Fiscalini Cheese Co., Modesto, Calif., introduces Habanero Cheddar. As with all of Fiscalini cheeses, Habanero Cheddar is produced using only the farm’s pristine rBST-free milk. Fiscalini, internationally recognized for its award-winning line of farmstead cheeses and eco-friendly/animal welfare practices, is the first U.S. dairy to complete the Validus certification program, allowing the company to use the label “Certified Responsible Producer.”
This spicy flavor, suggested by one of Fiscalini’s young cheese makers, was received extremely well at the Winter Fancy Food Show. Aged six months, it has marbled texture, with the chili pepper providing saffron-colored striations throughout the cheese. Habanero, one of the most intensely spicy species of chili pepper, is used judiciously, giving this cheese a pleasant, subtle heat with a slight citrus finish and soft, nutty “bite.” It pairs well with Beaujolais or Pinot Noir, Prosecco, Vouvray or Riesling wines and gives specialty dishes an extra “kick.”
