Cheese for Breakfast

Today is my day off from work. My plan was to make a hearty breakfast. Eggs, chicken sausage, maybe even biscuits. When I woke up at 7am it was almost 80 degrees.* I haven't put my a/c window unit in yet, and I thought that cooking was just going to be a bad idea.

With a growling tummy and a meowing kitty at my heels I opened the fridge looking for something yummy. I pulled out some lemon iced tea and kept rummaging. Oh yum! I have a container of Driftless from Hidden Springs Creamery. I had other plans for this cheese, but plans change. It's time for breakfast.

This is a fresh sheep's milk cheese from Wisconsin. Specifically the "Driftless" area of the state. This part of Wisconsin still has some rolling hills instead of being completely flat. The reason? The glaciers that came through missed a spot. Read more about that here.

The make different flavors of Driftless cheese. Today's flavor is the lavender and honey. They also make this cheese is plain, basil, cinnamon & cranberry and pumpkin during the fall. I do something different with each flavor. The basil one I use as a topping on bread with pasta. Pumpkin makes Thanksgiving dessert soooooo good. The cinnamon & cranberry is ridiculously good as a stuffed french toast filler as is the lavender and honey. No syrup needed when using these lovelies.

The plain is in my opinion the most overlooked. I think it's a wonderful cheese. It shows off their sheep's milk beautifully. It's rich and fatty, slightly musty, a bit sheepy and a little sweet all on it's own. A wonderful addition to any cheese board.

Sheep milk has a higher percentage of vitamins and minerals than cow or goat's milk. It also has a higher fat content. This i why when you taste a sheep milk cheese, no matter what style, it aways tastes a bit rounder in the mouth. Texturally this cheese is a bit like if ricotta and cream cheese got together and had a love-child. It looks grainy, but has a very smooth spreadable consistency. Great on a piece of still warm sourdough I toasted it, not fresh baked for breakfast with a glass of ice tea. Nourishing, refreshing and cooling.

I love starting my day with cheese.

Lil' tub of Driftless


Mmmm....cheese


*Can anyone explain to me why on my day off I can't sleep in? Sleeping in used to mean 11am. Now it means 7am. NOT FAIR!