Made like it was 100 years ago – flavorful and fresh, hand-ladled with no vegetable gum or preservatives!

Cream cheese was the very first cheese we made at the Creamery, crafted much as it was on small dairies a hundred years ago.  Made completely by hand with fresh local milk from Calder Dairy and mixed with nothing more than a little rennet. salt, a generous dose of cream and the patience to let it drain naturally for a good 6 hours.  In the spirit of traditional cheesemaking, Zingerman’s Creamery Cream Cheese is made with curds ladled by hand and without vegetable gum or artificial additives.  Most importantly it has a delicious, fresh milky flavor and a wonderfully light and fluffy texture.  Great spread on a bagel, terrific on toast, and it makes an amazingly good cheesecake.

Pick up a pound in March for only $9.99!

Learn to Make Cheese Fresh Mozzarella!

EVERY Saturday through May you can get your cheese-learning on at the Creamery.  Come be a cheesemaker for a day as this 2-hour class is held right in the production department of the Creamery.  We will teach you how to make your own mozzarella from either fresh milk or finished curd and you will leave with the confidence and courage to make mozz in your own kitchen!

Registration is $45 per person and the class is held from 12-2 pm every Saturday.  Space is limited so reservations are required.  Give us a call at 734-929-0500 and we will get you all signed up!

Get Your Goat!

Sunday, April 18 * 4-6pm * $25/foodie

Join us on Sunday, April 18 at 4pm for an all-goat festivus of cheese.  We’ll taste goat cheeses soft and hard, tangy and smooth, and talk about all things goaty- from the rambunctious animal itself, to it’s delicious milk, all the way to finished cheese.  Whether you are a goat cheese veteran or new to the cheese world, we guarantee you’ll leave with a new appreciation for this feisty beast!  We’ll be tasting cheese made right here at the Creamery from local milk as well as some of our favorites from around the US and the world.

If you are a Facebook-inclined foodie, click the link above to be taken to the Event.

Sunday, April 18 * 4-6pm * $25/foodie

One word comes to mind immediately as you bite into a piece of this lovely, double-cream cow’s milk cheese – luscious.  A silky-smooth paste encapsulated in a buttery-yellow rind, the Manchester is a testament to all that is wonderful about milk.  We take raw Calder Brothers Dairy cow’s milk, gently pasteurize it to maintain as much of it’s original integrity as possible, set and age it to near-perfection.

Like all cheeses, the Manchester is best served at room temperature to allow its true essence to shine through with each and every bite.  Depending upon its age, it can run the gamut from uber-soft and creamy to firm.  Don’t be alarmed if you see a bit of blue or green mottling, that’s perfectly normal.  Cheeses with this type of rind can create a hospitable environment for ambient molds and it is these slight imperfections that may turn a great cheese into a spectacular one.  That’s always been the beauty of cheese to me, the differences you can find batch to batch, week to week, and even day to day.

The Manchester is also one of our most versatile cheeses.  There’s no-holds barred when it comes to applications.  From simply sliced and eaten plain, baked in puff pastry with a light dusting of Demerara sugar or a layer of banana chutney, to grilled in a ham sandwich (aptly named the Hamchester by our friends at Mail Order), the only limits are your imagination!

All February long, pick yourself up a wheel of the Manchester for only $9.99!  That’s $2-off the regular price but comes with every bite of it’s wonderfully full flavor.

City Goat “2-fer-$10″

It’s hard to beat a cheese so fresh that you could slap it!  Our City Goat is our own chevre, made the old-fashioned way, from farm to cheese in less than 24 hours with hand-cut and ladled curds.  The City Goat is a fresh cheese with an amazing brightness and vivid tanginess.  Dress it up by rolling in fresh rosemary or thyme for a decorative and delicious appetizer.  Drizzle with honey and decorate with slivered almonds in order to experience the world of cheese, as dessert.  You can get super-creative with this one and all this week, they are on special, 2 City Goats for $10.

Some Like It Hot!

Want to be more adventurous with your food?  Cheese is a magnificent way to slowly up the spicy ante!  Join us for this month’s Creamery Tasting and eat your way through the many ways your cheese-eating experience can be augmented with a little heat.  We’ll ease you in with our Detroit Street Brick with a just a slight green peppercorn kick and take you all the way to Harissa Cream Cheese.  And then we’ll cool you down with a little gelato, Chocolate Heat gelato that is…  We’ll give you some great pairing ideas and you might just find that a “spicy dish” can still please everyone at the party.

The Tasting will be held on Sunday, February 21st from 4-6 pm.  The cost is $25 and will be held in the Bake! classroom next door to the Creamery at 3723 Plaza Drive.

Saturday Mozzarella-Making Classes

EVERY Saturday through May you can get your cheese-learning on at the Creamery.  Come be a cheesemaker for a day as this 2-hour class is held right in the production department of the Creamery.  We will teach you how to make your own mozzarella from either fresh milk or finished curd and you will leave with the confidence and courage to make mozz in your own kitchen!

Registration is $45 per person and the class is held from 12-2 pm every Saturday.  Space is limited so reservations are required.  Give us a call at 734-929-0500 and we will get you all signed up!

Update:  February is all filled up except for the 27th, which is over half-filled.  If you’d like to join us this month, just give us a call!

Update: February’s classes have been filling up with a fury!  The 2/6 class is sold out and just one spot remains for the 13th (the 13th has sold out as well!) and the 20th is already over half-filled.

The Bridgewater

A rich and dense mold-ripened cheese, studded with freshly cracked Telicherry black pepper.  The Bridgewater combines a slight citrus flavor with the bold spice of fresh pepper, finishing with gentle hints of mushroom.  The Bridgewater is a pasteurized cow’s milk cheese aged about 7-10 days before they are sold and can be aged for up to 2 months.  When young, they are very creamy and slightly crumbley and with a little age they become firm, dense, and fudgey.

When young, the cheese is best with unflavored crackers or oatcakes. It also makes an excellent addition to sauces.  As it ages, it develops a flinty texture and the pepper becomes more pronounced.  At this age, it is great sprinkled over salads or pasta.   Regularly priced at $9.99 each, all January long the Bridgewater is only $7.99 at the Creamery.

From Ann Arbor with Love!

Join us for the first Creamery Tasting of the decade!  Sunday, January 17 from 4-6pm is the time, the Bake! classroom next door to the Creamery is the place.  We’ll guide you through the history and science of cheesemaking and give you a tour of the wide-variety of cheese we make right here at Zingerman’s Creamery.  Registration is $25.  Drop us a line and we’ll get you all signed up!

Mozzarella-Making Saturdays

Every Saturday through May, join us at the Creamery for a two-hour class during which you will learn to make mozzarella from curd and fresh milk.  We’ll show you how to make two traditional Italian specialties: Burrata and Mozzarella & Myrtle as well as hand-shaped mozzarella balls.  You’ll leave the class with the knowledge and confidence to make mozzarella in your own kitchen.  $45 in advance/$50 at the door.

Sunday Tours

Our cheesemakers lead the whey and give the scoop on how we make artisan cheese and old-fashioned gelato.  You’ll receive a $5 coupon to spend in the shop after the tour.  Fun for kids of all ages, come on down and learn how we do what we do!

Reserve your spot for any of our Tastings, Tours, or Classes by calling (734) 929-0500!

Great Lakes Cheshire

Cheshire is one of the oldest recorded cheeses.  What was once a myriad of different recipes based on the given season’s milk, has whittled it’s way down to just a few styles still in prominence.  There was a time not to long ago when agriculture was deeply tied to the seasons and this of course translated into cheese as well.

The recipe we use for Great Lakes Cheshire is based on a winter recipe, developed for cold months when milk keeps longer and the pressure to preserve milk from spoilage (i.e., make into cheese) isn’t as great.  These winter recipes ripen more quickly and often have a tangier and younger taste.  The raw milk we get from Calder Dairy is perfect for this recipe, one I learned from Welsh cheesemaker Leon Downey.  And it was actually the first cheese I made for sale back in the days of the Loomis Cheese Company.  Long story very short, there weren’t a ton of markets available to the artisan cheesmaker in the 80′s, but Zingerman’s Deli was always one to trumpet the virtues of a local cheese, and I sold the Great Lakes Cheshire to Ari and Paul back in days when it was hard to sell a cheese with a name no one had ever heard of.  Little did I know that these humble transaction would lay the foundation for what would one day become Zingerman’s Creamery.

This month we feature the Great Lakes Cheshire as our cheese of the month.  Next time you are in, give it a taste.  I’ve been enjoying it with some slices of felino salame, really tasty.  For December, the cheshire will be priced at $22.99 instead of the regular $26.99/pound.  We hope you enjoy it!  And, just in case you happen to live outside of the Ann Arbor area, Zingerman’s Mail Order carries the Great Lakes Cheshire.  Click here to jump over to their website for all of the full-flavored details.

Eastern Market

It was an amazing first season at the Eastern Market.  And we are excited to make our first foray into a wintertime farmer’s market.  It’s been great to taste cheese with so many new people and be part of such a vibrant community of vendors, growers, and people.  I think we will be shifting spots in the Shed a bit in the coming weeks so stay tuned to the website for any changes.  We’ll be sure to post them on the front page.

Hope to see you in Ann Arbor or Detroit soon!

Become a Cheesemaker

Our Mozzarella-Making Classes are in full swing.  Nearly every Saturday you can join us in the production are of the Creamery to learn how to make your very own mozzarella.  While not easy, making mozzarella is pretty simple and definitely something anybody could learn.  Interested?  Drop us a line at (734) 929-0500 to get signed up or ask any question you may have.  Pre-registration is required and classes fill up pretty quickly.  The cost is $45 per student and the class is held from 12-2pm, right here at the Creamery.

Ciao!

Despite deceptively September-like beginnings, we are indeed knee-deep in November, with perhaps the most food-centric holiday of them all looming splendidly on the horizon.  There are few things in life more joyous than gathering around a table laden with steaming plates of colorful foods and the smiling faces of friends and family.  It’s hard not to think of family this time of year.

Integral to the Creamery’s family is the mixed herd of cows at Calder Dairy.  Each bovine beauty is very much an extension of both our’s and the Calder brother’s family.  And this time of year is when their milk really begins to shine.  For that reason, the Sharon Hollow has been bestowed the honor of the Creamery’s November Cheese of the Month.  It may not be exactly serendipity, but this time of year is when cow’s milk happens to be at it’s best, and few cheeses let the beauty of Calder’s milk shine like the Sharon Hollow.

Laced with garlic and spiked with either freshly chopped chives or cracked Telicherry black pepper, the Sharon Hollow is a fresh cow’s milk cheese formed in a cylindrical mold.  It is very curdy, knitting loosely together as they drain over-night.  Very few creameries are turning out fresh cow cheeses, so we thought it would be a unique item to bring to market.  I’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite flavor between the two.  I love adding them to mashed potatoes, pasta sauces, cream soups or bisques, or just simply spread on some crispy crostini.

All November long, both Sharon Hollows are only $4.99 at the Creamery!

Thank Goodness for Dairy!

This Sunday, November 22nd, will be the first in a recurring monthly series of tastings at the Creamery.   Eat your way through all kinds of ideas for dressing up your Thanksgiving dinner with cheese.  Whether it’s a bite of Cheshire smothered in candied lemon and fig chutney, a baked mozzarella braid wrapped in myrtle, or a scoop of pumpkin gelato paired with sweet corn cakes (ok, that last one’s not a cheese, but we don’t think you’ll mind…).  The tasting begins at 4pm, the Creamery will stay open late for tasting participants.  And you’ll get 20% off your entire purchase that evening!  Reserve your spot at 734-929-0500.  $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

Home for the Holidays!

Unfortunately, not everyone can make it home for the holidays.  Things come up, stuff happens as they say.  But, that doesn’t mean you can’t still get that gelato to your loved ones that you were hoping to bring home to scoop on top of a slice of Mom’s pumpkin pie.  Zingerman’s Mail Order is offering a 6-pack of Creamery gelato, all packed up tight for delivery all over the U.S.  The box contains our Thanksgiving-inspired Harvest Pumpkin, MI Blueberry Sorbet, Paw Paw and 3 other all-time favorites.  Click here to order!

No matter what your plans are for the holidays, we hope to see you at the Creamery or Farmer’s Markets to help you get together some goodies for your Thanksgiving spread.  We will be offering some great specials in both the Cheese Shop and markets, so stay tuned for what’s on tap!