car-po-ne” is the amazingly creamy cheese. No matter how it is pronounced, Gelmini Mascarpone has a pale, cream-colored paste and soft, spreadable texture. With a feel that is more akin to clotted cream, Mascarpone is made from cow’s milk and features a light taste with a slight tang and a rich, silky texture. The cream is churned like butter and then drained for a thick, luxurious feel. While Mascarpone is known as the cheese that defines Tiramisù, it actually pre-dates the dessert by approximately 400 years, with its origin said to be set in the 16th century in Lombardi, Italy. Today, Gelmini, located in the Ticino River Valley of Lombardy, uses only the freshest, finest, local cow’s milk to create their incredibly full-bodied cheese.

No cheese case would be complete without Gorgonzola, Italy’s contribution to the big blues of the world. This piccante version, called Mountain Gorgonzola, is a “natural” type of cheese, and matures for 90 days. With its buttery consistency and fervent blue veining, it straddles the line between creamy and crumbly, making it suitable for the table as well as sauces and salads.

Start with premium sheep’s milk from one of the best pecorino regions in the world—Tuscany—and put it in the hands of the best cheese makers. In a month, a cheese will appear, ready to enlighten your taste buds!Produced in strict accordance with the regulations of the Consorzio per la Tutela del Pecorino Toscano, Forteto’s fresh Pecorino Toscano ages for a mere 30 days to lend a sweet yet pronounced taste of sheep’s milk. Each bite of the compact white paste releases a heady perfume from the Tuscan countryside and a flavor that is well-developed and balanced.

Gorgonzola is Italy’s only blue-veined DOP cheese. At Caseificio Gelmini, Gorgonzola is handmade from start to finish. The magic begins with the purest and finest cow’s milk from Lombardy combined with a careful balance of ingredients. Each wheel is salted and turned by hand, enhancing the flavors of this slightly spicy, very robust version of the classic Italian blue. Piccante Gorgonzola features a firm interior with streaks of blueish-green veining. The hard rind, which is amber in color, protects the luscious, almost crumbly interior and its balance between sweet and savory.

A dominant product of the Dolomite mountain range, Piave Extra Aged is a traditional cheese made with centuries old traditions and methods. Characterized by a sweet, full-bodied flavor, this Piave is aged for over 12 months for a true taste of the Belluno cheesemaking tradition. Because the cheese ages for a full year, the texture becomes quite crumbly and grainy, wonderful for snacking and grating.

Only the finest wheels are heat-branded with the Parmigiano Reggiano trademark. Did you know that Parmigiano Reggiano is produced exclusively in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena, in the Bologna area left of the river Reno and in the Mantua area to the right of the river Po? On these farms, cows are fed a controlled diet based on locally produced fodder, in full compliance with the regulations of the Protection Consortium, which forbids the use of silage fodder, fermented feeds and animal-origin meals.

Camomilla is produced in May and June, when the sheep graze on the best grass of the year and the fields are covered with chamomile flowers. Paolo was again inspired by memories of his grandma, who would put the cheese in large wooden crates covered with fresh cut chamomile to preserve it as it aged. The wheels were stored closed up under the arches during the afternoon heat and then placed in a cool pantry in the evening. The process maintained the cheese’s softness, as well the floral aroma. Paolo has spent the last several years dedicated to recreating this one of a kind cheese that has hints of herbal sweetness and fresh cut apples.

Pecorino Romano is Italy`s oldest cheese, dating back to ancient Roman times. This hard sheep`s milk cheese is typically aged for one year and used as a grating cheese. Zerto Pecorino Romano, like most Pecorino Romano made today, is made in Sardinia where land and sheep are abundant.

Rosé fanatics, meet your new favorite cheese. Known for his Ubriaco cow’s milk cheeses soaked in various wines and beer, Sergio Moro’s latest is soaked in organic La Jara Pinot Grigio rosé, a dry, elegant sparkling wine. This semi firm cheese has a light fruity aroma. It retains the flavors of the wine without that sharp alcoholic bite present in some wine soaked cheeses. The blush colored rind is topped with dried rose petals; it’s *almost* too pretty to eat.