Our last venture into the world of mixed-milk cheeses took the form of a rather bizarre looking and rare Italian specialty, but sometimes these ambitious flavor combinations take more familiar forms. Queso Iberico looks so similar to the famous Spanish staple Manchego that the unassuming consumer might pick up a wedge on accident and not discover the error until taking a bite. This would not be such a tragedy, however, as Iberico is in fact a completely delicious cheese and one well worth searching out.
Iberico was my first mixed-milk cheese, and indeed the flavor difference was apparent even before I did my research and learned that it was made with cow, goat, and sheep's milk. What you get is a flavor both familiar and yet very different from any of the three ingredients alone, so impress and surprise those cheese-loving friends of yours.
Origin: Spain
Milk: Cow, Goat, Sheep, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Afinage: 2-6 months
Notes: Can actually quite resemble Manchego, texture varies from semi-firm to very firm. There are a few varieties out there, hard to go too wrong. 45% fat per solid matter.
Thoughts: The first impression that hit with this slightly younger version was a rich creaminess that would later carry right on through both the flavor and texture. Such a well-balanced vessel for conveying flavor is the perfect set-up for the complex and dynamic combination of flavors that stem from the mixture of milks used. The cow's milk tones of sweetness are perhaps the most easily overlooked, being a more familiar flavor to most, but while they are at times overshadowed by the sweet tang of the goat's milk they are certainly present. The nutty notes of sheep's milk definitely come through, a testament to the intensity and character of sheep's milk. The earthy grassiness of sheep's milk also overshadows the cleaner grassy notes of the goat's milk, but as the three milks' influences intertwine and present themselves in a carefully choreographed sequence a fascinating and truly delicious flavor appears that is, in the end, greater than the sum of its parts. It is still a decadently oily and fatty cheese, a trait of Spanish cheeses I will never grow tired of, but the rich flavor is such a hit that you might rather just snack on it than share it all with your cheese party guests. I certainly couldn't judge.
Caution
Everyone can buy cow's milk in the grocery store. Those who are fortunate might even be able to purchase some goat's milk. I've never seen sheep's milk on the shelves, but I'm sure it's out there. Just because you can mix them together doesn't mean you should.
Iberico was my first mixed-milk cheese, and indeed the flavor difference was apparent even before I did my research and learned that it was made with cow, goat, and sheep's milk. What you get is a flavor both familiar and yet very different from any of the three ingredients alone, so impress and surprise those cheese-loving friends of yours.
Milk: Cow, Goat, Sheep, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Afinage: 2-6 months
Notes: Can actually quite resemble Manchego, texture varies from semi-firm to very firm. There are a few varieties out there, hard to go too wrong. 45% fat per solid matter.
Thoughts: The first impression that hit with this slightly younger version was a rich creaminess that would later carry right on through both the flavor and texture. Such a well-balanced vessel for conveying flavor is the perfect set-up for the complex and dynamic combination of flavors that stem from the mixture of milks used. The cow's milk tones of sweetness are perhaps the most easily overlooked, being a more familiar flavor to most, but while they are at times overshadowed by the sweet tang of the goat's milk they are certainly present. The nutty notes of sheep's milk definitely come through, a testament to the intensity and character of sheep's milk. The earthy grassiness of sheep's milk also overshadows the cleaner grassy notes of the goat's milk, but as the three milks' influences intertwine and present themselves in a carefully choreographed sequence a fascinating and truly delicious flavor appears that is, in the end, greater than the sum of its parts. It is still a decadently oily and fatty cheese, a trait of Spanish cheeses I will never grow tired of, but the rich flavor is such a hit that you might rather just snack on it than share it all with your cheese party guests. I certainly couldn't judge.
Caution
Everyone can buy cow's milk in the grocery store. Those who are fortunate might even be able to purchase some goat's milk. I've never seen sheep's milk on the shelves, but I'm sure it's out there. Just because you can mix them together doesn't mean you should.
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