A Year in Cheese: 2016

As 2016 comes to a close, we take a moment to look back at the most exciting cheeses and cheese news to hit Murray’s. Whether it’s awards for our delicious cheeses or new additions to the New York caves, it has been an exciting (and scrumptious) year for us here at Murray’s. And we thank you for sharing it with us!

Annelies

High up in Northern Switzerland’s Appenzell valley, Walter Rass, of Challerhocker fame, crafts young wheels of raw cow’s milk he calls Tufertschwiller, and sells them only to his village – until this year. 2016 marked an exclusive partnership between Murray’s and Walter Rass, who is sending these mild wheels to us at 3 months, for an extended stay in our New York caves. After aging for an additional 9 months in our alpine cave, our Cavemaster coaxes out sweet flavors of roasted hazelnuts and vibrant alpine grasses, with lush undertones of butterscotch and cocoa.

Wrangeback

Known as Sweden’s oldest brand of cheese, Wrangeback has a storied history and a flavor to match. This raw cow’s milk cheese is made in the same vein as traditional Alpine Gruyere with the mild tanginess of a cheddar. The craggy, brown stone-like exterior has its name pressed into the wheel, a time honored tradition since 1961. Breaking past the rind, the paste is creamy and dense and smells similarly to freshly cut grass and warm milk. A sliver of Wrangeback starts with a bite of tanginess, before it mellows out to a complex, milky umami flavor. This cheese is best enjoyed with an aged, lush glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Rollright

New to the US, this peanutty passion of ours is currently a Murray’s exclusive! Rollright’s rosy rind is not as pungent as your typical washed rind – instead, it imparts flavors of freshly churned butter and slow roasted peanuts. Meatiness lingers towards the rind, like a slab of fried bacon – a taste best enjoyed with a full-bodied red wine. The pasteurized cow’s milk cheese from the clover fields of King Stone Farm comes straight from their Brown Swiss, creating a soft, yolky cheese that melts in the mouth. Mellow, but certainly not lacking in flavor, this cheese is a unique Brit. You’ll taste the flavors unique to Cotswolds, clover and herbs, just like what the cows enjoy through spring to autumn.

Greensward

Two years ago Murray’s and the Cellars at Jasper Hill embarked on a top secret mission to create an exclusive cheese for Eleven Madison Park’s Iconic New York menu.The result is a spectacular new pasteurized cow’s milk cheese…and Murray’s is the only place you can get it! But this has been a big year for our illustrious Greensward – this bacony, unctuous wheel took home 3rd for Best in Show at the ACS awards! Get a taste of what people are calling cheese greatness – luscious, woodsy, funky, and award-winning!

Frost

Take the road less traveled and stumble across this pillowy soft treat. Named for notable Americana poet, Robert Frost, Mystic Cheese Co.’s newest cow’s milk cheese is a delightfully soft and buttery morsel, full of earthy, button mushroom notes hidden underneath fresh milk flavors. Like frost over water on a cold night, the delicate and thin rind breaks away easily to reveal a velvety paste enveloped in a thick, luscious creamline. To celebrate this poetic pale beauty, pop the cork on a bottle of champagne to enjoy – a combination that will brighten the tangy cream flavor and delight your senses.

Meat & Cheese of the Month Club

Your carnivorous cravings are matched only by your insatiable need for cheese. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with our brand new Cheese and Meat of the Month club! Club members receive two cheeses and two perfectly-paired meats every month on their doorstep, the perfect way to satisfy your many cravings, and the perfect gift for that hard-to-please someone in your life. Expect lots and lots of thank yous.

Pairings We’re Thankful For this Holiday Season

Thanksgiving is here! There is plenty to be thankful for in a world where amazing cheeses and meats are around every corner. While we’re planning out our Thanksgiving cheese plates to share with family and friends, we wanted to share with you the cheese pairings that we are most thankful for this holiday season! Maybe it’ll give you some inspiration for your own cheesy Thanksgiving dishes.

holiday cheese

Ossau Iraty with Murray’s Apple Butter and Walnuts

murrays apple butter

There’s a lot to love with Ossau Iraty – and it’s been around for a while! Ossau is considered by some to be one of the oldest cheeses ever produced, so there’s been plenty of time to come up with the perfect pairings for this toasty, nutty cheese. To embody the flavors of crisp fall air and warm nights by the fire, we love to smear a little bit of Murray’s Apple Butter onto a rustic baguette, with a handful of walnuts on the side.

Annelies with Big Picture Farm Goat Milk Caramel and Hazelnuts

annelies alpine cheese

We’re thankful this year for our new relationship with Walter Rass of Challerhocker fame – he’s been sending us exclusive wheels of his raw cow’s milk cheese to age in The Murray’s Caves. We manage, after at least 9 months of aging, to coax out flavors of butterscotch and cocoa from the Alpine we’ve dubbed Annelies. Goat Milk Caramels are perfect with this nutty sweet cheese, as are a bowl full of crunchy toasted hazelnuts. A little bit of toasty sweetness to round out your holiday.

Stichelton with Hedene Miel du Jura Honey and Anarchy in a Jar Strawberry Balsamic Preserves

hedene-honey-sapin-jura-web-280a2927

Stichelton is basically Stilton’s milder, crowd-pleasing brother. As we gather friends and family, we know not everyone loves blue cheese, so we’re thankful for this rich, creamy blue that can win just about anyone over. A drizzle of Jura honey from Hedene brings out the deep, woodsy flavors, while a jar of Anarchy in a Jar Strawberry Balsamic Preserves balances that sweet and savory combo that any good blue cheese should have.

Rush Creek Reserve with La Quercia Speck Americano and Potter’s Applewood Smoked Crackers

rush creek reserve cheese

With winter fast approaching, we get to appreciate a new batch of the highly seasonal raw cow’s milk, Rush Creek. Inspired by the French Vacherin Mont d’Or and only available in the winter time, Rush Creek gets wrapped in spruce bark and becomes an unctuous, bacony delight. You could just cut off the top and spoon out the woodsy paste – but we love to dollop it on a Potter’s Applewood Smoked Cracker with a ribbon of velvety Speck Americano.

Slack Ma Girdle with Hayden Flour Mills Red Fife Crackers and Jambon de Bayonne

slack ma girdle english cheese

 Okay, its name might be a little bit ridiculous, but trust us when we say that this nettle-crusted raw cow’s milk is something to be thankful for. Wrapped in bark and as creamy and spoonable as the Rush Creek Reserve, Slack Ma Girdle is herbaceous and funky all in one – an adventure in cheese form. Spoon onto a rustic, nutty cracker like the Hayden Flour Mills Red Fife Cracker, and feast upon this English beauty with a few thin slices of salty, briny Jambon de Bayonne.