CHEESE NOTES

High-res Red Hawk, from Cowgirl Creamery in California, is not for the funk phobic. This gooey, sticky washed-rind triple-creme cow’s milk cheese has the kind of aroma that can scare small children and make people edge away from you on public transportation. With a pinkish-golden rind that is moist and tacky to the touch, the aroma is the epitomy of “stinky cheese” stinky, similar to a ripe Epoisses, traditional Limburger or even a Corsican A Filetta, full of barnyard, dirty socks and wet grass. Don’t let those off-putting descriptors scare you away though! The bark is far worse than the bite, and thanks to the triple-creme this is a rich, gooey, buttery cheese with all of the flavors associated with washed rinds; a mouth-filling experience, meaty, mushroomy, brothy, with a bit of sharpness and tang that lingers in the  mouth long after the last bite.  This is also one of those cheese that can vary considerably depending on how far along it is. This piece was definitely at peak ripeness, at the edge of going over the hill, but I’ve had younger Red Hawks that were definitely milder in both aroma and flavor. I prefer the stinkier versions but if that’s not your thing look for a more juvenile wheel.  Red Hawk won Best-In-Show at the American Cheese Society’s Annual Conference in 2003 and a Gold Ribbon and 2nd Best-in-Show in 2009. Purchased at Stinky Brooklyn.

Red Hawk, from Cowgirl Creamery in California, is not for the funk phobic. This gooey, sticky washed-rind triple-creme cow’s milk cheese has the kind of aroma that can scare small children and make people edge away from you on public transportation. With a pinkish-golden rind that is moist and tacky to the touch, the aroma is the epitomy of “stinky cheese” stinky, similar to a ripe Epoisses, traditional Limburger or even a Corsican A Filetta, full of barnyard, dirty socks and wet grass.

Don’t let those off-putting descriptors scare you away though! The bark is far worse than the bite, and thanks to the triple-creme this is a rich, gooey, buttery cheese with all of the flavors associated with washed rinds; a mouth-filling experience, meaty, mushroomy, brothy, with a bit of sharpness and tang that lingers in the  mouth long after the last bite. 

This is also one of those cheese that can vary considerably depending on how far along it is. This piece was definitely at peak ripeness, at the edge of going over the hill, but I’ve had younger Red Hawks that were definitely milder in both aroma and flavor. I prefer the stinkier versions but if that’s not your thing look for a more juvenile wheel. 

Red Hawk won Best-In-Show at the American Cheese Society’s Annual Conference in 2003 and a Gold Ribbon and 2nd Best-in-Show in 2009.

Purchased at Stinky Brooklyn.

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    This is actually one of my favourite cheeses! As a vegan, I don’t eat dairy, but because my reasons are the cruelty of...
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