Nevat

For Catalan artisan Josep Cuixart, cheesemaking began with a road trip. About 20 years ago, he shepherded four goats into his car and drove 400 miles back to the farm near Barcelona where, amazingly, he still wanted to make cheese after all that quality time with his new herd.

At his Can Pojul production house, he perfected fresh goat cheeses before developing Nevat, an aged, soft-ripened cheese made by draining goat's milk curds in cheesecloth bags. Named for the Catalan word for snow, Nevat ages for two or three months until the rind is bloomy and the paste inside is soft and creamy under the edge but cakey and more dense toward the center. With a little time to warm at room temperature, the long lasting flavors are tart and mushroomy with just a bit of surprising grassy sweetness.