Adelle. Photo: Murray's.

After spending months tasting mostly French cheeses, it's hard not to compare our diverse American cheeses to their European counterparts, especially Adelle from Ancient Heritage Dairy in Scio, Oregon. A taste of Adelle is like taking a bite of a phenomenally aged French goat's-milk cheese with an oozy texture and a flavor reminiscent of hazelnuts. What's remarkable about Adelle is that, despite this similarity, it's not a goat's-milk cheese.

In contrast to a French goat's-milk cheese like Pouligny Saint Pierre, Adelle's complex taste can be attributed to a combination of milks – that of East Friesian sheep and of Ayrshire Cows. While its rich taste and creamy consistency come from cow's milk, its meaty pungency and finish come from the addition of sheep's milk. Anne Saxelby, owner of Saxelby Cheesemongers, refers to mixed milk cheese as an "American innovation."

The reason for this American technique of mixing milk from different animals has to do with the seasonality of certain milks. For instance, sheep usually stop milking in October. "We could not afford to stop producing cheeses from October until the spring," says Kathy Obringer, co-owner of Ancient Heritage Dairy (with husband Paul). "So, one season, we used the cow's milk from a neighbor in exchange for cheese lessons, and we mixed it with our frozen sheep's milk."

Find out more about Adelle after the jump.

Fortunately for the Obringers, it turns out that sheep's milk freezes much better than cow's milk. After the success of their mixed experiment, they purchased their own cows and concocted Adelle, named after their daughter Eleanor, who goes by "Elle."

In addition to its distinctly balanced mildly sheepy taste, Adelle has an exquisite appearance; the smooth interior sits beneath a delicate pale white bloomy rind, like that of Brie de Melun. So, while its initial taste seems similar to that of a French goat's milk cheese, it's actually more like a hybrid of many different French cheeses. Both its rind (which should be eaten!) and mixed milks make this cheese truly one-of-a-kind.

Adelle is aged for two weeks and then sold at the Portland Farmers' Market and the Hillsdale Farmer's Market in Oregon, and at various stores, mostly in Oregon or Washington, with the exception of Murray's in New York City. "It's ideal if eaten at three weeks, but you can also eat it when it's aged a few weeks longer," says Kathy. "My husband likes Adelle when it's aged longer and is really ripe, melting from the outside and revealing a texture like that of gravy," says Kathy.

In short, this is definitely a cheese worth the gastronomic trip, especially when looking for an authentically American artisanal cheese (it's a long way from Velveeta!). After all, it's fromages like Adelle that showcase how far American cheese makers have progressed in their ventures.