22 culturecheesemag.com BES T CHEESES 2024
Lil' Moo with
Garlic and Chive
Sweet Grass Dairy
Thomasville, Georgia
ink of Lil' Moo, one of Sweet
Grass Dairy's 2023 GFA-winning
fresh cheeses, as grass-fed Boursin
with Southern terroir. Made with
golden milk from their mixed
heritage breed cows, which graze on
pasture year-round thanks to south
Georgia's favorable climate, Lil' Moo
is light and smooth with a grassy,
tangy flavor. Savory, aromatic garlic
and chives give this cream cheese–
like spread an umami boost. AJ
Ricoa Di Bufala
Calabro Cheese
East Haven, Connecticut
Water buffalo milk's renowned richness
is due to its extra fat content—about 50
percent more than cow's milk. Taking
home First in its category at the 2023
ACS awards, this cloudlike ricotta
highlights buffalo milk's lush texture
and characteristic sweetness, backed by
citrus and caramel notes. Made with a
combination of whey from mozzarella
di bufala production and buffalo milk,
Ricotta Di Bufala is hand-ladled to
preserve its delicate consistency. AJ
PAIR IT!
Let this ricotta's sweet, citrusy notes shine
through by serving it with nothing but a drizzle
of Enzo's Table Organic Clementine Crush
Olive Oil and a pinch of flaky sea salt. –AJ
Adiron-Jack
Nettle Meadow Farm
Thurman, New York
Jersey cows are renowned for their
high-butterfat milk. Nettle Meadow
takes advantage of that richness to
make one of their most luxurious
bloomy-rind cheeses. Adiron-Jack, a
triple-cream button made exclusively
with Jersey milk, gets its name and its
floral profile from an infusion of local
applejack brandy—not on the rind,
but in the vat, where the curds soak in
flavorful liqueur between cutting and
draining. e result is a particularly
luscious cheese—and 2022 WCA Gold
winner—that offers notes of fresh grass
and fruity apple, with a lush texture
and beautifully smooth cream line. AJ
ADIRON-JACK
