As I mentioned in my write-up of Cowgirl Creamery's DC location, there is a seasonal cheese produced by the Cowgirls called Pierce Pt.  And as SB pointed out in her comment on that post the other day, Cowgirl Creamery is also one of the first stores in the country to carry jamón ibérico, a cured Spanish ham widely praised for its rich, smooth taste.  On my recent visit to their shop, I picked up some of each and tasted them together.  The Pierce Pt. remains a favorite, with its dried herbs adding complexity to the flavor of the cheese.  But although I could appreciate the quality of the jamón, it failed to blow me away.

Pierce Pt.

Cowgirl Creamery's mission to celebrate all things artisanal begins at home with their own line of cheeses.  They produce two cheeses year-round at their home base in Marin County (outside San Francisco): Mt. Tam, a buttery triple-cream, and Red Hawk, a washed-rind cheese with a pungent aroma and a deep, earthy flavor.  And they are proud of their use of organic milk, frequently highlighting the fact that their supply comes from the nearby Straus Family Dairy.

But they also produce two seasonal cheeses - one in the spring and one in the fall.  The first, called St. Pat, is wrapped in nettle leaves and has a smoky green flavor that matches its look.  The second - Pierce Pt. - is my favorite of their offerings and the true hero of this post.

Pierce Pt. is made from that same organic Straus Family Dairy milk, but it goes through a maturation process unlike most other cheeses.  First, the rounds are washed in a muscato (their spelling) wine - a light, sweet white wine whose floral aromas and peachy flavor still linger a bit on the cheese.  After this wine bath, the cheese is rolled in local dried herbs.  Although no formal list of the herbs used is available, the woman behind the counter told me it included chamomile and fennel, and I tend to come away from tasting Pierce Pt. with a firm impression of bay.  Regardless of the secret recipe, it is a celebration of local flavors and a great inclusion on any cheese plate as the weather turns cold.  As it warms, the cheese softens from the outside in, taking on a texture somewhere between double-cream brie and raclette.

As a seasonal offering, Pierce Pt. is only around in the fall and winter.  By the time Cowgirl Creamery rolls out St. Pat in early March, it will be gone for another year.  Pierce Pt. is sold in rounds and half-rounds by weight,  with the average round weighing roughly a half a pound.  At $22.75 per pound, you can expect to spend $10-$12 per round and $5-6 per half-round.

Jamón Ibérico

Until very recently, jamón ibérico was not available in the United States.  This Spanish delicacy was not  approved for import into the United States until 2005, and this month marks the arrival of the first shipment.  Cowgirl Creamery is therefore one of the first purveyors in the entire country to offer the cured ham.

When SB mentioned its availability, it piqued my curiosity so I decided to give it a try.  I did some reading and learned that jamón ibérico comes from Black Iberian pigs, one of the closest domesticated relatives of wild boars.  The pigs feed primarily on acorns, grasses and herbs, and it is this diet that is supposed to give their meat its rich flavor and luxurious texture.  There are several grades of jamón ibérico that are produced in Spain, but thus far only one grade is available stateside.  The top quality ham - known as bellota (acorn) because the pigs are fed acorns exclusively in the final phase of their lives - is expected by March.

The quality of the meat and its extreme rarity conspire to make this a gourmet's delicacy - though not quite on par with Kobe beef or white truffles - and the price tag reflects this.  Cowgirl Creamery is selling their jamón ibérico for $75 per pound.  At that price, each slice costs more than $2, making this a ham that must be savored on its own if it is to be truly appreciated.

And that's where it lost me.  I am a real fan of prosciutto di Parma - I love the taste and the way it practically melts in your mouth when it's sliced thinly.  Jamón ibérico had a similar flavor, if slightly richer and more savory.  But my experiences with prosciutto di Parma at price points below $25 per pound gave me an objective basis for comparison, and I simply did not find the jamón three times as good as the best prosciutto I had ever tasted.  It probably didn't help that the slices I tasted were not thin enough to truly dissolve in my mouth, even after I had let them reach room temperature as the Cowgirls recommended.

Although I'm glad I took the time to try jamón ibérico, I don't know that I'll be rushing out to buy it again anytime soon.