The Lone Star Whey

America's latest hotbed of cheese is (surprise) in Texas

Between the scorching heat and desertlike conditions that blanket much of the Southwest, Texas seems like it would be the last place to serve as home to successful cheesemaking.

But there's a brimming culture of curds aging across the lands Davy Crockett once defended. And the region got to flaunt its stuff at the 2009 American Cheese Society Awards, held earlier this month in Austin, where several Texas cheeses took top honors.

Here are three of the best cheesemakers the Lone Star State has to offer.

Mozzarella Company Located in the middle of Dallas, this dairy combines traditional Italian cheesemaking techniques with native chile peppers to create bold flavors. Its La Cocina Caciotta is a flavorful goat's-milk cheese blended with everything but the kitchen sink, including fresh basil and cilantro, ancho and guajillo chiles, garlic and chipotle peppers.

Pure Luck Farm and Dairy Based in Dripping Springs, this Hill Country cheesemaker creates its unique chèvre with the help of 100 goats that graze on cedar bark and prickly pear cactus, which gives their milk an unforgettable earthy taste (phone orders only).

Veldhuizen Family Farm This farm's Jersey cows (pictured) graze on the lush, green pastures of Dublin, Texas, and produce milk that results in subtly grassy cheeses. One of Veldhuizen's masterpieces is a four-month-aged raw cow's-milk cheese called Paragaon. Perfect for melting, it's smooth and velvety, revealing a bit of the magic that is cow's milk in every bite.

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