Curdbox is our monthly cheese + pairing subscription service. Want to join our merry band of cheese lovers? Head on over to our subscription page to sign up for your monthly box! Or, check our curdboxFLEX for a box that is nut-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian!
Welcome to our December box, where we're bringing it home with Home for the Holidays! Every December we like to step it up with an extra special box, and this year's no different. We have a three deliciously different cheeses that are easy to love, with three sweet and festive pairings that make an extra beautiful board. So let's dive right in and nosh right through our December Home for the Holidays curdbox. (But before you taste along, your cheeses have been at room temperature for at least an hour...right?)
The Home for the Holidays December 2021 curdbox
Goat Cheddar by LaClare Family Creamery
First up is a goat cheddar from LaClare Family Creamery in Malone, Wisconsin. LaClare (the name is a combination of the founders' names Larry and Clara) was founded in the late 70s as a hobby farm, and now 40 years later, it's one of the most well-respected goat dairies in the US and has produced a string of award-winning cheeses. This is the first time LaClare has been in a curdbox, though we've had our eyes on them for a while, and we couldn't be more excited to showcase their goat cheddar. Like any proper cheddar, it's rich and crumbly, but because it's made with 100% goat's milk, it's just a little bit tangy, too. In this month's podcast, curdbox founder Jenn Mason likens goat cheese to the squirt of lemon of the cheese world—the extra acidity really livens up anything you pair with it. But lest you here "goat cheese" and think "no thanks", we really encourage you to try this one! It isn't too "goaty" so it's a great gateway cheese for those that might be goat-shy.
Goat Cheddar by LaClare Creamery, with Dark Chocolate Blood Orange Caramels by Marich Chocolates
Appalachian by Meadow Creek Dairy
We're also thrilled to have another first-timer in the box with Meadow Creek Dairy, nestled up in the Appalachian mountains in southwest Virginia. The eponymous cheese, Appalachian, is a raw milk mountain cheese from grass-fed mountain cows that live as close to an idyllic, pastoral life as you could imagine. While Appalachian is in the style of a French tomme, Meadow Creek didn't want to aspire to make a specific kind of cheese. Rather, they aimed to make a cheese that simply showcased their top quality milk and let the terroir shine through. What they ended up with is a luscious, buttery cheese that's full of flavor, with notes of lemon, earth, and mushroom.
Appalachian by Meadow Creek Dairy with Cardamom Crisp Cookies by Unna Bakery
Whitney by Jasper Hill Farm
To pair up with our two curdbox newcomers, we have curdbox old hat Jasper Hill. This is the twelfth (!) Jasper Hill cheese that we've had in our curdboxes, and it's one of their brand new cheeses, so we jumped at the chance to send it countrywide to our merry band of cheese lovers. So this new cheese is named Whitney, after the Whitney family, of which several family members have worked at Jasper Hill in various capacities over the years. Whitney is another mountain-style cheese that's dense but supple, with a deeply savory, slightly funky washed rind that's balanced by the buttery paste. Pro tip: Whitney is a champion melter, and would be a great cheese for fondue, Raclette, or grilled cheese!
Whitney by Jasper Hill farm with Michigan Cherry Spread by Brownwood Farms
Cardamom Crisp Cookies by Unna Bakery
For our ultra holiday-esque pairings, we first have these Cardamom Crisp Cookies from Unna Bakery. Swedish-born Ulrika Pettersson founded Unna when she moved to NYC, wanting to hold on to a bit of home and recreate her grandmother's cookie recipe. They are crisp, buttery, a little hearty, and not too sweet or rich so that you feel guilty eating them. Plus, with the fragrant cardamom they taste of Scandinavia, which is practically the spiritual home of winter cheer. They are the perfect fancy cookie cracker for special holiday board, and are the perfect slightly sweet counterpoint to this month's savory cheeses.
Michigan Cherry Spread by Brownwood Farms
Brownwood Farms is back! Makers of the Maple Bacon Onion Spread, our curdbox obsession from the July box, we are so excited to feature their Michigan Cherry spread. This is a hefty spread, with proper bits of cherry that are like the quintessence of ripe summer pie. A holiday bonus is the gorgeous red color—put this in a small bowl and it's like rubies glowing on your cheese board.
Dark Chocolate Blood Orange Caramels by Marich Chocolate
To round it all off, we have the Dark Chocolate Blood Orange Caramels from Marich Chocolate. Marich is a second-generation candy company in California that was started by Dutch immigrant Marinus van Dam. They combine European candy-making heritage with fun and inventive new flavors, like these blood orange caramels. They remind us a bit of those chocolate oranges that you slam into the table to separate out the chocolate slices (...anyone?) The caramel is tender and the chocolate is perfectly tempered so it just melts in your mouth. Sweet with just the slightest hint of bitter from the orange, they are the perfect balance to our savory and creamy cheeses.
There's our box, there's our year! Thanks for coming along for the ride, and get ready for 12 totally unique boxes in 2022, plus six new boxes for curdboxFLEX!
***
Did you take some photos for the 'gram while enjoying this box? Please tag us @curdbox, along with our cheese and pairing partners @laclarefamilycreamery, @meadowcreekdairy,
jasperhillfarm, @unna_bakery, @brownwood_farms, @marichchocolates. We love to see our cheese lovers enjoying their boxes!
