One of the many things that’s true about my daughter is that she loves brie cheese: it’s a rich, creamy indulgence that signals celebration in our family. When we put together a cheese plate for family gatherings she always requests it and when it’s served we often have to provide a reminder that she’s not the only person who is interested in enjoying it. So, when I saw that Glendale Shepherd makes a brie style cheese called White Cap I had to purchase it.
White Cap by Glendale Shepherd is a sheep milk brie-style cheese featuring a soft, creamy interior with a bloomy white rind. Made on Whidbey Island, Washington this artisan cheese offers a richer, more buttery flavor than traditional cow’s milk brie, with a tangy finish that pairs well with crusty bread.
Cheese name: White Cap
Producer: Glendale Shepherd, Whidbey Island WA
Purchased from: Glendale Shepherd
About brie cheese
Brie was originally made in France, and the name isn’t protected the way, say, Parmesan Reggiano is a protected designation of origin (PDO). Instead, the name Brie tends to refer to the style of cheese, describing a soft-ripened cheese with an edible bloomy rind of white mold. It’s typically made with cow’s milk and is rich and buttery. White Cap is all of these things, except that it’s made with pasteurized sheep milk, making it even richer and more buttery.
Glendale Shepherd describes White Cap as striking “a lovely balance between the sweetness of sheep’s milk and the pleasant lactic tartness of freshly fermented curd.”
Tasting notes and pairings
Before serving White Cap, I left it on the counter for 1-2 hours. This ensured that the cheese inside the bloomy white rind was soft and runny, and that the flavor matured before we ate it.
We paired it simply, on Como bread from Grand Central Bakery and Wasa multigrain crisp breads. It was delicious: creamy texture, oozy and buttery, with a pleasantly tangy finish. And, yes, we ate the rind – it was bloomy and lovely, adding a slight fungal note to the overall flavor of the cheese.
As we devoured the White Cap round, we talked about what we’d like to eat with it. Our consensus was that it didn’t need to be paired with anything, but a spiced fruit compote of chunky apples or dried fruit might be nice – this is something I’ll definitely experiment with in the fall / winter.
On a cheese plate
From now on, this will be the Pacific Northwest artisan cheese I look for when I’m including brie on a cheese plate, and it doesn’t need much adornment – a few slices of baguette, and maybe a fruit chutney or a pickle to balance out the acidity.
Where to buy White Cap
I purchased White Cap when we visited Glendale Shepherd a few weeks ago – you can read all about our visit and the history of the farm here. However, I was very pleased to see that Glendale Shepherd was selling White Cap at the Ballard Farmer’s market when I was there last weekend; Glendale Shepherd sells their cheese at many other farmers markets throughout Seattle.
Have you tried White Cap or other Glendale Shepherd cheeses? Share your experience in the comments below.