You know what’s funny? When i very first started working with cheese, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Alpine cheeses. That meant raclette, gruyere, beaufort... i know, I know. Sad, right!? I didn’t *hate* them, but they were definitely not my favorites. Now? I can’t stop recommending and eating the Alpines on EVERYTHING and to EVERYONE. Scharffer Maxx? So creamy and delicious. Pleasant Ridge Reserve? Gimme some of that. Comte? Love that floral and milder Alpine. Alpages? Remind me of my childhood. But we’re not here to talk about any of those guys today- today is about Kaltbach Cave Aged Gruyere.
Country of Origin: Switzerland!
Rennet type: traditional animal rennet (sorry vegetarians!)
Gruyere is an AOP cheese, meaning that it has specific regulations for it’s making- like other cheeses that we’ve talked about, such as Parmigiano, Roquefort, Brie de Meaux... This ensures that the production of the cheese is kept to traditional standards, and thus keeps tradition alive. Innovation is a great thing, but... there are some things that don’t need to be messed with! Gruyere and other AOC cheeses are some of those things. We don’t want them to ever become just a piece of history, something of the past! One of Gruyere’s AOP regulations states that the cave in which the cheese is aged must have a climate extremely close to that of natural caves. It’s crazy how much temperature and humidity can affect the cheese- the range for humidity for a properly aging cave for Gruyere falls between 94-98% humidity. If it’s not humid enough, the cheese will dry out. If it’s too humid, it’s rind will become a sludgy paste.
The size of the cheese in this photo is no camera-trickery either- Guyere is a large format cheese! Weighing in around 70-80 pounds makes it so that this cheese can be aged for as long as it without becoming totally dried out. Even at a year of age, Gruyere manages to be creamy. It’s one of my absolute favorite melting cheeses- uses it in fondue, throw it on a raclette machine, use it in mac and cheese, on french onion soup, for cheesy bread... the melty options are delicious!
Gruyere is one of those cheeses that I like to say is a ‘taste of history.’ What does that mean? Well, the first mention of Gruyere dates back to 1115. Yeah, you read that right- this cheese has been around for a LONG time. For good reason, too (it’s delicious!). This particular gruyere (Kaltbach) is aged for a minimum of 12 months, at least 9 of which are spent inside of sandstone caves. The end result is a cheese that is deliciously nutty, slightly brothy, and my favorite thing in the world to melt, to eat with pink lady apples, or to take on a picnic with a salami and a good loaf of bread. It’s a great fall and winter cheese, and some of my crowd-favorite beer pairings have been with Gruyere- grab an Oatmeal Porter and try it with a hunk of delicious, cave aged Gruyere!
