Serra da Estrela, Portugal
Portugal's most celebrated cheese — a raw sheep's milk soft cheese from the Serra da Estrela mountain range, made by hand from December to March when Bordaleira sheep produce milk of the highest fat content, coagulated with cardoon thistle (the same vegetable rennet as Torta del Casar), and aged to a soft, flowing interior that must be scooped from the top rind. Queijo Serra da Estrela DOP is Portugal's only internationally recognised artisan cheese and shares with Torta del Casar the thistle-rennet character: slightly bitter, intensely creamy, with a persistent lanolin and wild-herb note from the mountain pastures. The best examples (November through February, when the milk is at peak fat content) have an interior that flows like a very thick cream when the top is removed.
Made only from raw Bordaleira sheep's milk — pasteurised milk is not permitted for DOP production. The cardoon thistle (cardo) provides the vegetable rennet — dried pistils are ground and infused in water, then added to the milk. Hand-kneaded curd is pressed into round moulds and aged for 30-45 days minimum. Serve at room temperature (remove from refrigerator 2-3 hours before service). Cut the top rind and scoop the interior with a spoon.
Serra da Estrela is available only from specialist Portuguese food shops or direct from producers in the mountains around Celorico da Beira and Gouveia. The production season is December-March — if buying in summer, the cheese is from the previous winter's production and may be more aged and firmer. Pair with broa de milho and honey from the Serra. The cheese pairs perfectly with red Dão wines (Portugal's Burgundy equivalent) — the granite soils of the Dão producing wines of delicacy that match the cheese's subtlety.
Serving cold — the interior is semi-solid below 16°C and reveals nothing of its character. Cutting with a knife rather than scooping — the flowing interior runs and the presentation is lost. Pairing with overpowering wines — the delicate lanolin-herb character is easily overwhelmed.
My Portugal by George Mendes