Snow Canyon Edam
- Producer
- Rockhill Creamery
- Country
- United States
- Region
- Utah
- Size
- 8 in diameter x 4 in height
- Weight
- 6 lbs
- Website
- www.rockhillcheese.com
- Milk
- Cow
- Treatment
- Raw
- Classification
- Hard
- Rennet
- Animal
- Rind
- Natural
- Style
- Alpine-style
Rockhill Creamery is a farmstead operation located in the town of Richmond, on a rocky hillside in Utah’s Cache Valley. The historic property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; its farmhouse dates back to 1893, while the hay barn dates to 1915. At various times having been home to a subsistence farm, a dairy farm and a thriving egg business, the property was purchased by Jennifer Hines and Pete Schropp in 1986. Hines, who loves cooking and had been experimenting with cheesemaking in her kitchen, and Schropp, who loves animals and had been raising dairy heifers for nearby farms, turned to cheesemaking in order to create a value-added product that would keep the historic farm financially viable. They opened Rockhill Creamery in 2005. In 2007, they finished construction of an underground cheese aging facility. Today they produce cheese twice a week using only the milk from their six Brown Swiss Cows.
Cheese at Rockhill farm is produced in 125-gallon batches. After ripening and coagulation of the raw milk, the curd mass is cut into cubes, then stirred. A third of the whey is drained off and replaced with fresh hot water to "cook" the curd, which is then placed in cheesecloth-lined hoops. Hoops are left on the drain table, where they’re turned and flipped five times that afternoon before the wheels are moved to a brine solution and then into the aging cave. Cheeses are aged for at least two months before going to market.
Dark and Snow Canyon Edams are named after two favorite southern Utah canyons, and refer to the same cheese at different stages of aging. Dark Canyon Edam is aged for 2-4 months, developing a creamy and mild flavor. Snow Canyon Edam is usually aged for 12-17 months, becoming much harder and drier, with a white rind. Texture is crumbly and slightly granular.
Tasting Notes
Snow Canyon Edam exhibits a pronounced lack of saltiness and a sharp tang on the back of the tongue. Notes of butter, milk, hay and grass are present.
Pairings
Pair Snow Canyon Edam with a Rioja or with a chardonnay.
