The Holiday Market Cheese Shoppe offers a wide assortment of quality cheese varieties, including:
Fresh: These are the cheeses that are soft and without a rind. Soft favorites that pair well with fruits and go just about anywhere; cream cheese, goat cheese, fresh mozzarella and ricotta are the favorites in this category. These are the cheeses you see in dessert recipes as well.
Semi-Soft: Some of the most classic standbys. Semi-soft cheeses adapt well to sandwiches because of their wonderful melting capabilities. They also make a great addition to an antipasto because they are wonderful on their own or with olives, prosciutto and salami. Think of Jack cheese, Gouda or Havarti.
Semi-Hard (Semi-Firm): A childhood favorite, Cheddar is the undisputed champion of semi-firm cheeses, which boast other popular styles such as Gruyère and Swiss. Semi-hard cheeses yield firm slices that do not roll.
Hard (Firm): When the cheese cart comes to your table in a restaurant, you'll find stand-outs like brilliantly colored Mimolette, Spanish Manchego and aged Asiago. The aging that yields the firmness of these cheeses also tends to yield pungent flavors.
Washed-Rind: These cheeses tend toward the soft and semi-soft but have a rind that is repeatedly bathed in liquid and develops a strong flavor and a firm but edible rind. Italian Taleggio and the French classics Epoisses and Pont l'Eveque are the hallmark cheeses in this category.
Bloomy-Rind: Exposure to mold spores as cheese is aging creates a gently felt-like rind around the cheese. Brie and Camembert are the entrants in this category that most have already indulged in and come to love.
Blue: This is the only place where mold running through your food is a fabulous thing. These strong, lusty cheeses are interspersed with blue mold, introduced when mold spores are injected or added to the cheese. Venerable Stilton, Gorgonzola and Maytag Blue are what blue cheeses strive to be.