These days, American cheese means so much more than Kraft. Artisan American cheeses are surging in popularity thanks to innovative cheesemakers backed by their own cheese society and Championship contests to celebrate their creations. And the world is taking notice: An American cheese took top place in the 2019/2020 World Cheese Awards in Italy, and this year, an American team of cheesemongers became the first ever to earn the top prize in France’s Mondial du Fromage.
If you haven’t delved into the world of craft (not Kraft!) American cheese, there’s perhaps no better time than Thanksgiving, according to Tenaya Darlington, cheese educator and author of Madame Fromage’s Adventures in Cheese.
“For Thanksgiving this year, I’m envisioning a candlelit cheese board with friends, featuring glowing wedges and gooey rounds made by award-winning artisans,” she says. “I’m a big believer in supporting and growing your local cheese scene, so I always encourage people to shop locally around Thanksgiving. Know who’s making great cheese in your region, and give thanks.”
If you need some help narrowing the focus, here are 12 artisan American cheese recommendations our cheese experts think are positively perfect for your Thanksgiving cheese board.
Winnimere is a raw cow’s milk cheese inspired by spruce-wrapped classics from the Jura Mountains. Much like French Mont d’Or and Swiss Vacherin, this resolutely seasonal cheese is made only in winter with the rich milk of hay-fed Ayrshire cows. The cheese is first washed lightly in brine to give it an umami-rich, almost bacony taste. It’s then wrapped in a corset of spruce cambium, which lends even more depth to the oozy, nearly spoonable finished product.
“This raw cow’s milk cheese has a rich, velvety texture and notes of woodsy sweet cream,” says Emilio Mignucci, Vice President of Di Bruno Bros in Philadelphia. It’s praise echoed by Michael Scott, ACS CCP, Cheesemonger at Whole Foods Market in Wellesley, MA.
“This is one of those seasonal cheeses I wait for all year,” he says. “It’s bold but balanced — a showstopper on a cheeseboard and one I always recommend when folks want something special and a little wild.”
2. Harbison, Jasper Hill Farm, Vermont
Winnimere isn’t Jasper Hill’s only spruce-wrapped product. Harbison is another of this Vermont farm’s creations, this one made with pasteurized milk. The spruce bark lends it similar woodsy notes, which Erika Kubick, author of Cheese Magic, says are perfect for autumn.
If you’re looking for a vegetarian centerpiece for your Thanksgiving charcuterie board, Harbison may well be the ideal contender. In the Jura, frigid temperatures have given rise to the tradition of studding Mont d’Or with slivers of garlic and drizzling it with white wine before baking it whole. The resulting cheese is usually spooned over steamed potatoes, but for Kubick, roasted Brussels sprouts are another phenomenal dipper for this “custard-soft” cheese with notes of bacon.
One of Darlington’s go-tos from her native Wisconsin is yet another spruce-wrapped marvel: Upland Cheese’s Rush Creek Reserve.
“Only released in autumn, this unusual bark-bound cheese made by Andy Hatch has legions of followers,” she explains. “Rush Creek always reminds me of a forest custard: woodsy, mushroomy, and oniony.”
She loves to play with the traditional potato pairing by serving ultra-crunchy kettle chips as a foil for all that rich, custardy ooze.
4. Flory’s Truckle, Milton Creamery, Missouri
At Milton Creamery in Missouri, they’ve put an American spin on the classic British cloth-bound cheddar. Flory’s Truckle leans a bit sweeter than most British offerings, with a bright, crumbly paste and almost strawberry vibes. For Kubick, the resulting raw milk cheese is quite simply irresistible, with “a buttery texture that crumbles like a scone [and] deeply complex flavors ranging from soil and grass to juicy pineapple.”
The raw milk truckle’s complexity demands a bold, slightly sweet pairing with a touch of acidity. For Kubick, crisp apples and cranberry relish are just the ticket.
5. Invierno, Vermont Shepherd, Vermont
With its semi-hard texture and rich, buttery flavor, Invierno may convert even the most stalwart of cheese skeptics. The award-winning mountain-style cheese is made with a combination of fat-rich sheep’s milk and nutty cow. The cheese is aged for four to five months, until it takes on a flavor Mignucci characterizes as both buttery and earthy — and, he adds, the notes of seasonal chanterelle mushrooms make it ideal for your Thanksgiving table.
6. Alpha Tolman, Jasper Hill Farm, Vermont
Speaking of crowd-pleasers, for Mignucci, “no fall cheese board is complete without an Alpine-style cheese.” His pick comes, once more, from Vermont’s Jasper Hill. Inspired by French Comté and Swiss Appenzeller, all-American Alpha Tolman is aged eight to twelve months for a complex flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
“This raw cow’s milk cheese has a dense, smooth paste with notes of toasted nuts and roasted meat,” he says. “Its complex flavor profile makes it a great choice for fondue or a classic cheese and charcuterie board.”
Rogue Creamery’s Rogue River Blue took the top prize at the 2019/2020 World Cheese Awards, and for good reason. Mignucci sings the praises of this seasonal creation, which is made with the rich milk of cows that have grazed on the Rogue Valley’s autumn pastures. After nearly a year of aging, the blue cheese is hand-wrapped in organic, biodynamic Syrah grape leaves soaked in pear spirits. The resulting cheese is released on the Autumn Equinox each year and boasts, according to Mignucci, a “unique fall flavor.”
Scott agrees, dubbing the cheese “pure magic.”
“It is rich, fudgy, and full of deep, fruity complexity,” he says. “I love how it captures the season: earthy, boozy, and celebratory. It’s the kind of cheese that makes people pause, smile, and ask, ‘What is that?’”
Scott notes that while he’s sold this cheese since its inception back in 2002, those who seek it out this Thanksgiving are in for a real treat. “Honestly,” he says, “this year’s batch is the best I have ever tasted.” Plus, research has shown that spermidine, a naturally occurring polyamine in blue cheese, is actually linked to longevity and anti-aging benefits.
Rogue may be renowned for its award-winning Rogue River blue, but Kubick has a soft spot for another one of this creamery’s creations.
“Smokey Blue from Rogue Creamery in Oregon is cold-smoked over hazelnut shells, infusing the wheels with subtle notes of bacon, vanilla custard, and autumnal leaf burnings,” she says. The smoky flavors marry perfectly with the mild yet present blue bitterness of this cheese, which she says will go particularly well with a Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole.
9. Red Rock, Roelli Cheese Haus, Wisconsin
Red Rock is a testament to the creativity of American craft cheesemakers: a hybrid of a rich orange cheddar with a slight blue vein. Darlington loves this cheese. She says it was made “by a former firefighter turned cheesemaker who was inspired by the red rocks in his area.”
Red Rock’s rugged natural rind and bright, rust-colored interior “looks gorgeous on a fall board,” she says, and its flavor lends itself well to autumnal pairings. She recommends serving it with sliced seasonal apples and chutney as a sweet counterpart to its sharp flavor and creamy texture.
10. Piper’s Pyramide, Capriole Farm, Indiana
For a stunner of an autumn cheese, this French-style goat cheese pyramid made by cheesemaking legend Judy Schad is one of Darlington’s go-tos. A vein of smoked paprika runs through its otherwise stark white interior, and a touch more of the smoky spice is added to the surface. A downy rind also forms during the aging process, which Darlington says “creates the appearance of snow on fall leaves.”
“I love the way it glows,” she continues, though of course, its aesthetic is just part of its appeal. Boasting an almost cloudlike texture and a gooey creamline, she says this cheese “tastes fresh and light — a perfect bite before or after turkey.”
11. Honey Bell, Valley Milkhouse, Pennsylvania
Honey Bell is a unique Brie-style cheese from Stefanie Angstadt’s small, women-led creamery, Valley Milkhouse. The creamy, lactic cheese is rolled in chamomile blossoms, which, according to Darlington, “underscore the sweetness of the milk.”
“It’s wild-looking but surprisingly mellow in taste,” she says. “I’ll be serving it with a whole honeycomb.”
12. Holiday Cheer, Blakesville Creamery, Wisconsin
Holiday Cheer wears its name well: This bloomy-rinded goat’s cheese boasts a Brie-like allure and effortlessly straddles both sweet and savory notes thanks to the cranberry and orange zest folded into the paste. The cheese is wrapped in cherry tree leaves that have been marinated in Korbel Brandy, which make it even moister and more flavorsome.
“The texture is lush and creamy, and the flavor is bright, tangy, and just a little sweet,” says Scott. “It’s perfect for parties, gifting, or just snacking with a glass of bubbly.”
