Tableau Vivante

So…WAAAAAY back in May, JJ and I took a little excursion up north. I’ve already talked about a few of the stops we made while traipsing around wine country. But one place that I haven’t really talked about yet was one of the most impressive. Point Reyes – stunning protected coastlines that stretch for miles and are dotted with wild lupines and grasses, as pictured above. I start with this instead of the usual food shot because I think it’s important to see the landscape that spawns some of California’s most amazing food. The people who are lucky enough to call this region home protect the landscape passionately and vigorously support their local farmers. In the middle of this is Point Reyes Station, a tiny outpost town which is home of some of the most community and green-minded folk I’ve ever met. Kind of threw me for a loop, actually. Ended up redefining a few bits of personal politics while I was there. It’s also the original home of the Cowgirl Creamery where we were given a tasting tour of their cheeses, a primer in the cheesemaking process and how a couple of like-minded ladies managed to create some of the country’s most hailed curd.

The creamery’s home is the giant, converted livery stable that houses not only the cheesemaking operations, but an impressive retail selection of other regional cheeses as well as a local produce market (Tomales Bay Foods - we bought some dates while we were there – good travel food). Out back is a small lawn which, back in May, was about to be converted into an impressive community garden project…

…sorry, food forest. Catchy, no? According to the timeline in the map flyer above, they’re about to have their harvest festival for the garden. If anyone ends up going, please drop a comment below.

But we are here for the cheese…so let’s make with the dairy.

This was our intrepid cheese guide, Nan, partner to Cowgirl Creamery co-founder Sue Conely and a former park ranger. Sue was all about the cheese, and Nan was all about the people, so it was a natural fit for Nan to be the public cheerleader for Sue’s handmade cheese at a time when “artisanal” wasn’t in the mainstream food lexicon. Now, Nan is probably one of the most influential voices in the California cheese world – she helped create it. And her knowledge of dairy and curds blew me away. Plus she was just a really nice person. Thanks, Nan. You were a highlight of our trip. It was a pleasure getting to know you.

First, Nan walked us through the cheese making process, discussing enzymes, acids, milk sourcing, cream and fat, beneficial bacteria, and the aging process. Here, she’s added some rennet to a tub of fresh Straus Family Dairy milk – a local dairy that they’ve partnered with since the early days of their enterprise. In the background is the creamery kitchen where all the cheese making takes place. Seriously. ALL the cheesemaking. It’s a tiled room the size of a decent-sized kitchen. Your mini-wheels of Mt. Tam and Red Hawk? Come from there. At least until they open their newer, bigger facility out in Petaluma (which is now in operation). Nan told us – and it was kind of obvious – that their business had quickly outgrown the kitchen in the barn. They were doing well, but they needed more capacity to meet demand.

Nan let me cut the curd for her demonstration. I’ve made cheese once before and I had definite curd envy. This experience really motivated me to try again. Nan suggested two things that would make all the difference – really good milk and really good enzymes.

But let’s get to the tasting! Prior to visiting CC, I’d only tried Mt. Tam and Redhawk, their two most popular and most widely available cheeses. I was in for a big ole dairy treat.

There were three fresh cheeses in the catalog that I never tried before. We started off with the Clabbered Cottage Cheese. I’m not sure I can describe it adequately and do it justice. Sweet milky curdlettes connected by an extra dose of clabbered cream. This wasn’t the kind of cottage cheese that you’d scoop onto your lunch plate as a side – it demanded the center of attention. It was rich without being overbearing, full of a sweet dairy flavor that was balanced by a very light acidity that was utterly pleasing. I wanted to eat the entire tub. Everyone at the table wanted to eat the entire tub. Nan just smiled knowingly through our ooos and aaaahs. We had the same reaction to their Fromage Blanc and Crème Fraiche, both of which really showcased what happens when you start with really stellar foundation ingredients. We left the tubs behind and moved onto plates of oozy goodness.

Because it was still essentially springtime, we had hit prime St. Pat season at the creamery. St. Pat is a seasonal soft cheese, wrapped in nettle leaves (to celebrate springtime) and aged three weeks. The result is a lovely, gentle, gooey, ripe little number. The nettle leaves, sting long removed, give the cheese a little bit of an earthy edge. Nan said artichokey. I was thinking more green, like spinach. Either way, it was pleasant and distinctive – never had a cheese like it since. We also tried the Mt. Tam, their triple-cream wheel of decadence, and their award winning, French impressing Red Hawk. You try the Red Hawk last for a reason – it has giant, sharp, mouth invading ripe cheese flavor. It’s aged twice as long as the St. Pat and just takes over your tastebuds like a giant cheese bully. But, to cheese aficionados, it’s really the trademark of the Cowgirl Creamery’s achievements – this is the cheese that out them on the map and redefined what was possible in the cheese world here.

The aged cheeses rest in a tiny little windowed aging room next to the kitchen. On the right are some newish St. Pats ripening up. In front, a set of Mt. Tams.

Finished cheeses are carefully hand-wrapped and packed into retail boxes which are shipped out every day. As lauded as these cheeses are, I was really struck by how small the operations were. Always busy and making new cheese, mind you, but I can see why Nan was looking forward to the bigger facilities in Petaluma. That new location isn’t a retail operation like the Point Reyes Station store, so they’ll still be at the barn. But I think it means there’ll be more CC love to go around pretty soon.

Had a lovely time. If you visit them during this time of year, you’re in luck. Their other seasonal cheese – the Pierce Pt. – is now out. They wash it with muscato wine and coat it with local herbs. Sounds utterly decadent and addicting – proceed with caution.

COWGIRL CREAMERY
80 Fourth Street
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
Phone (415) 663-9335
Fax (415) 663-5418
Wednesday through Sunday, 10am - 6pm
Friday morning tours @ 11:30a.m (reservations recommended)
Or contact Carol Waxman at (415) 663-9335

COWGIRL CREAMERY CHEESE SHOP AT THE FERRY PLAZA
1 Ferry Building, #17
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 362-9354
Fax (415) 362-9355
Open 7 days a week

COWGIRL CREAMERY IN WASHINGTON, DC
919 F Street NW
Penn Quarter
Washington, D.C. 20004
(202) 393-6880
FAX (202) 393-6883
Open Monday through Saturday 10am to 7pm