Artisan cheese and an assortment of the gourmet and specialty foods available at The Texas Cheese House.
during this process that the cheese develops its unique flavor profiles and characteristics: mild, strong, or sharp. The older the cheese, the harder the texture. Once the cheese is done and ready to age, Scott vacuum-seals it in plastic and labels it. Then the cheese is placed on racks and stored at room temperature for 6, 8 or12 months or until it is ready to sell. When I asked about storing it in a refrigerator, Scott explained that only dairy products that have lactose require refrigeration. “A well-aged, hard cheese does not have lactose in it. The live cheese cultures eat the lactose out of the curds and when the cheese is pressed into the mold, the excess moisture, or whey, that contains the lactose is pressed out. What little if any moisture does remain is lost during the aging process. So even someone who is lactose-intolerant could eat this cheese.” After he explained the racks and storage, he gave me a tour around the kitchen and showed me where he makes the cheese, one batch at a time. Each batch produces 100 pounds of cheese. Scott’s favorite time to make cheese is in the spring. “You can taste a difference in the milk based on the season and diet of the cows. The milk is generally sweeter and has more flavor when the grass is green. I make cheese year-round; however, I prefer to do the largest bulk of it during the spring and early summer when the milk is the best,” Scott said. All of the milk used in his cheeses come from organic dairies in Central Texas that have grass-fed herds free of antibiotics, hormones, additives, GMO, corn, soy and preservatives. One of them, Mill-King Market & Creamery, is located just outside of Waco in the Crawford/ McGregor area. Family-owned and operated for three generations, the Mill-King dairy specializes in low-temperature pasteurized, nonhomogenized milk and cream. If you grew up on a farm or cherish the memories of fresh sweet milk, you’ll want to pick up a gallon of 34
MARCH 2014 TEX APPEAL
Scott preparing the special of the day, grilled openface cheddar, tomato and bacon sandwiches.
Mill-King at The Cheese House. You can see the rich, sweet cream that has separated and risen to the top of the milk right through the jug. When you head to Lorena to visit The Cheese House, be sure to come hungry. The Cheese House features a daily lunch special and a menu with appetizers, sandwiches, cheeseburgers, homemade mac ’n cheese, soups, and desserts. It also has Scott’s own original creations--11 specialty grilled cheese sandwiches, including one that has macaroni and cheese on it! And whatever you do, don’t forget to add an ice-cold bottle of Cheer wine to your order. This fresh wild cherry soda is made with style and pure cane sugar, a reminiscent of the old style fountain drinks from the past. Dublin Bottling Works also is located in Central Texas (southwestern Erath County) and features a full line of sodas in vintageinspired flavors such as orange cream, vanilla cream, black cherry, vintage cola, cherry limeade, and Texas sweet peach. They are so yummy you’ll want to grab a couple extra bottles for the trip home. After you taste a few slices of Scott’s artisan cheeses, it becomes quite evident that he was never meant to make cheese at home as a hobby—cheese-making is his calling in life. To say Scott is a “cheese lover” is “udder-ly” insulting. Every ounce of this man soul is “cheesy.” He eats, lives, and breathes cheese. Perhaps that’s why I didn’t find his answer to my question, “what is the hardest thing about making cheese?” surprising. He simply looked over at me and with a big grin on his face he replied, “The hardest thing about making cheese is watching it walk out the door.”
Visit Lorena and The Texas Cheese House. It taste like Texas-no matter how you slice it.