In musical nomenclature, the term andante refers to a song's tempo being that of a strolling walk. And like her dairy's namesake, Soyoung Scanlan of the Andante Dairy in Petaluma, CA creates cheese that reflects a slower pace in life. Early on in her cheesemaking career she was approached by Thomas Keller of the French Laundry who took a liking to her cheese. From then on she had a standing order for whatever cheese she thought was best to send to Keller's preeminent restaurant. Each of her cheeses is made by hand and in tiny batches and given musical names that reflect their unique qualities; so if you're lucky enough to get a piece, be sure to savor it.
My favorite of her cheeses is the Cavatina, a musical term that refers to a short song of simple character, without a second strain or any repetition. The cheese is a small log of chevre that has been covered in vegetable ash, assisting rind formation and giving the cheese a classic french goat milk appearance. Despite it's appearances, it is not an overwhelming or "stinky" cheese. My mom made this mistake by almost throwing it in the garbage (she has a strict no stinky cheese policy, as mentioned in my Cheddar post), but luckily my dad was there to swoop in and save the little log of goaty deliciousness. Its silky texture has a clean milky taste with a salty bite. I like it best on a cracker with a little black pepper. Enjoy!
:.