Herkimer County Cheese

The standard method for making American Cheddar was established in
Herkimer County, New York, in 1841 and has been rigidly maintained
down to this day. Made with rennet and a bacterial "starter," the curd
is cut and pressed to squeeze out all of the whey and then aged in
cylindrical forms for a year or more.

Herkimer leads the whole breed by being flaky, brittle, sharp and
nutty, with a crumb that will crumble, and a soft, mouth-watering pale
orange color when it is properly aged.


Isigny

Isigny is a native American cheese that came a cropper. It seems to be
extinct now, and perhaps that is all to the good, for it never meant
to be anything more than another Camembert, of which we have plenty of
imitation.

Not long after the Civil War the attempt was made to perfect Isigny.
The curd was carefully prepared according to an original formula,
washed and rubbed and set aside to come of age. But when it did, alas,
it was more like Limburger than Camembert, and since good domestic
Limburger was then a dime a pound, obviously it wouldn't pay off. Yet
in shape the newborn resembled Camembert, although it was much larger.
So they cut it down and named it after the delicate French Creme
d'lsigny.