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• Nettle Meadow Kunik
• Roncal
• Nocciolo
• Mitica Acacia Honey
• Z Crackers, Sea Salt and Olive Oil

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$59 + shipping

Or call 888.MY.CHEEZ, ext.7

on the side . . .

Mitica Acacia Honey
Part of Murray’s first line of single-varietal honeys sourced from abroad, this is pure unfiltered, unpasteurized nectar. It’s collected in Emilia-Romagna (home of so many Italian favorites), from a producer whose family have been beekeepers for decades. Their Acacia honey is light and floral, leaving you with a hint of vanilla on the palate; it rarely crystallizes due to its high fructose level.

Z Crackers, Sea Salt and Olive Oil
Handmade in New York City, Z Crackers are based on a pizza crust recipe developed three decades ago. Owners Pam and Keith Pollack experimented with the crust recipe and baked a batch of crackers that they couldn’t stop eating. We carry many of their varieties; my favorite is the Sea Salt and Olive Oil, which is most suitable for all kinds of cheese.

Come summer, my family retreats from Manhattan to our place in the country— a restored 1768 farmhouse that’s the best place to cool off. (Aside from Murray’s underground cheese caves, that is.)

So when culture asked me to share some of our family favorites, I thought I’d pick three that are especially great for an afternoon picnic (including a new import that culture readers get first dibs at!). After all, it’s summertime and the livin’ is cheesy, especially outdoors.

Nettle Meadow Kunik

Adirondacks, New York
Pasteurized goat’s and cow’s milk

No matter what’s on a cheese plate, I see people make a beeline for the triple crème first; Kunik is a standout in that category. Milk from the happy goats and cows at Nettle Meadow Farm in Warrensburg, New York, makes for a sumptuous, decadent paste. After the rinds bloom for a couple of weeks in Murray's Cave 3, these rounds have plenty of the lemony, mushroomy, wet straw qualities we prize. The only way to make this cheese even better is to drizzle some acacia honey over it.

Roncal

Navarra, Spain
Raw sheep's milk

Manchego? Just say Manche-no. Roncal was the first Spanish cheese awarded D.O. (Designated Origin) status, and with good reason. This lesser-known wheel, crafted from raw sheep’s milk, has a rustic quality and a gamey, lanolin flavor that I find delectable—so does my five-year-old. After a month of ripening in Cave 4 at Murray’s, the cheese enzymes break down to create a rich and flaky pressed paste. Roncal is picnic-perfect because it’s snackable and easy to slice or shave.

Nocciolo

Piedmont, Italy
Pasteurized cow’s milk

From this great wine region across the pond comes a new cheese that my staff at Murray’s awarded “Best in Rind.” After thrice-weekly brine baths, Nocciolo’s live- active rind ripens from the outside in, creating a thick cream line and a chalky center. It was first picked up in Italy by our wholesale director to share with our chef clients, and we are now introducing it exclusively to readers of culture. Creamy, hazelnut-like (“nocciolo” in Italian) notes distinguish this artisan cheese. Serve it sliced on a thin cracker.