Point Reyes Farmstead’s Toma perfect for snacking, cooking and pairing with beer and wine

In the Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.’s growing family, the buttery, cow’s-milk Toma is the second child, ushered into the world in 2010 under the loving hands of Head Cheesemaker Jakub “Kuba” Hemmerling.

At the time, Hemmerling was relatively new to the company run by three daughters of the Giacomini family, but he already had succeeded in his first task: to improve their firstborn, the wildly popular Point Reyes Original Blue, launched 10 years earlier.

“He spent about a year refining that recipe and ended up shortening the aging,” said Jill Giacomini Basch, co-owner and chief marketing office for Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. “In the process, he really understood the quality and the flavor profile of the milk.”

Although the Point Reyes Original Blue became the darling of chefs across the country, the Giacomini family wanted to produce a second cheese to satisfy all palates, with enough complexity to please a foodie or chef but approachable enough to appeal to non-cheeseheads.

“We had many conversations about what we wanted,” Giacomini Basch said. “We wanted a cheese that would be great for snacking and cooking ... and would represent the flavor of the milk and the grass and the terroir.”

As a native of Poland who had lived in Europe, Hemmerling suggested making a cheese like a Havarti or a young Gouda, with Dutch cultures, that would reflect the region of West Marin.

“He referred to it as a village cheese,” Giacomini Basch said. “Everyone in the village buys it by the wheel. You store it and age it, and then you start to use it for different things. When the wheel is gone, you go and buy another wheel.”

The idea of a village cheese called Toma, which means “wheel of cheese made by the farmer,” resonated with the family, who traces their ancestry back to the Italian Alps where the famous Toma Piemontese is made. That popular Italian cheese is closely related to the tomme cheese of France and Switzerland.

“Drawing upon our ancestry in Northern Italy, we knew it would be great to have a Point Reyes Toma,” Giacomini Basch said. “We hit the mark with our Toma.”

At first, the pasteurized table cheese grabs your taste buds with its rich, buttery flavor and creamy mouthfeel. But like a fine wine, the richness is balanced by an herbaceous acidity that cleans your palate.

“We refer to it as a grassy, tang finish,” she said. “Subconsciously, you want to have another bite and another bite.”

Equally delicious on a cheese board or in the kitchen, Toma is infinitely versatile, whether you are snacking on it with some simple olives and nuts or you are cooking with it, melting it in a grilled cheese sandwich or on top of a pizza.

“It melts beautifully,” Giacomini Basch said. “It’s a really great cooking cheese ... but also good for snacking and pairing with beverages like beer and wine and even spirits.”

Toma is a pasteurized cheese made from the farmstead’s whole Holstein milk. As with most of the other cheeses, it is now made at the company’s second creamery in Petaluma, which opened in 2018. (Only the raw-milk Original Point Reyes Blue is still made at the farm, because they need to use the raw milk as quickly as possible.)

‘Toma with attitude’

The development of the farmstead’s Toma cheese was as smooth as the cheese’s waxed rind, making it seem meant to be.

“The cheese came together so easily, from scaling it up to larger batches and the naming to the marketing and the reception by our customers,” Giacomini Basch said.

A few years ago, the family decided Toma deserved to have a family of its own, so they started research and development on a trio of flavored Tomas.

“We call it Toma with attitude,” Giacomini Basch said

Luckily for them, Hemmerling is married to chef Jennifer Luttrell, who became culinary director at The Fork, the farm’s cooking school, and a consultant on which flavors to add to the Toma.

“We wanted to do flavors that are unique and on-trend in cooking styles,” Giacomini Basch said. Luttrell came up with 15 possibilities and collected samples. Then Hemmerling made test batches of the different flavored cheeses, and everyone sat down together to debate the pros and cons of each.

The family loved the savory flavor of the Herbes de Provence, but they were not crazy about the perfumey flavor of the lavender in the mix. So Luttrell did some research and found an herb mix that left out the lavender.

The result was the TomaProvence, which includes rosemary, basil, marjoram and thyme. Those Mediterranean flavors pair nicely with olives, a fresh baguette and a buttery chardonnay.

The team also loved the idea of adding truffles to the cheese, especially the black truffles they had hunted in Italy.

“We knew we were going to do something with the Sapotino family from Umbria,” Giacomini Basch said “We have gone on truffle hunts (with them) and really wanted to use the real thing.”

With Luttrell’s input, however, they decided to dial back the amount of truffle added so the powerful essence didn’t overpower the palate.

The TomaTruffle offers an earthy, aromatic flavor that marries well with the buttery richness of the Toma and is decadent enough for a special celebration, even if you’re just getting together with a few friends.

“My favorite thing is to grate it over really good kettle chips and throw them under the broiler for 20 seconds,” Giacomini Basch said. “I call it a truffle nacho, and you drink it with a really good, sparkling wine ... with some chopped herbs over the top.”

The final Toma spin-off, TomaRashi, added the umami and nutty flavors of schmichimi togarashi, a Japanese spice blend that includes nori, chile flakes, ginger, toasted sesame and poppy and hemp seeds.

“The TomaRashi is great in Mexican or Asian food,” she said. “You can wrap it in nori instead of a cracker alongside a gin and tonic. ... With the right accompaniments, it’s a head-scratcher in a good way.”

Although not widely available yet, there is a new cheese in the works at the picturesque creamery overlooking Tomales Bay: the family’s first bloomy rind cheese called Quinta in honor of the sisters’ mom, Dean Giacomini, who passed away in 2012.

“Our mother was Portuguese, and it means farmstead or estate grown,” Giacomini Basch said. “It also means fifth in Spanish, and it’s the fifth cheese in our cheese line.”

The soft-ripened cheese is wrapped with spruce bark and topped with bay laurel leaves from the farm, which impart extra flavor. It is inspired by Vacherin Mont d’Or and its close cousin, L’Edel de Clérron, both from the Jura mountain region along the French-Swiss border.

The 9-ounce cheese can be enjoyed at a single sitting by removing the top rind and digging into its silky interior with a small spoon.

“It's really exciting,” Giacomini Basch said. “We needed that style of cheese to round out our product line.”

The following recipes are all from The Fork at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. Here is a simple recipe for using Toma at breakfast.

Toma Frico Fried Egg

Makes 1 egg

2 tablespoons shredded Point Reyes Toma

1 large fresh egg

Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a heavy-bottomed nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle Toma into the middle of pan, creating a thin, even, lacy circle. When the cheese has melted a bit, crack an egg onto the top. Use a spatula to keep the egg white on top of the cheese round. Cover the pan and cook for a few minutes, until the white is set and the yolk is still runny. Using a spatula, gently slide the egg out of the skillet and onto your plate.

Enjoy hot with a side of bacon, toast or avocado.

If you want, you could replace the classic Toma cheese in this recipe with TomaRashi or TomaProvence.

Perfect Point Reyes Toma Mac & Cheese

Serves 8 to 10

1 pound macaroni, penne or other tubular pasta

½ cup unsalted butter

1 shallot, minced

¼ cup dry white wine

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

16 ounces Point Reyes Toma, shredded

1 cup panko, toasted

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

In the meantime, melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and sauté a few minutes until tender. Add wine and cook another minute.

Whisk in flour until smooth, then cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk, cream, bay leaf, salt and cayenne. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove pan from heat and remove and discard bay leaf. Add shredded Toma, stirring until melted and combined. Stir in cooked pasta.

Pour into serving bowl. Top with toasted panko. Serve hot.

Bake this savory galette on a crisp autumn day for a hearty lunch or dinner. The dough can be made a day in advance.

Butternut Squash Galette with Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Onions and Toma

Serves 4 to 6

For crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For filling:

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 large head garlic, whole and unpeeled, top cut off

2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh ricotta

1 cup grated Point Reyes Toma

Minced fresh thyme, for garnish (optional)

To make the crust, put flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse to form a mixture resembling small peas. Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until the dough sticks together. Mix only until all crumbs are incorporated into dough. Transfer to a lightly floured board and shape the dough into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the filling, in a large mixing bowl toss the butternut squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir in thyme, salt and pepper. Spread squash onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Place head of garlic on edge of baking sheet and place in oven. Bake until squash and garlic are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown and soften. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set aside.

When the garlic is cool enough to handle, peel and put in the reserved bowl. Mash with the back of a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the ricotta.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out into a large circle about ¼-inch thick. Transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Spread the garlic-cheese mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with caramelized onions followed by butternut squash and fold the edges of dough toward the center of the galette. Sprinkle Toma over the center of the galette.

Bake until crust is crisp and golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Garnish with additional chopped fresh thyme, if desired. Let cool slightly and then slice and serve.

This isn’t your mama’s grilled cheese, but it does make for a filling fall lunch or casual dinner. To make this dish more easily, pick up peach chutney at the market.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Toma, Peach Chutney and Basil

Makes 4 sandwiches

For sandwiches:

8 slices whole wheat sourdough bread

4 tablespoons butter

8 ounces Point Reyes Toma, shredded

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, drained and pulled apart

3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

For chutney:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

4 firm but ripe peaches (about 1 1/2 pounds), pitted and cut into 1-inch chunks

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Peach Chutney: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and sauté for about 30 seconds, until they begin to pop. Add onion and sauté until tender and translucent, 3-4 minutes. Stir in sugar, vinegar, ginger and pepper flakes. Cook until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Add peaches and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fruit is tender and a thick syrup has formed. Stir in salt. Remove from heat. Chutney can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

For the sandwiches: Lay 4 slices of bread on work surface. Spread each with about 1 tablespoon Peach Chutney. Distribute Point Reyes Toma and fresh mozzarella evenly on top of chutney. Finish with fresh basil. Press the remaining bread slices firmly into place on top. Spread softened butter onto the outside of the top and bottom slices of bread.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook sandwiches until the bottom slice of bread is golden brown, working in batches if necessary. Flip sandwiches and cook until cheese is melted and bread is toasty. Serve hot.

Here’s another comfort dish like mama never made. Instead of dipping your grilled cheese in the soup, the soup is topped with cheesy croutons.

Tomato Soup with Toma Grilled Cheese Croutons

Serves 6

For the soup:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon dried oregano

4 cups stock (vegetable or chicken work well)

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

For the croutons:

4 slices sourdough bread

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces Point Reyes Toma, shredded

In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and a pinch of salt, cooking onion until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and oregano, stirring for another couple minutes. Add stock and tomatoes. Bring soup to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Carefully puree soup with immersion blender or in a standing blender until smooth. Return soup to pot and season with salt and pepper. Keep hot on stove while you make the croutons.

Note: When blending hot liquid, remove the center cap from blender lid. Place a double-thickness of paper towels over open blender, then replace blender lid on top. This will release steam without allowing soup to escape from the top. Start blender on low and increase power as needed.

Place slices of bread on a cutting board. Evenly spread butter on one side of each slice. Turn two slices over and top with Toma. Cover with remaining two slices, buttered side up.

Heat a large pan over medium heat. Place sandwiches in the heated pan and cook until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook again until bottom slice of bread is brown and cheese is melted. Remove from pan to a cutting board and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Serve soup hot in bowls with a few croutons on top.

Staff Writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56