Grayson
July 13th, 2009 | by tb |
Wow, just .. wow! When I took the cheese out and it began to warm, the kitchen started smelling like a barnyard. Even the SO walked in and started looking around wondering where the funk was emanating from. I was almost afraid that the slice of Grayson I got was over ripe, but I braved a really deep inhale, and there were no ammonia odors, nothing to indicate it had gone off. I honestly was almost knocked off my feet as this particular slice was one of the ripest, most barnyard smelling cheeses I had ever had! Seriously, it smelled like moo poo! I almost couldn’t bring myself to eat it, but I had to be brave.
Grayson is made by Meadow Creek Dairy, located in southwest Virginia. The cheese is made from raw Jersey cow’s milk in a style similar to Taleggio. Grayson has a washed rind with a wonderful red and brown color.
Once the rind is off the cheese, Grayson tames down quite nicely. It has sweet aromas, and much less barnyard funk and smells more earthy. The paste is pale, straw yellow, like a deeper butter color. The texture is semi-soft and almost like butter. Once at room temperature for a few hours, the interior wants to ooze. The taste is very, very rich. It has a nice beefy quality to it too. Quite a complex cheese with the different aromas and tastes.
Overall, I was glad I was able to finally try Grayson. It certainly was an experience. I can see why it took second place overall at the 2008 ACS competition. Grayson is one of those cheeses you definitely don’t want to serve to novice cheese tasters, but for those who enjoy a more adventurous experience, Grayson won’t disappoint!
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