Uplands Cheese Company Pleasant Ridge Reserve Extra Aged
- Raw
- Animal Rennet
- Age: 9-24 Months
- Cow Milk
- by Uplands Cheese
- United States
- ApproachableAdventurous
- SoftHard
As seen on Bravo's "Top Chef" Inspired by classic French mountain cheese Beaufort, Pleasant Ridge Reserve is a true American classic. The firm, beeswax-yellow paste of this handcrafted, raw-milk cheese boasts vivid savory and fruity flavors alongside a delicate crunch. Made exclusively from spring through early fall, Uplands Cheese Company Pleasant Ridge Reserve Extra Aged gets its complexity from a strict grass-based diet, happy cows, and careful aging. Try it with Murray's Marcona Almonds and an aged Rioja.
“Pleasant Ridge Reserve is bright and snappy with notes of tropical fruit, and butterscotch and a sweet, delicate crunch. It is a fun cheese to taste with friends and surprise them by calling out the pineapple as they taste it.”
Allergens: Milk
- Pleasant Ridge Reserve Extra Aged is one of just two cheeses made by the Wisconsin-based Uplands Cheese Company.
- Raw, summer milk from the farm’s pasture-fed cows is transformed into superb wheels of this Beaufort-inspired cheese.
- The bright yellow paste matures into a firm, dense, creamy-crunchy, cheese —one that is savory but with distinct fruity notes reminiscent of mangoes, passionfruit, or canned pineapple.
- Head Cheesemaker Andy Hatch often says that he is a grass farmer, as the quality of the grass directly correlates with the quality of his cheese.
- Hatch holds himself to extremely high standards when it comes to cheesemaking.
- Batches of Pleasant Ridge are created only when he is confident that the quality of the grass will guarantee exceptional cheese.
- The farm’s grass is at its peak during the summer months; thus, Pleasant Ridge is only made during this time of year. It’s won countless awards, making it a true must-have.
- Uplands Cheese Company is the crown jewel of Wisconsin artisan cheesemaking, located on Pleasant Ridge in Dodgeville, Wisconsin.
- The farm was founded in 1994 when neighboring farms joined forces in a seasonal, pasture-based grazing system.
- The farm is now owned and operated by two families: Andy and Caitlin Hatch and Scott and Liana Mericka.
- Nine different breeds of cow wander and graze seasonally across 300 acres of grazing land.
- Using a rotational grazing technique, the herd is moved every 12 to 24 hours to a new pasture to prevent the land from being over-foraged.
- Uplands uses only their own fresh, raw cow’s milk—grass-fed in the summer and supplemented for the short winter season. Their flavorful cheeses express the unique terroir of Wisconsin’s Uplands region.
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