This past weekend, I was curious to try a new cheese for a party I was co-hosting. So, I visited Anne Saxelby in the Essex Street Market, and she suggested Grayson, a thick buttery raw cow's milk cheese. At first, I could not help but to compare it with Taleggio, one of my favorite Italian cheeses. Slowly, I began to taste a unique beefy and sweet flavor with nutty tones. Unlike most of the other American cheeses that I've written about, Grayson comes from Galax, Virginia.

I was struck by the complexity of Grayson as it slowly melted on my palate. When I purchased the cheese, Anne explained to me one of the main reasons why Grayson, an American cheese, can taste similar to the Italian Taleggio. It's produced in a region of the U.S. where the soil and climate are very similar to that of the Peidmont region of Italy where Taleggio is produced. The cheese is supple rich and decadent. I served it on it's own with sliced pears, walnuts, and almonds. You can also use this cheese as a local substitute for Taleggio. So, it's delicious melted on bread.

Visit Meadow Creek Dairy!
Rick and Helen Feete at Meadow Creek Dairy only produce cheeses when their cows are on natural pasture from April through October. From the 80 Jersey cows that they'll milk this season, approximately twenty percent of the milk will be used to make cheese. This allows the Feetes to use only the highest quality milk for every batch of cheese. They always use extremely fresh milk - they make cheese within two hours of milking. The Feetes wash the rind of Grayson resulting in a bright orange-brown rind, and they age the cheese naturally for 60 days. Suggestions on where to purchase this cheese can be found after the jump.
Where can one purchase Grayson cheese?
Besides buying it directly at Meadow Creek Dairy, you can find it at a number of shops and online. I purchased my piece from Anne Saxelby at Saxelby Cheesemongers. You can find it online from Murray's. It costs about 20 dollars per pound.