New Offerings at Zuercher: O Morro Amanteigado and La Dama Sagrada

O Morro Amanteigado

Amanteigado
(which translates to “buttery”) is a creamy cows’ milk cheese made on the
island of Faial in the Azores, Portugal’s autonomous region located in the
mid-Atlantic. The producers from Queijaria O Morro, Rui and Nuno Caldeira,
suggest serving it similarly to other torta-style cheeses. Cheeses of this type
are traditionally displayed by slicing and removing the top rind, allowing
guests to spoon its buttery and gooey paste onto fresh bread. Those of you
familiar with the Portuguese sheep’s milk cheese, Azeitão, may find
similarities. In fact, one member of the Zuercher staff appropriately nicknamed
it “Cowzeitão.”

La Dama Sagrada

This
unpasteurized goat’s milk cheese is produced using Murciana goats’ milk in the
Spanish Castilla-La Mancha region. Known for producing butterfat-rich milk,
these Murciana goats belong to a cooperative of farmers in central Spain. The
farmers are also members of the dairy, Señorio de la Mancha, contributing to
the production of the cheese.

La Dama
Sagrada (“The Sacred Lady”) is aged for a minimum of 6 months, at which point
the cheese displays its most desirable flavors. The texture of the paste is
smooth and creamy with a bit of tyrosine crystallization throughout. La Dama
Sagrada has tangy and nutty notes with a faint barnyard finish that goat cheese
lovers appreciate. Try doing as the Castilians do – pan-fry La Dama Sagrada,
and serve with a bit of jam or marmalade.