Sailing the Seas of Cheese

I believe I mentioned I'd say more about the cheese curds we consumed in Seattle. I've loved cheese curds since, as a kid, we would take family trips from our home near the Mississippi River in Iowa across the border to get some "real Wisconsin cheese" across the river. If you haven't had cheese curds, or if you haven't had superior cheese curds, you should know that it's true that the good ones squeak when you chew them.

I've had curds that squeak and curds that refuse to comment, but I'd never eaten flavored cheese curds until about 2 weeks ago. These, from Beecher's Handmade Cheese, an artisan shop near Pike Place Market (where you can watch the cheese being made on site, as pictured above), come as small curds soaking in a sort of marinade. We purchased two flavors - Chipotle Pepper and Market Herb. Both were good, if a little wet and messy (and squeakless). Regular, "dry" cheese curds can be eaten with the fingers. These were best on bread (or, potentially, crackers). My favorite of the two types we tried was the Market Herb, but I prefer fresh and unflavored. Next stop - fried!