Pastorale Blend
- Producer
- Sartori
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Wisconsin
- Size
- 12-14" diameter, 4" high
- Weight
- 20 lbs
- Website
- www.sartoricheese.com
- Milk
- Sheep
Cow - Classification
- Firm
- Rennet
- Microbial
- Rind
- Flavored
Established in 1939 by Paolo Sartori, Sartori Cheese Company is a fourth generation family owned business based in Plymouth, Wisconsin.
Primarily renowned for their production of hard and Italian style cheeses, the company sources milk from local, family owned farms within a close radius to their production facilities. The herd size at each farm averages 75 cows and many of the farms have worked with Sartori for multiple generations. The company also operates an incentive program that encourages each farm to produce the best quality milk possible.
For production of Sartori’s cheeses, the milk is heated, cultures and rennet are added and, once the milk has coagulated, the curd is cut, releasing the whey which is drained off.
The remaining curd is hand-salted and transferred into hoops and then pressed for several hours. After that,the newly formed wheels of cheese are placed in a warm “overnight” room to encourage the expulsion of more whey.
Wheels are then trimmed by hand and placed in a brine bath which encourages the formation of a rind. After the brine bath, the cheese is moved to a curing room for further maturation.
Each variety of cheese is matured for a different length of time. Every batch is tasted at regular intervals during this period and, when they are deemed ready, released for sale.
For the production of some of Sartori’s cheeses, carefully selected wheels are chosen to undergo a third stage of finishing.
This last stage involves the application by hand or soaking of a proprietary blend of one of a variety of coatings.
Made from a blend of cow and sheep’s milk, Pastorale Blend is hand-dusted with smoked Spanish paprika prior to its release for sale.
Tasting Notes
The resulting cheese has mild, sweet and balanced flavors of earth, milk and smoke.
Pairings
Pastorale Blend pairs well with artisan breads, dried pineapple and dried nuts. Good wine pairings include Chianti, Shiraz and Beaujolais and beers such as India Pale Ales and Porters make good companions.
