Nettle Meadow's Kunik

We went away to the Catskills a few weeks ago and my friend from Brooklyn brought a wheel of cheese called Kunik. It is a rich, yummy, triple cream, cheesy, butter - oh wait, I meant a rich, yummy, triple cream, buttery cheese! Made from a blend of cow and goat's milk on a farm in New York called Nettle Meadow, Kunik is one of my new favorites. I am pretty sure it is not the first time I have eaten it, but it is the first time I have eaten it since I started blogging and really paying attention to where my food came from. So get up and walk, no run, to your closest cheese monger and ask for Kunik - you will be happy you did!
I am particularly fond of the logo on their website:

"Happy Goats - Great cheese!"

Artisan Cheese Tasting

While preparing for my mini lesson on cheese, we tasted a lot of cheese. Several evenings were spent indulging my turophilic nature, and clogging poor SPs already threatened veins. I do love him and care for his health and well being and would happily say farewell to meat for a life time. But give up my cheese? I think not. This particular night we sampled several artisan cheeses, both local and international.
On this cheese board are the remains of Vermont's Jasper Hill's bloomy Constant Bliss, some out of this world Bandaged Cheddar from Cabot VT (and aged at Jasper Hill's caves), the amazing delicious buttery Eleanor Buttercup from Hahn's End from coastal Phippsburg Maine. The final and most visually appealing cheese is this one. The gorgeous yet far from local Campo deMontalban, a true cheese from La Mancha! I was so impressed with the color and texture of the rind of this cheese that I took another picture. Isn't she pretty? Maybe it's just me, and I need to set up a support group called Turophiles Anonymous. In this economy cheese is one of the most expensive things to buy. But there is no stopping a Turophile, we resist recessions. I think you should do the same and go out and support your local artisan cheese maker!