Italian Provolone Piccante Cheese

This Incredible Italian Cheese Sampler Obviously Includes Italy's Favorite Mozzarella... You'll Love It!

Provolone is a northern Italian cheese that can be thought of as Mozzarella's older brother. Take some Mozzarella, form it into your favorite shape, rub it down with brine, bind it with rope, and hang it from the ceiling for a few months. Voila! - you have just made Provolone. There are two varieties of Provolone. Dolce (meaning sweet) is the mild version and Piccante (meaning sharp) is its spicy, more aged counterpart. We love this Piccante version, which is rarely available in the U.S. and is much more interesting than the mild Provolone most Americans have come to know. One of the great sandwich cheeses, Provolone Piccante is also an excellent melting cheese that is perfect in omelettes or atop a toasted focaccia.

Italian Grana Padano Stagionato Cheese Aged 18 Months

We Chose This Fantastic Sharp Aged Italian Cheese Because Of It's Rare Touch Of Fruity Flavor. Yum!

This special wheel of Grana Padano has been aged for a full 18 months. Over that time, this Stagionato (aged) cheese gets sharper, but not in the same way that cheddar does. Rather than becoming "bitey", it develops more fruit flavors with intensified umami characteristics. We love its smooth taste on the palate and long, lingering nutty finish. While Grana Padano is the classic grating cheese called for in pasta, risotto, and salad recipes, we also love it as a simple dessert cheese drizzled with honey.

Italian Mountain Gorgonzola DOP Cheese

The Incredible Italian Blue Cheese... Wait For It....

From Italy's Lombardy region, we present Mountain Gorgonzola, a sharp and tangy cheese. Like many cheeses, this cheese takes its name from the local town where it was created, Gorgonzola, just south of Milan. There, a simple fresh cheese was made for generations, until a few forgotten wheels were found to have turned blue with mold. This edible mold was a natural part of the terroir, coming from the local caves of Valsassina. Upon tasting the moldy cheese, the local dairymen found it to be delicious, and allowed their wheels to go moldy on purpose. Thus Stracchino di Gorgonzola, Italy's most famous blue cheese, was born.

Today the cheese is more well-known than the town, and not without reason. Made of cow's milk, this thick, sliceable blue has a fudgey texture and gentle blue bite. Not as sharp as Roquefort or as pungent as Stilton, Mountain Gorgonzola is a consistently delightful cheese that will convert even non-blue cheese eaters into fans. As it ages, the 14 lb drums of cheese are gently washed with a saltwater brine, allowing the cheese to stay moist and smooth. This also gives Mountain Gorgonzola its thin, pinkish-red rind. With its white interior laced with streaks of blue, Mountain Gorgonzola is an attractive table cheese and a savory ingredient in your favorite salad. Gorgonzola takes very well to fruits, especially figs and pears. Or try it the Italian way-– alone on a plate drizzled with honey.

Italian Pecorino Toscano DOP Cheese

This Magnificent Cheese Sampler Would Not Be Complete Without Pecorino Toscano... You Know Why.... Duh!!! It's True Italian Gourmet.

Il Forteto Pecorino Toscano bears the coveted D.O.P. (or Protected Label of Origin) designation. That means that it's produced in a very specific region — in this case, the farming town of Mugello near Florence and Tuscany — to exacting standards. The cheese is crafted from local ewe's milk exclusively collected from June through September. It's then aged for 1 month, resulting in a crumbly, straw-colored cheese with a strong buttery flavor, light sweetness and mild peppery finish. While delicious grated over soups, salads and pastas, it's special enough to stand alone as a table cheese; especially enjoyed alongside walnuts which perfectly complement the cheese's oily richness.