meatball soup. If you’re whipping ….

meatball soup. If you’re whipping up a taco salad, we highly recommend crumbling some cotija on top.

Cotija

Named after the town of Cotjia in the Mexican state of Michoacán, where it has been made for over 400 years. Cotija is a semi-hard, slightly aged, seriously tasty crumbler. If we had to compare it to another cheese, feta is the closest comparison. Both are salty and slightly acidic, yet flavorful cheeses that we love to eat cold or slightly warmed in or over soups, salads and other savory dishes. Another name for cotija is “queso anejado,” which means aged cheese, although it’s typically only aged for two months or less. We’re so happy this Mexican classic migrated north -- the universe of great cheese we’re blessed with in Wisconsin would never be complete without it.

Appearance: Ivory and usually in small blocks Texture: Semi-hard, on the dry side and easy to crumble Flavor: Fresh and salty with a very slight sharpness Performance notes: If we have a busy week, we’ll often buy a couple blocks of cotija, and crumble the entire thing into a tightly lidded container. That way, we can quickly grab it from the refrigerator and use it as a tasty topper on a range of dishes.

Pairing notes: If cotija is at the table, we recommend drinking spiked aguas frescas (cold, freshly made Mexican juices), Mexican lagers with lime, margaritas, and micheladas (slightly spicy Mexican lager plus tomato juice drink). Anything that’s light, citrusy or fruity teams up famously with cotija.

Serving tips: If there’s a crumbling of white cheese over a Mexican-American dish chances are high that it’s fresh and yummy cotija cheese. We like to top enchiladas, tostadas, chilaquiles and rellenos with it. We also love to use it in sopa de albondigas, which is Mexican

Baby Swiss

Take away some of the aging of swiss cheese and emmental and you get younger, milder and higher-moisture baby swiss. Nobody knows for sure the origin story of this buttery delightful, full-of-micro- holes cheese. It seems to be native to the American Midwest and it seems to have been created sometime in the middle of the last century. In the hands of our Master Cheesemakers, baby swiss from Wisconsin is less bold than its siblings but every bit as versatile as swiss and emmental. You have our permission to make it all you own.

Appearance: Pale yellow and holey in or out of church Texture: On the softer side with a bit of spring in its step Flavor: Mild and buttery with a slight sweetness Performance notes: This baby needs no coddling. Baby swiss is best at room temperature, melts really well, and is a good and easy keeper.

Pairing notes: It’s hard to do baby swiss wrong, unless you try to pair it with something too sweet. We never hesitate to pull out the wine and beer for collaborations with baby swiss. Beers that pair well include stout, porter, weiss beer and lager. Wines that enjoy babysitting: oaked or unoaked chardonnay, grüner veltliner, champagne and cava.

Serving tips: Baby swiss is a killer melter, and it makes a memorable omelette, frittata or quiche, whether cubed or grated. We also really enjoy it on a fully stacked club sandwich. We pile turkey, ham, baby swiss, sliced onion, lettuce and tomato on three types of lightly toasted bread (usually wheat, light rye and dark rye) and have at it.

Asiago

Asiago is the sadly underappreciated Italian sibling of parmesan. Give it some love, people! From young and smooth to aged and crumbly, asiago is a fruity and slightly tart, savory cheese. We love to eat it fresh, but we enjoy cooking with it even more. Named for the small town in northern Italy where it was born, asiago is similar to other mountain cheeses in that it’s dense and firm, well-aged, and originally crafted to weather those long, tough winters in the Dolomites (the Italian corner of the Alps). We love our Wisconsin asiago unconditionally (and year-round!) on its own, on a cheese board or finely grated over nearly any pasta-based entree.

Appearance: Pale cream in color, dense looking Texture: When fresh it’s elastic and semi-hard, when aged it’s hard and slightly granular.

Flavor: From fresh, fruity and tangy when young, to buttery and nutty as it ages For easier slicing and grating, room temperature is best.

Performance notes: For easier slicing and grating, room temperature is best.

Pairing notes: Whether young or aged, asiago is a versatile cheese. Put-in-a-pint drinks that we favor with it include hard ciders and fruit beers, pilsners, pale ales and lighter Belgian ales. If wine sounds fine, then we recommend riesling, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, cabernet sauvignon and syrah. If liquor is more your speed, then both scotch and rye whiskey pair well. A nutty and assertive sake loves asiago too.

Serving tips: Asiago is great on its own, on a cheese board, in sandwiches or salads or finely grated over pastas or risottos. We love to grate it over lavash, focaccia or other flat bread dough, and bake it until golden and lovingly melted. It’s also really good over broiled fish.