Cheese, as someone once said, is milk's leap toward immortality.

And that's really a clever way of summing up the purpose of cheese-- to preserve milk.

And like so often happens in the culinary world, food borne out of necessity becomes cuisine.

Cheesemakers became artisans.

And now, there are so many varieties of cheese, and secrets, too, like aging time and cultures added and the amount of heat.

It's an intriguing process that's been around for a very long time.

I'm Charity Nebbe.

On this episode of Iowa Ingredient, we'll taste the famous cheese of Milton Creamery.

This family-owned operation uses milk from small Amish dairy farms to craft their award-winning cheese.

And master chef David Baruthio shares his own passion for cheese when he combines fresh Iowa ingredients into recipes you can make at home.

All that and more coming up next on Iowa Ingredient.

Funding for Iowa Ingredient is provided by the WT and Edna M. Dahl Trust, Chef Lisa LaValle of Trellis Cafe and the River Center and Chef Michael LaValle of the Des Moines Embassy Club.

For more than 100 years, the Des Moines Embassy Club has provided a place to dine, celebrate, and do business, located in downtown Des Moines and in West Des Moines.

And friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation.

[MUSIC PLAYING] [INDISTINCT CHATTER] [MUSIC PLAYING] Chef Katie, you've done it again.

Thank you so much.

[MUSIC PLAYING] [INTERPOSING VOICES] [MUSIC PLAYING] Have you ever noticed that the cheese world has its own fascinating vocabulary?

Cheese mongers, cheese caves, hooping, cutting the curd, cheddaring.

I consider myself to be a turophile.

That means that I love cheese.

That's a term that started out in the 1930s, and never really caught on.

But today, we are going to learn about cheese from some people who really know their stuff, the folks at Milton Creamery right here in Iowa.

[MUSIC PLAYING] For the Amish and Mennonite farmers in Van Buren County, working hard and close to the land is part of who they are.

Making a living on a small farm can be difficult, and the Musser family dreamed of doing something different.

They thought if they could make a cheese that people truly enjoy, they could place a higher value on their neighbors' milk and support local family-owned dairy farms.

Now, Milton Creamery is delighting cheese lovers all over the country with Prairie Breeze, an aged white cheddar-style cheese.

Making cheese begins with milk.

It takes approximately 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese.

Once the milk goes into our vat, we then add our starter cultures.

And that is really where the cheese-making process starts.

We then add a very unique, unusual concoction of adjunct cultures.

And that's what makes our Prairie Breeze so special, is the individual cultures that we put in it.

The rennet that we use is 100% vegetarian.

It's not derived from animals or calves, and for no other reason than it actually turns out to be a better cheese.

That will then coagulate, and it will start to look kind of like yogurt in the vat.

That's when they will add those harps into the vat, start stirring it slowly and breaking down that massive curd into individual curds.

When the pH is right and the temperature is right and it has, quote unquote, cooked long enough, they will then drain the whey off, and the cheddaring process begins.

When you ask somebody, you know, what does it mean to actually make a cheddar, it does refer to the recipe, to some extent, but cheddaring actually refers to that stacking of the loaves of curds that you saw, where the cheesemakers were actually taking those slabs of curds and layering them on top of one another, back and forth.

That is the verb cheddar.

So that is actually what makes it cheddar cheese.

Prairie Breeze is handcrafted at every step.

The cut curds are hand-salted and raked, then they're hand-packed into hoops for pressing.

The next day, each block is sealed and placed into a wooden box for aging.

And those boxes are made by hand.

So right now, this room has about 600,000 pounds of mostly Prairie Breeze.

This is where the cheese will stay and kind of hang out and ripen for usually about nine months minimum.

What's interesting about Prairie Breeze is, when you first break off a piece of it and you smell it, it actually smells like pineapple.

But I don't mean like fresh pineapple, it smells like canned pineapple.

It's very strange.

So you're immediately hit with something that you're not equating to cheddar.

You're tasting, you're smelling fruit, and you're smelling exotic fruit, tropical fruit, pineapple-- almost like Hawaiian punch.

It's got a very unique fruitiness to it that you can't really put your finger on.

And then when you taste it, it embodies a little bit of what everyone likes about all cheeses.

It is creamy.

It is crunchy.

It's a little sweet.

It's nutty.

It's a little salty.

It's fruity.

You really can't go wrong with it.

And it isn't orange.

Many cheesemakers dye their cheddar, but it's naturally creamy white or yellow, depending on the milk that was used.

You can always look at cheese in the aging room and know when it was made, if it was made early spring, when that grass is just coming out and the animals are grazing on it, or during the winter when they're eating more of the dry feed and dried grass.

The color will change pretty dramatically.

So winter milk tends to be a little bit whiter, and summer milk tends to be a little bit more yellow.

I mean, there's something to be said about the Prairie Breeze that you have.

This is agriculture land, and we have people and families that have been here for generations that just know how to produce really high-quality milk, you know?

You could make this cheese somewhere else.

It won't be the same.

Unless you're making it right here, it'll never be Prairie Breeze.

This part of Iowa checks all the boxes for making exceptional, world-class cheese.

[MUSIC PLAYING] And now I'm here in the kitchen with master chef David Baruthio.

Thank you so much for being here.

Absolutely.

Happy to be here.

And at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, you were opening a restaurant in Switzerland?

Right, pretty much.

I mean, we were already open, but we were trying to reopen for the season.

And it was very difficult, but somehow we got it done and we're still around, so.

Yeah, so you were actually in Switzerland for-- I was in Switzerland-- --a number of months, right?

--for about four months, without being able to come back home.

The pandemic has been really hard on a lot of restaurant owners-- It really was.

It's-- --and people who work in the restaurant industry everywhere.

How did your restaurant make it through?

We made a deal with the hotel next door to us, and we got it done.

And we catered for hotel guests and survived, and put our heads down and tried to make the most of it.

it's a sad situation, you know, but we're all in good health, and I think that's the best thing that somebody can have.

Absolutely.

And I'm sure that was hard, to be away from family, and travel-- It was.

--is so difficult-- It really was.

--and-- well, we are just so happy to have you back in Iowa.

I'm happy to be back in Iowa.

That's where home is, so it's always good to come back home.

Right, but you always work all over the world.

All the time.

You go to Switzerland, but there have been many other adventures and many other adventures.

Correct.

Right now in Iowa, where we have the farm to run, and we also run the catering side of Baru.

And Baru is focusing on high-end catering and to-go, and that's what keeps us going.

Nice, nice.

Well I hope there are many, many more adventures, and travel-- I'm sure there will be.

--just gets easier and easier again.

Yes.

And today, we're going to do some cooking.

Today, we're going to cook with Prairie Breeze cheddar.

One of my favorite Iowa cheese.

Mine too.

Fantastic.

Let's do it.

Yeah.

All right.

We're going to cook with cheddar cheese, Prairie Breeze from Milton Creamery, which is a wonderful cheese.

But what are we going to make with it?

So, we're going to make a twice baked potato.

So, featuring Prairie Breeze cheddar, bacon-- because everything tastes better with bacon.

True.

A little creme fraiche, because I'm French.

And some broccoli.

Did they make you a promise, as a master chef, that you must always use creme fraiche?

No, but everything tastes better with a little creme fraiche-- And butter too.

But bacon and cheddar-- Yeah.

This is exciting.

Prairie Breeze will be the highlight.

For sure.

Let's get started.

Let's get started.

[MUSIC PLAYING] So, I got some russet potatoes, that have been washed before.

I'm going to wrap them in our foil.

A little bit of salt.

And we're going to cook those for about 45 minutes.

All right.

Well, they're nice and soft.

Nice and soft.

You don't want to-- I mean, you really want them really cooked, all the way through.

And 450 in the oven, 45 minutes.

All right.

So while this is cooking, we're going to blanch our broccoli.

All right.

We've got some water boiling already eating.

Broccoli.

So, we're just going to blanch the broccoli?

That's a pretty fast process.

Right.

But we want them a little bit more than blanched, we want them more on the softer side for the preparation we're going to do.

OK.

So, I'll cook it about for a minute, a minute and a half.

And then we're going to put them in ice cold water, so they stop the process of cooking and they keep that nice green color.

Perfect.

So now they're-- See?

Nice and blanched.

And very green.

And very green.

OK. All right.

So now we're going to do the Prairie Breeze cheddar.

OK. And I'm going to shred it.

I have a cheese grater here, standing by.

So, I like that cheddar because of the particularity of it.

Cheddar, some can be too spicy, too salty, too dry.

And they really do a great job with it, because it's mild, it's still a little moist.

[SOFT JAZZ PLAYING] So, we're going to set that aside, while we go and drain the broccoli.

So now that the broccoli is drained, we're going to take the bacon, we're going to cut it in lardon, and we're going to saute it with the onion.

With the onion.

Nice.

I mean, bacon, potato, cheese-- Nothing can go wrong here.

No.

This is a recipe for success.

Yes.

So, we're not going to cook any fat.

We're going to have the-- Everything is going to happen from the natural fat of the bacon.

So, all in one pot.

Here's my yellow onion that I have sliced, rough chopped.

And all we do here, we let the magic happen.

Nice, hot.

Hot, hot, hot.

So, the way you know-- Obviously, this is very hot.

But you spoke in there.

If your blade-- If's it's easy to go in.

It's cooked.

Great.

So, we're going to open those.

Careful, it's a little hot.

Slice them in half, all the way through.

And then we're going to take the potato, as much as we can out.

So, it is a little hot.

So, we wait-- I mean, we did wait a little bit, right?

Yep.

Going to go in there.

A great color here.

Nice caramelization going on.

And I'm going to start mixing.

I'm going to take the broccoli.

And get your greens in there too.

Color, flavor, but now you're making it healthy.

Exactly.

With the bacon, it's wonderful, right?

Very low cholesterol dish.

So, creme fraiche-- You can use also sour cream, if you don't have any creme fraiche.

Bit of parsley.

A little chives.

Touch of salt.

Touch of pepper.

And we'll mix that into a nice paste.

Wonderful.

So, you can put it right back in those potatoes, right?

Exactly.

You want to crush a little bit.

You want to make sure you mix until all your potatoes are crushed.

Maybe a little more creme fraiche.

And because I'm French, a little bit of butter also.

Because that will help also for the caramelization when we bake it.

Nice.

Voila.

Wonderful.

And now we're going to do the filling a little bit.

Wonderful.

We'll finish up with a little bit of cheese on the top, for to get that gratine feel to it.

And we'll go back to the oven.

Great.

There we go.

We got 7, 8 minutes until it's ready.

Great.

It's perfectly baked.

And look, nicely a little gratine here.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, that looks fantastic.

And we baked them for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Yeah.

10 to 12 minutes at 450.

It is very, very hot.

Yes.

What a perfect thing to eat after a day spent outside.

Exactly.

It's very comfy.

Yeah.

Finish it up with a little creme fraiche, just like this.

Gorgeous.

To melt, yup.

A touch of chives here.

I got a little fresh chiffonade of parsley that we had left.

I can't think of anybody that wouldn't love this.

This is just fantastic.

A touch of black pepper.

And that's it.

Voila.

Bon appetit.

Oh, Chef David, thank you so much.

My pleasure.

All right.

So, we've made those amazing baked potatoes.

Now, we're going to make a soup.

Tell me about it.

We're going to do a potato brown beer cheddar soup.

That sounds delicious.

Perfect.

What are we going to do first?

[SOFT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING] So first, we're going to chop the potatoes.

And you already did all the peeling.

That's good.

Yeah, I get the peeling done first.

I got little elves in the morning that come and peel.

I need those.

There we go.

Just small chop.

We'll start with a little bit of butter.

So, we don't want the pan too hot, otherwise it's going to burn.

Just warm enough to melt.

Yeah.

Onion.

It's a very simple dish.

It's all really about the cheese and the potato.

All in one.

Easy to do.

Especially, I like to cook at home for family.

And you don't always have the time or the energy.

So, this is all in one pot, and you let it cook and simmer, and that's it.

Nice.

Comfort food.

A little bit of seasoning.

A little bit of seasoning, not too much.

You can always put some more afterwards.

And here, we're going to go a little higher.

Here you go.

We're just going to stir it a little bit.

So, our potatoes are a little bit all glazed, and we don't really need a color on that.

So now we go and we add some of your favorite brown beer.

Nice.

Not all of it.

Save some for a drink.

We just changed the aroma in here, dramatically.

And then we add the stock.

So, I just use a plain vegetable stock, but-- You can use whatever, right?

You can use whatever you like.

Make sure you don't take anything too salty.

Because there will be plenty of salt in the cheese.

Correct.

And now we put the lid, and let it cook that until the potatoes are totally soft.

All right.

There you go.

And you're going to blend it before you add the dairy products?

Correct.

I'm going to add the dairy products while I'm blending, so I can control better the consistency.

Nice.

So, I'm going to add a little bit of the dairy now, and some more liquid.

All right.

That's whole cream?

Just whole cream, yes.

Fresh whole cream.

A little bit more of stock.

Touch of salt.

And now we put the cheese.

If you notice, I didn't put any cheese in the cooking.

Yes.

I was worried.

No, no.

I think it's better like this.

It really makes the cheese a highlight.

Correct.

Now this kitchen smells even more amazing.

Exactly.

Now, a little bit of creme fraiche.

Because you're French.

Because I'm French, and because it makes things better.

And I'll finish it off with a little bit of parsley.

Fantastic.

And when you eat, you can always add more of the cheese.

All right.

Let's try this soup.

So excited.

It's beautiful.

Make sure you get a little bit of that cheese with every bite.

Yes.

Oh, it's so creamy.

And I love-- I love having the cheese on top, because that gives-- You get it right away.

Yeah, absolutely.

So, you get that great cheese taste, but then the creamy potato and beer soup.

Exactly.

Wow.

Well, it's fabulous.

Chef David, thank you so much.

Merci.

[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING] OK. Let's see what this tri-tip weighs for you.

Three and a quarter OK for you?

Perfect.

OK.

When people come into an old style butcher shop like this-- It doesn't get any fresher than that.

--it brings back these different memories of how they used to buy meat, and what that meant, and the different recipes that they had with their family.

Is there anything else I can wrap up for you?

No, thanks.

All right.

Have a great weekend.

Thank you.

And so it really gives us an opportunity to engage with them.

I can carry some of this over.

And bring back those food memories that are so important to a lot of people.

It's a cool thing that we get to do here.

What else can I get for you today, ma'am?

That's it.

OK.

I'll meet you up at the register.

I'll take this up there for you.

[MUSIC PLAYING] I really dove into the deep end of this.

We're a butcher shop.

I'm going to put it on the scale, and-- Let's see.

And we try to hail back to days past, where we try to break down whole animals.

It was part of our original vision, to be a whole animal butchery, and it's something that we're growing into.

People come in and say, I'm looking for this specific cut, that's not like a retail cut.

And we'll cut that for them.

That's going to become our New York strip steak.

And then we're going to pull the tri-tip off the sirloin, for an order here.

We also want to start to introduce some old world recipes of curing, dry aging, things that really aren't done anymore.

Just one inch and a half... We've lost some really great things that we want to try to bring back.

The last link in the chain of production is the retailer.

On his knowledge of cutting, rests much of the success of the meat business.

Part of the reason that those craft butcher shops in your old school butcher shops have gone by the wayside is that we stopped eating a lot of the animals.

The parts that we don't eat are shipped off to countries where they do eat those parts, and we have hamburger, and ribeyes, and tenderloins.

Juicy broiled hamburgers with just the right touch of charcoal flavor from the fire have become an American institution.

And so, there's an education piece that comes along with it, of getting people back to those older styles of cooking, those older food cultures that really knew how to use a whole animal.

So, part of utilizing the whole animal is getting as much of the grind off the bones as we can.

We have a number of customers who come in and shop for bones.

There's a gentleman earlier, who was reserving bones to make pho, or other beef broth with.

I thought we were going to have to work harder to educate people about other portions of meat that they can utilize at home, but I think the timing was right on that.

People cooking at home, they're looking for something new and interesting to cook.

We've been trying to introduce different cuts from different geographic areas.

And I think people are looking for those things.

And I hadn't anticipated how hungry people were, no pun intended, for something new to try at home as they're cooking.

But at the end of the day, it comes down to what's going into it.

So, local Iowa products, minimal processing, whole, fresh ingredients.

So, I have that 6 pounds pork shoulder ready for you.

If you harvested a beef, it took the whole community and all the families coming together to eat that animal.

What do you know today, Dave?

Not a whole lot.

How about you?

Here in the state, we talk a lot about Iowa as a farm economy.

But to a lot of people, that just means driving through the corn and soy fields.

When you're eating a local animal raised on a local farm, you're really connecting with a deeper tradition in the food system.

That's it for this week's show.

I'm Charity Nebbe.

See you next time, as we explore our state's resourceful and creative culinary culture, right here on Iowa Ingredient.

[MUSIC PLAYING] Keep in mind that circumstances are always changing.

So please, take a moment to check ahead if you're planning to visit a restaurant, farm, or event featured on the show.

[Captioning provided by] [Karasch] [800-621-5689 www.karasch.com] Funding for Iowa Ingredient is provided by-- The W.T.

and Edna M. Dahl Trust.

Chef Lisa LaValle of Trellis Cafe and the River Center, and Chef Michael LaValle of the Des Moines Embassy Club.

For more than 100 years, the Des Moines Embassy Club has provided a place to dine, celebrate, and do business, located in downtown Des Moines and in West Des Moines.

And friends-- The Iowa PBS Foundation.

Generations of family and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS.