Ahoy, mateys! Yet another SCT has popped up, and while it is certainly not winning any awards, it is still quite yummy.
Going left to right, we have Serra Cheese’s Provolino. I’ve been trying to find a link to them that doesn’t have to do with their cheese recall from last year, or the two failed health inspections from last year, but it is proving quite difficult. I’m figuring that since the cheese is back in stores that they are either doing much better now, or they have at least greased the proper palms and the regulators are looking the other way. Either way, this is a mighty fine cheese! Provolino is either a slightly aged mozzarella or an immature provolone, depending on how one looks at it. As such it is like a dry mozz, or a provolone without the bite. Quite an interesting taste and texture. Hopefully we don’t get Lysteria.
Next up is Great Midwest’s Habanero Jack. We’ve had this one a couple of times before, and it is exquisite. The jack flavor is strong, and the habanero peppers don’t overpower it. It is still fairly spicy, but not enough to completely scare off those that are more sensitive to the heat. It also has a fairly soft texture that really wants me to try melting it on a sandwich if I can ever keep any around long enough to try.
Lastly is Red Apple Cheese’s Applewood Smoked Cheddar. This one, while it got fairly high praise from everyone else today, I found to be a bit disappointing. The smoke really overpowered everything else, which is really odd for Red Apple Cheese. They typically do an excellent job of balancing the smoke and the cheese, but this one was just a little acrid. It wasn’t so far off balance that it fell over, but enough that it limped over my taste buds.
Until next week, stay cheesy!