Say ‘Cheese!’

Cow’s milk: Start with a mild, creamy cow’s milk cheese such as a triple-crème; Constant Bliss, above, is dense and salty, more like French Chaource.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Sheep’s milk: Aged sheep’s milk cheeses peak in fall. This chestnut leaf-wrapped cheese, aged two to four months, is from Sally Jackson.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Goat’s milk: A soft goat’s milk cheese can be fall-appropriate, such as when it is ribboned with ash or flecked with truffles, like Cypress Grove’s Truffle Tremor.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Washed-rind: There are more domestic soft, washed-rind options than ever. Here, Grayson is a rich, pungent semi-soft cheese from West Virginia.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Alpine-style: Some of the best U.S. cheeses are sweet, nutty Alpine-style cheeses, glorious in the fall. This one is Trailhead Tomme from Washington.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Cheddar: Big-flavored, great-for-the-holidays cheddar is a universal crowd pleaser. Caramel-y crystalline granules distinguish Wisconsin’s Hook’s Cheddar.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Blue: Rogue Creamery releases its Rogue River Blue cheese, wrapped in brandy-soaked grape leaves, in the fall, and it probably likely will be all gone by January.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Hard: Aged hard cheeses are great this time of year because of their full flavors and their heft. One of the California classics is Vella Dry Jack.  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)