THE SEASON FOR GRUYERE
Richly aged gruyere has been calling to me this winter. Though it’s not snowing in California we have had some unusually chilly weather and severe rain, causing mudslides down the fire damaged hills. When you add the thunder and rainbows you’ve got gruyere weather in my book.

I like to think of the summer milk, taken from cows grazing on flowers and grasses high in the Alps being stirred in huge copper cauldrons then formed into 60 pound wheels of cheese. Each process along the way can make or break a perfect Gruyere, especially the cave where the cheese sits, gets turned, bathed in brine and generally hovered over for 5 to 18 months. The longer the better in my book where you can taste the mature nutty, chestnut and violet paste. If this Swiss Gruyere is discovered to have fissures or holes during any part of its aging process it is disqualified.

So during the rainy, chilly southern California weather me and my Gruyere spent many a happy afternoon together, from sandwiches stacked with melted cheese and some added dill pickles to simply munching with crackers and whatever is in the fridge.