lsanderson | Food! Glorious Food! The Damned Near a New Year Edition (Reply)

The Dark (and Often Dubious) Art of Forecasting Food Trends
By KIM SEVERSON

Sheep’s Milk Cheeses in U.S. Earn Ribbons but Little Profit

By JANET FLETCHER

A Sampler of American Sheep Cheeses

For a taste of America’s answer to manchego and pecorino, these acclaimed all-sheep’s-milk cheeses are a fine place to start. (Some can be ordered by phone or online; others may be available at specialty shops or supermarkets like Whole Foods.) JANET FLETCHER

BELLWETHER FARMS SAN ANDREAS Three-month-old raw-milk wheel with a lemony scent and sour-cream tang. (Petaluma, Calif.)

BLEATING HEART CHEESE FAT BOTTOM GIRL Raw-milk wheel with aromas of warm butter, clotted cream, pale caramel and toasted nuts. (Tomales, Calif.)

CARR VALLEY CHEESE CAVE-AGED MARISA Three-month-old wheel with hints of brown butter, toasted hazelnuts and damp cave. (La Valle, Wis., carrvalleycheese.com; 800-462-7258)

GRAFTON VILLAGE CHEESE BEAR HILL Firm raw-milk wheel with a brine-washed rind and sweet, fruity flavors. (Grafton, Vt.)

HIDDEN SPRINGS CREAMERY OCOOCH MOUNTAIN Raw-milk, brine-washed, cave-aged wheel with aromas of toffee and buttered toast. (Westby, Wis.)

LANDMARK CREAMERY ANABASQUE Firm wheel with caramel and warm butter aromas. Modeled after the French cheese Ossau-Iraty. (Albany, Wis., 608-345-1282, landmarkcreamery.com)

MEADOWOOD FARMS LEDYARD Soft-ripened Robiola-style cheese wrapped in grape leaves. (Cazenovia, N.Y.)

SHEPHERD’S WAY FARMS BIG WOODS BLUE Rindless blue, aged five to six months. Tender, moist and creamy, with nutty notes. (Nerstrand, Minn., shepherdswayfarms.com; 507-663-9040)

VERMONT SHEPHERD VERANO Aged raw-milk cheese produced with spring and summer milk only. Mellow and nutty. (Westminster, Vt., 802-387-4473, vermontshepherd.com)

Midwest Cheeses With a French Pedigree